Hanifa's Anifa Mvuemba Couldn't Get the Fashion Industry's Support. Turns Out She Didn't Need It

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Now known for the viral 3-D fashion show she debuted mid-pandemic, Mvuemba believed in herself when no one else would.

Author:Dhani MauPublish date:Sep 8, 2020Here at Fashionista, we're passionate about covering all the ways that the industry is changing for the better. That's why we wanted to honor the forces working tirelessly to reshape what it means to work in fashion and beauty. With our annual series, Fashionista Five, we'll be doing just that by highlighting five people whose work we've admired over the past year.

The genuinely mesmerizing and innovative show and its ensuing buzz made headlines everywhere from Teen Vogue to the New York Times, who called the brand's invisible avatar "a fashion model for the moment." "It started off really rocky, I think, for everyone," she says. "It was just scary time. I was terrified. I was like, wow, we're going to lose the business. I don't even want to post anything because the world is suffering. I was just thinking of the worst." Covid aside, she also just wasn't sure people would get it. "I don't know how it's going to be perceived," she was thinking.

In other words, this "viral" moment wasn't a fluke: Mvuemba has been thinking outside the box and doing things on her own terms for years, often out of necessity. In an industry where designers rarely "make it" without a helping hand of some sort — whether it's a wealthy benefactor, a powerful connection or simply the privilege of being able to get a foot in the door via an unpaid internship or an elite New York fashion school — Mvuemba has gotten here all on her own.

Mvuemba did ultimately start studying fashion merchandising at the state school she attended in Maryland, but it wasn't a fit. She ended up dropping out and then quitting her job at Nordstrom shortly thereafter, experiencing a relatable rough transition into adulthood. "It was just a very, very tough period in my life at that time," she says.

"I felt there were no resources. This entire process, this entire journey has been me literally just winging everything," Mvuemba says. She would reach out to "quote-unquote resources" in the industry and never hear back.

 

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