The Bite Magazine - issue 16

S ombre clothing has no place in our summer wardrobes as far as we’re concerned. Once the sun is shining all we crave are bright, bold prints that effortlessly stand out from the crowd and there’s nothing quite as alluring as discovering a niche brand that will set you strides apart from the crowd. Right now we love the riot of colours that is Prelim. Launched in 2013, Prelim is a wonderfully unique African inspired fashion label created by Zimbabwean-born designer Preline Martha. Martha’s love for clothing started from an early age, and would get creative in making dresses for her dolls. Combined with her awe of watching her grandmother make clothing for her, she was inspired to study fashion at university. Her BA in Womens- wear gave free reign to get creative. Martha said, “ It was a great environment because I got the chance to experiment with prints and different materials. I once even made a dress out of tissue and it helped me learn how to translate my ideas into fashion!” Having completed her degree Martha interned with the likes of Nicola de Main before taking the leap and launching her own label. Fusing African culture into western silhouettes gives her designs a truly distinc- tive style.With each piece of the collection crafted by hand, taking anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks to construct, it’s one of those rare brands where every piece feels like it’s there just for you and so when the opportu- nity arose for us to pick the brains of the woman behind the brand we jumped at the chance to get to know the woman behind the prints. To Martha, fashion means freedom and the ability to communicate and present herself without speaking a word. She’s a natural entrepreneur, relishing full creative control and the opportu- nity to assert her ideas. As a designer, Martha is bold and takes inspiration from her city’s fashion, which she defines as “experimental.” She added, “My design signature is fusing African culture into western styles and bold prints. My main fabric in all my collections is African wax print fabric called Ankara fabric. I love taking what would be a traditional African dress but turning it into modern fashion like a suit or jumpsuit.” Her fusion style has certainly garnered all the right kinds of attention and she touts her biggest accomplishments as “having three collections that completely sold out and having the world famous model Nykhor Paul wearing my jacket on the cover of New African Woman maga- zine.” With Nykhor Paul being one of her most admired models, alongside Alex Wek and Heidi Klum, Martha is well on her way to dressing the women she esteems but claims in particular “I would LOVE to dress Katy Perry because it would be so unexpected and she could pull it off.” With Katy’s brightly coloured hair and tech- ni-coloured videos I absolutely agree and she’d definitely stand out in one of Prelim’s brightly coloured jumpsuits or dresses. A stickler for details, Martha has embedded quality into her brand, both through her use of locally sourced materials and manufacturing. “What makes a quality article of clothing is that it’s something handmade and custom rather than being over manufactured,” claims the designer, and her passion for the well-made reflects in her pieces for Prelim. As a designer who is both bold unflinching in her use of colour and textiles it’s no surprise that one of her biggest inspirations was Alexan- der McQueen. “His fearlessness inspired me to be true to my vision and to not conform,” says Martha, and she’s keen to pass this fearlessness to aspiring designers, urging them to “never give up!” A visual artist, what Martha loves most about designing is “being able to create ideas in my head and seeing them come to life,” but also making the women who don her clothes feel “amazing and fabulous.”With aspirations to one day have a boutique in every major city; it’s clear that Prelim is just getting started. Already off to a running start I can’t wait to see where this vibrant young designer will take her brand next. bite fashion