IN A WORLD Where Fashion
Often Prioritises Trends Over Tales, Quentin Kayin Kwong Stands Out As A Beacon
Of Creativity And Compassion.
“I Understand The
Importance Of Trends, But You Can’t Let Them Overshadow Your Identity. It’s All
About Balancing Trends With Storytelling,” Explains The Hong Kong-Born, Dar Es Salaam-Based
Fashion Designer.
As The Founder And
Creative Director Of The MLIMA Brand, Quentin Doesn’t Just Design Clothes; She
Crafts Stories, Empowers Local Artisans, And Uplifts Communities In The
Process.
Born And Raised In Hong
Kong And With A Decade Of Experience In The Fashion Industry Spanning Across Asia,
Europe, And America, Quentin Brings A Wealth Of Expertise To Her Work. She
Has Worked With Various Global Fashion Brands, Such As Michael Young Design
Studio, Stuart Weitzman, Melissa, And Maryling.
The Designer Came To Tanzania
In 2019, Where She Launched Her Fashion Brand, MLIMA, Which Is Swahili For
Mountain.
Driven By The Belief That
Fashion Is More Than Just Looking Good, Quentin Founded MLIMA With A Mission To
Empower Local Craftsmanship And Celebrate Cultural Creativity.
Each Piece In Her
Collection Is A Testament To This Ethos, Weaving Together Traditional Craftsmanship
With Modern Design Techniques To Create Garments That Tell A Story.
“We Don’t Produce Mass
Collections Because All My Designs Are Handcrafted. I Aim To Create Something
Meaningful With A Purpose, So You Can Feel It When You Wear It. My Designs
Often Empower Local Craftsmanship Because I Value Their Creativity, Which Is
Why I’ve Worked With So Many Different Artisans Here.”
Her Fashion Collections
Draw Inspiration From Her Adventures, Nature, Colours, And Patterns Viewed
Through A Whimsical Lens. Quentin Mixes Traditional Craftsmanship And Locally
Sourced Materials With Modern Design Techniques.
MLIMA Switched From
Interior Design To Become A Reputable Fashion Brand In 2021. According To Quentin,
When She Arrived In The Country, She Fell In Love With The Materials Available
Here, Which Prompted Her To Start Creating Spaces For Making Meaningful
Memories.
“When I Saw Timber Like Mninga,
I Thought, Why Not Use Local Materials And Craftsmanship To Create Something
Sustainable? By Combining These Resources With My Unique Design Style, I Knew I
Could Produce Innovative Forms. There’s So Much Potential Here,” She Says.
Over Time, She Chose To
Establish A Fashion Brand Because She Had Always Been Passionate About Creating
Sustainable Designs And Collections.
Explaining The
Inspiration Behind Her Brand’s Name, Quentin Reveals That It’s Deeply Connected
To Her Birthplace.
“I Am From Mountain City,
Which Is Where I Grew Up. My Childhood Was Defined By The Sight Of Two Towering
Mountains. I Used To Sit By The Window Each Night, Comforted By The View Of The
Moon Over Those Peaks. So When I Was In Kilimanjaro, I Felt A Deep Connection
To The Landscape. Learning That Mlima Means Mountain Sealed
The Deal For Me—I Knew It Was The Perfect Name,” She Explains.
The Sight Of The Mountain
Resonates With Her Sense Of Stability And Spirituality, Honouring Both Her Past
And Her Future. But That Doesn’t Mean Her Brand Is Restricted By Geography;
Rather, It Embraces Sustainability And Local Craftsmanship.
Despite Being A
Small-Scale Production Company, Most Of Her Designs Are Handcrafted, Ranging
From Clothing To Accessories And Objects. "It's Closer To Five
To Ten People, And They're Not Full-Time Employees. They Also Work On Other
Projects, But I Can Still Provide Them With Reasonable Compensation," She
Explains.
Quentin Explains That
Each Item Draws From The Diversity And Creativity Of A Local Artisan
Collective, Enabling It To Tell A Unique And Compelling Human Story.
“I Am Talking About
Handmade Linen Products, Tranquil And Unique Designs, Shirts And Jackets Made
From Second-Hand Jeans, Necklaces, Tableware, Furniture, And Gifts. Each Piece
Is Entirely Handcrafted From Start To Finish.”
Other Designs Involve
Recycled Materials, Dead Stock, And Locally Sourced Materials To Reduce Their
Carbon Footprint.
“When A Person Buys A MLIMA
Brand, We Want Them To Feel Meaningful Due To All The Sweat We Put Into
Designing These Masterpieces,” Says Quentin.
She Notes That Her
Collections Usually Take About Three Months To Complete, A Deliberate Timeline
That Aligns With Her Family Life, Allowing For Thorough Testing Of Fabric
Samples.
“The Process Is Long
Because We Aim To Create Something Unique With The Fabrics, Something You Can’t
Find Anywhere Else. This Involves A Lot Of Testing And Refinement, Which Is Why
It Takes Longer,” She Explains.
I Saw A Bag Design That
Took Nearly 21 Days To Complete—Just One Bag, Entirely Sewn By Hand With A
Needle. Her Home Office Is Filled With Collections That Are Hand-Dyed, With
Fabrics So Rich In Texture And Colour That You Can’t Help But Be Captivated By
Them.
Recounting The Hurdles
She Encountered While Launching Her Brand In The Country, Quentin Says That She
Will Always Remember The Incident When Some People Swindled Her Money And
Vanished.
“I Went To A Police
Station Once; People Just Took My Money And Disappeared,” She Giggles And Adds,
“There’s A Lot Of Trial And Error, And Much Of What I Do Is New To The Artists I
Work With. Most People Bring A Photo And Ask You To Recreate Something Similar,
But My Process Is Different—I Almost Treat It Like Freehand Sketching.”
At One Point, She
Considered Calling It Quits, But She Eventually Met The Right People, And After
Five Years, They Managed To Make Sustainable Fashion Designs.
MLIMA Has Participated In
The 2022 Tanzania Fashion Festival, South Africa Men's Week This Year, And Swahili
Fashion Week In 2023.
This Month, Quentin Will
Launch Her Pop-Up Store In Slipway To Showcase Her Collections. She Doesn’t
Have A Store Yet.
“Most Of My Pieces Are
Pre-Orders Because I Don’t Make Lots Of Collections Since They Are All
Handcrafted. I Will Share The Date And Let People Come For The Pop-Up. I Don’t
Have A Store Yet; Most People Come To Me Directly Through My Instagram Account
And References.”
As Quentin's Story
Continues To Unfold, One Thing Remains Clear: Fashion Isn't Just About What You
Wear—It's About The Stories You Tell, The Communities You Uplift, And The World
You Shape.