Venerated fashion designer and founder of Haus Stone, Danayi Madondo, was named as one of the recipients of the 2024 Prince Claus Fund Seed Award announced in mid-September.
The Seed Award is an annual honour that recognises 100 emerging talents and offers support to creative work that engages with urgent socio-political issues within their local context. With contestants spanning across world, Madondo was among the 100 recipients that were selected for the Award. Speaking to Mcheno and More, Madondo described how it was a relief when she received the winning notification and gave her own ordeal on the challenges of being an independent creative.
”It was a relief (to be notified of the win). As an independent creative from Zimbabwe, it’s challenging to get your projects off the ground. From the very beginning of my fashion and textile career, I have fully funded all my projects myself with very limited resources or funds I got from doing freelance jobs. Over the years, I’ve really invested in myself and the vision I have for my practices.”
She continued, ”So it’s nice to get financial support from organizations like The Prince Claus Fund, which helps to alleviate the financial strain it takes to be a creative and to produce meaningful work.”
The recipients receive €5.000 to freely invest in their practice, alongside global recognition, connections and opportunities. Madondo’s application was to capacitate her in the area of research. Often times, designers end up settling for data that is easily accessible or in close proximity concerning their areas of interest due to a lack of funding. This then limits the dialogue that can be expressed through their work.
Therefore, The Seed Fund shall support Madondo’s research and product development. In addition to providing the much-needed capital for execution, Madondo’s receipt of The Seed Award is a testament to her consistency and a well-deserved reward for the work she has put into her brand Haus of Stone for over a decade. Over the past year, Haus Of Stone has become a beacon for Zimbabwean fashion across the world, participating in various fashion shows, exhibitions and workshops where Danayi Madondo shared the Zimbabwean story in her own way.
“My attempt has always been to cast a lens on Zimbabwe through my fashion and textile art practice. Ultimately Haus Of Stone is a bright flag that’s saying, ‘Hey, we are here and we have something meaningful to contribute towards the wider African and global narrative.’” Madondo explained.
In winning The Seed Award, Madondo has firmly placed Zimbabwe in the African fashion conversation, and she believes more support should be given to Zimbabwean creatives for them to realize their potential.
”I believe Zimbabweans possess immense potential, but we require a supportive environment that encourages and cultivates our inherent greatness. Africa is currently a global focal point, and it would be a grave injustice to exclude Zimbabwe from this vital conversation,“ she said.
Having came so far, Madondo concluded with words of advice for those who are still starting their creative journey;
”My message to fellow creatives is: Your journey starts with you. Being a professional creative is fundamentally about producing work and making it publicly visible and/or accessible.
“My mantra is, ‘Work with what you have until you have more to do more. Some people never start due to a lack of funding. If I had been that person, who never started because my visions were beyond my present depth of my pocket, no one would have seen my work, and no one would be able to attest to my ability to create or execute anything.
“I challenge all the budding artists to just get started, even if it feels awkward or embarrassing.”
