Talent Scout: Bless Mazarura of Bless by Bless Couture

by Erica Corsano, 04-07-2008

VERY SELDOM does a clothing line inspire. (By "inspire," we're not referring to the rush that some of us get after purchasing a fabulous new handbag or viewing our favorite designer's latest runway show, but rather true inspiration.) But local designer Bless Mazarura takes the concept of clothing to a higher, almost karmic level. His Bless Couture collection, he says, goes "beyond fashion," adding, "Every garment is designed to inspire and is created as an affirmation to instill hope, faith, and love - the greatest of all."

After escaping poverty in his homeland of Zimbabwe, Mazarura came to the United States to start a new life, leaving his sick, poverty-stricken mother behind. According to Mazarura, fashion was her salvation: "As a child, I saw my mother suffer. She would sew cheap clothing with a 1975 Singer machine for a living, and it saved her life." Today his mother still lives in poverty in Zimbabwe, but Mazarura hopes that the profits from his line will help "save" her and others suffering in her region.

Part rapper-meets-rocker, part urban fashionista, Mazarura's line consists of high-end T-shirts, tanks, and sweatshirts emblazoned with emblems of hope, love, and faith. Each design is part of a limited-edition collection of only 50 to 100 pieces, and 10 percent of the company's profits are donated to help AIDS orphans and poverty victims in Zimbabwe.

We recently caught up with the local talent to find out more about his life, his work, and his inspiration.

Q: When did you first develop an interest in designing garments?

A: At six years old, I often sat beside my mother while she worked on her sewing machine. I would pick up all the leftover material and make my own creations, which weren't much, but I fell in love with creating clothing then.

Q: What inspires you to design your collection?

A: I am inspired by hope, faith, and love. Hope that I can give my mother, who still lives in poverty in Zimbabwe, a better life. Faith that I can make a difference in this world. Most of all I am inspired to design by love: my love for fashion and my love for the gift of life.

Q: How would you describe the type of person who purchases/wears your line?

A: A highly fashion-conscious individual who is brave enough to make a statement for love and social awareness. My line is also worn by many people who don't want to see their outfit on a mannequin or on others around them. My collection is limited edition - meaning no mass production.

Q: The fashion scene is often criticized for being superficial. How do you feel about the world of fashion as a whole?

A: That's a sensitive subject, but sometimes a fair criticism. I feel fashion should be supporting the millions of cotton farmers and laborers who make it what it is. We need to honor and compensate them. That is why everything in my collection is made under ethical trading and fair labor. However, on a whole, I think fashion is beautiful, positive, and empowering. It speaks of who we are as individuals.

Q: How do you feel about the fashion scene in Boston?

A: I think we really need to step the fashion scene up in Boston. We're only four hours away from what is arguably the world's fashion capitol, New York, but we are so behind. I think if we put the politics aside, in unity we could be unstoppable. After all, we have all the fashion lovers and resources a city could ever need.

Q: You say that your line is created to inspire and send a message of hope and love. Can an article of clothing really do that?

A: Yes, it's easy. My clothing communicates through the inspirational affirmations of hope and love printed on every single article. I also purposely include unique detail and noise that makes my clothing great conversational pieces, and in that conversation message, the story of love and hope will be discussed. Everyday I get a call or e-mail that starts with "I just love . . ."

Q: Where do you see yourself and your line in five years?

A: In five years my line will have changed the lives of hundreds of orphans. It is my mission and failing is not an option. I will be doing everything I love - including fashion and music. In five years I will have made a mark in the fashion world and people will be saying, "I remember reading about him in Stuff@night!"

Q: You donate 10 percent of all proceeds to charity. Which ones?

A: Mainly a charity called Mother of Peace in Zimbabwe. It's an orphanage for kids who lost their parents from AIDS. HIV kills a person every minute in Zimbabwe, and one in five children will be orphans by 2010. I can help change that. I also started my own charity called Bless By Blessing in Zimbabwe, which buys books for schoolchildren in rural areas.

Q: What does "fashion for life" mean to you?

A: I believe fashion is very powerful; it turns people into walking billboards of who we are and what we represent. My goal is to use the fashion medium to give life and hope to children, especially orphans, by spreading a message of love.

Q: Where can people find your line?

A: My line is currently available on my Web site at www.blessbybless.com, and I will be launching at local and national boutiques this summer. @

[Photo by Andrew Swaine]

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