Thank-FULL-ness

I have been thinking about this post for months. I have been adding to it's content since the thought was frist conceived. I am thankful.





I am thankful that I could have a meal with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day without considering if the green beans were cooked with pork. My jackets still fit me and keep me warm. My grandparents are just a phone call away. I am loved and cared for in new ways every day. My car started this morning in 12 degree weather without a delay. I can walk into the grocery store and know the supply will be sure and that the prices don't change by the second. When I pump gas, the price doesn't increase by the time I am finished.

I am thankful that when I make a purse, there is someone out there you likes it - who loves it. I am thankful that you are reading this because you share in my cause. I am thankful for friends and family who made my Fall 2009 collection debut a success.



Mudiwa Designs donates 50% of proceeds from sales towards projects in Zimbabwe. Shop Mudiwa today and save a life!


Stay tuned for: Mudiwa Bridal

Keeping up appearances...

I read it but I couldn't believe it. I know change will come to Zimbabwe - I know change must come to Zimbabwe - but when stale minds seek to hide the obvious and keep up appearances, how can a country really move forward?

There are no gun shots to be heard, no brutal screams. There is no unrest of that nature that exists in the country. Instead there is silence. There is silence as the world ignores Zimbabwe. There is silence as another person dies of hunger or cholera.

This is the end of suffering, of pain and of hunger. The end starts with Mudiwa Designs...

The Fall Collection for freedom debut - Saturday, Oct 3, 2009

Mudiwa Designs - save a life

Mudiwa: Secrets - Have a shot

After being absent for a very busy month - I continue my Secrets posts with some valuable information! My line and the image it carries would be nothing without a gripping photographer.

Who is the photographer for your tropical images?

The wonderfully talented Bernard Morris of Take a Shot Photography. Berns lives in Barbados and is available for weddings, private sessions and commercial shoots. The Mudiwa tropical shoot was done on Drill Hall and Hilton beaches, Barbados in December 2008. It was a hot afternoon, I changed outfits in the car - but the result was amazing!

You can view the Take a Shot portfolio here.

Contact Bernard for bookings: b_nardics@hotmail.com and become a fan on Facebook!

Have a shot! Make your booking today!

Mudiwa: the name

Why the name "Mudiwa"?

"It means friend" - or at least that's what Tendai tried to convince me it meant. Now almost four years into our relationship his actions embody the name he gave to be. Mudiwa is term in the Shona language of Zimbabwe that means 'beloved'. My line is a fusion of what inspires me and is based on my upbringing in Barbados (aka Bim) infused with my interpretation Zimbabwean style embodied by friends and loved ones. Hence - 'when Zim met Bim'.

Mudiwa: Secrets

Over the coming months I will be revealing Mudiwa's secrets. For a sneak peak at the content of future posts click here to read a recent interview for Allegiance by the talented Dionne Lashley. You've had questions - so here are some answers!

How did Mudiwa begin?

Mudiwa Designs began with my frustration at not finding the accessories I needed to complete a look. I never liked cookie cutter accessories or fashion so sometimes getting what you envision has to come from your very own hands. Each purse is truly unique and inspired by the global woman. If you see a design you love - act quickly! The very first purse I made was in 2005...

Mudiwa: share life!

Mudiwa: Success

If success were a fruit....The Brothers Trust Foundation Launch would be a mango. A mango with a perfect blend of yellow, green, orange and red on it's fragrant skin....Don't get it? Well allow me to make it plain. The BTF launch was vibrant and radiant and perhaps more importantly empowering! I pledged the proceeds of 10 original Mudiwa Designs to The Brothers Trust - I actually sold 11! As pledged the funds were transfered to the foundation to be used for causes near and dear to the essence of Mudiwa Designs. Check out the new images in the slide show and become a fan of Mudiwa on Facebook.

Stay tuned for more images and a new series called Mudiwa: Secrets....

Mudiwa: live your life!

Mudiwa: find your place

There is something remarkable about standing your ground. There is empowerment when you stand for something! Mudiwa Designs has partnered with The Brothers Trust Foundation to bring about changes that will impact generations.

Attend The Brothers Trust Foundation Launch Event and get a chance to win a unique Mudiwa Design! New designs will be debuted at the Launch and the proceeds from the frist ten purses sold will be donated to BTF projects.

What are you waiting for? Stand for something - get your tickets today!

Brothers Trust Foundation Launch

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Junior Achievement of Central Indiana

7435 North Keystone Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46240
7:00pm- Midnight Ticket Price: $20.00

www.brotherstrust.org

Mudiwa: Suicide

There are people on this earth who are capable of ignoring a need. There are others who, in an effort to palliate a need, throw money at it. There are very few people on this earth who are blessed with a presence and a drive to sincerely make a difference - those who are willing to work hard so that others can have a chance at true life. Society today is too politically correct to be truthful. I am 25 years young - but I remember a time when a person was more respected for the truth they spoke instead of being praised by the truth that another wanted to hear.

The photo above is one that many have seen but few know the story behind it. It was taken by a young South African photographer who waited for 20 minutes to see if the vulture would leave. After this time he adjusted his lens, took the award winning photo, chased the vulture and left. After the photograph was published many inquired as to whether the child survived. Unfortunately to this day that answer is not known. Years later, haunted by the images that won him awards, by the death and destruction he had witnessed, the photographer committed suicide at 33 years old.

Will you commit suicide? You may not gas yourself, pull a trigger or swallow some pills but will you live your life in a way that makes you forget the suffering of others? Do you drink yourself senseless? Do you over indulge yourself just so you feel alive? If you want to avoid suicide you will not wait 20 minutes, you will step out from behind life's camera lens to live a life of action and activism. If you truly choose to live life to the fullest, you will live a life that makes a difference.

Mudiwa: save a life


I thought about this piece over the weekend. Coincidentally, Barbadian artist Hal Linton released a video called "Choose Life" I think it fits my script. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-sj0kSEcP0

Mudiwa: save a life

I've never been there but I've heard stories. Stories of a time that does not exist anymore. Stories of freedom, stories of fun. I've never been there but I've heard stories of how hard it is just to get by. I've heard stories of how hard it is when you don't know where your next source of income will come from. I've heard stories of how hard it is to send your children to school without cash for school supplies; to keep them up to date with their lessons when classes simply are not in session anymore. I've never been there - but I've heard stories and with each Mudiwa purse you change these stories into stories of hope and stories of freedom.

Mudiwa: save a life

Mudiwa mission...

I am not Zimbabwean. I was raised in a country twenty one miles long and fourteen miles wide. I played on Barbados' sun kissed beaches, breathed fresh coastal air and have had my share of man of war stings and sea urchin sticks. I belong to a people who are industrious and who take pride in their accomplishments. I was born free and blessed with a future as bright as the Caribbean sun. I am the descendent of slaves brought against their will to an island on which they now thrive. I do not know what it means to belong to a country that although it is free, has been enslaved for over twenty years by paranoia and old ideas. I do not know what it means to work for a government that can only afford to pay in fictitious dollars that cannot be withdrawn or held. I do not know what it means to submit a request to the Central Bank of my country to withdraw funds from my own bank account to purchase medicine that will save my life. No – I am not Zimbabwean – but I am human. These injustices can last no longer! As long as I have a voice, God given talent and a sewing machine – the world will ignore Zimbabwe no longer. So with this I present to you Mudiwa – it is a borrowed name from the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Mudiwa means ‘beloved’. It is not in my tongue, it is not from my culture – but it is a universal concept. Humanity is precious and once you are born into this world you are Mudiwa to God.