Maputo – Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ICE on Thursday 6 July in the spaces of the Domiziano Stadium, alongside the young participants in the Cna Federmoda Competition as part of the Ricerca Moda Innovazione (Rmi) event, it will be possible to appreciate the collections created by Benoca Alfredo Malinga and Cláudio Lobo selected by Mozambique Fashion Week to represent Mozambique at Rmi 2023.
“Through these participations – said Antonio Franceschini, national manager of Cna Federmoda – we intend to create opportunities for discussion and knowledge on the creativity that is expressed in countries geographically and culturally distant from ours, also with a view to breaking down cultural barriers. Furthermore, these actions are also useful for creating bridges between emerging realities on the international scene and our companies operating above all upstream of the supply chain”.
Born in Maputo, Benoca Alfredo Malinga has lived with the world of fashion since her birth, being the granddaughter of a seamstress, so very soon she began to create customized products for herself and her friends. In 2004 her mother enrolled her in a cutting and sewing course and in 2017 Benoca decided to start a professional activity by creating her own brand called “MABENNA”, the nickname given to her by her maternal grandmother, which for the designer represents your source of inspiration.
In 2020 Benoca Malinga won the title of “Best Young Designer” of the Mozambique Fashion Week one of the reasons that convince her that she is on the right track and can lead her to wave the Mozambique flag across the border.
Cláudio Lobo is a Mozambican designer specialized in African streetwear and casual clothing who in recent years has demonstrated his creativity through the use of different fabrics with the aim of highlighting and enhancing the “capulana” which represents a typicality of Mozambique, is the founder and chief designer of Chibaia Clothing Company, which is currently based in the city of Maputo, Mozambique. The company is both a small manufacturing and retail business that opened its doors on September 14, 2014.