D
oreen Mashika was born and raised in Tanzania, studied and worked in Switzerland, and is now part of a growing homeward bound African diaspora. While in Switzerland she began her V>ÀiiÀ w > Vi] Ü À } > team that specialized in luxury goods fund management. This is where she had her wÀÃÌ V Ì>VÌ Ü Ì Ì i v>Ã industry and designers, providing her a unique insight and appreciation of the sector. Inspired by a deep sense of affection for the cultural heritage and wealth of design possibilities in Africa, in 2006 she returned to Tanzania and settled in Zanzibar to pursue
62
her passion of design while building a successful company. The young designer is part of this talented generation who brings freshness to entrepreneurship, which is moreover, female. By creating her label, Doreen Mashika <> â L>À <®] Ì i wÀÃÌ v>Ã brand registered with the island's Ministry of Information, she sets out to be an example and wants to improve the life of her community. A few years later, Doreen's name resonated not only in the Zanzibar capital but also on the world famous fashion catwalks. Voted
Dar Life I SEPTEMBER 2021
“Zanzibar's
favorite
store” in 2011 by Vogue magazine, his pieces with unique accents have won him numerous awards; Accessory Designer 2012 at Mercedes Benz FashionWeek in South Africa, same title at Swahili FashionWeek 2013 and winner of African Designer For Tomorrow in 2014. She also participated in Salon Vogue during Berlin FashionWeek in 2015 which allowed her to add a chord in its bow by collaborating with EBay. She has thus carved out a place on the international scene by presenting her collection in particular on the website of the American brand: Anthropologie (big sister of
