Design Indaba Emerging Creative: Tangeni Kambudu

WORDS Palesa Kgasane

At the heart of Namibian-born Tangeni Kambudu’s simple and aesthetically beautiful designs is the virtue of self-expression.

Tangeni started designing clothes in 2007, however his journey began long before that; as a child he was inspired by his older brother’s sketches and so began his love affair with fashion.

“I consider myself a creative designer and I use fashion mainly as a platform to express my artistry,” says Tangeni, a recipient of an internationally recognised Vukani Fashion Award. “I like to explore silhouettes and my mediums are working with durable materials… materials that are able to give me what I want in terms of longevity, line, texture, size and weight.”

Tangeni makes all of the garments himself, finessing the art of classic silhouettes with a bold colour palette of blues, reds and yellows. As a participant in Design Indaba’s Emerging Creatives programme this year, he got to exhibit his work to a larger audience, solidifying his place as someone we ought to watch.