University of Malawi students launch Usolva clothing brand

Students from Chancellor College in eastern city of Zomba have started their own clothing brand Usolva Clothing Inc., an innovative initiative coming from the constituent college of the University of Malawi.

Students showcasing Usolva clothing
Students showcasing Usolva clothing

According to the co-founder, Otiyela Mtema, who is an economics student at the college, Malawi seems to be excessively and unnecessarily dependent on importing foreign commodities.

Usolva clothing
Usolva clothing

“It is rather unfortunate that a country that recently celebrated its 50 years of independence should be relying on the neighbouring Tanzania or China for such a common basic need as clothing,” Mtema told Nyasa Times.

He further says in an economy which generates the majority of its foreign currency from tobacco, which despite being very profitable, is only seasonal and dependent on the weather, there’s a need to refrain from avoidable spending on foreign commodities.

“As such it is the ultimate goal of Usolva Clothing Inc to be the leader in the locally unexplored clothing industry and consequentially improve the net-exports position of the economy, by supplying the market with Malawian produced quality material”.

He says primarily, in its first years of operation, Usolva Inc will be focused on providing customized t-shirts for organizations, events and companies nationwide with a near-future vision of branching out to a wider, more inclusive operational scope.

In- Charge of Creativity and Product Development, McPherson Ndalama, says: “At Usolva Clothing, Inc. we strive to design, create, and deliver works of art at rates reflecting the economic environment of Malawi.

“In addition to our signature urban Usolva limited edition t-shirts, we create fresh and fashionable, original t-shirts for companies, organizations, events etc; whether it be for profit oriented advertisement or social welfare targeted objectives.”

However, Mtema says instead of merely being spectators and critics of the undesirable economic conditions of the country the students took upon themselves to take a part towards achieving the national goal of social and economic development.usova clothinh

“Sometimes when you want things to be done, you have to stop complaining, come up with a solution, and do something about it, and as such the brand is called Usolva, which literally means ‘figure it out.”

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makito
makito
9 years ago

Let them explain what creativity is there. Si angosita ma tshirt a ku China ndi chi inscription amenewa? It would really be shame to go to town with that.

ABITI
ABITI
9 years ago

THESE ARE ALL CHINESE T SHIRTS, AKUNGOIKA MA PRINTS WO BASI, ITS JUST LIKE THE WAY WE DO TIKAMAPANGA LAUNCH MA PROGRAM MMBOMAMU eg TIGONJETSE MALUNGO WE JUST PRINT ALREADY MADE T SHIRTS, THAT WHAT THEY ARE DOING

Jelbin mk
Jelbin mk
9 years ago

And I like the spirit of these guys because there is a disease in Malawi and the rest of Africa where the youth always think they get educated only to find employment and abandon the most profitable path of entrepreneurship and innovation lets please change our mindset and become innovational and not consumptional only and if everyone holds the mindset of being employed then who is going to employ who?

Jelbin mk
Jelbin mk
9 years ago

That’s great guys though the durability of your products will talk for you otherwise its quality determines the way forward of your company and if I read well I heard that you intending to supply to china and Tanzania which will be unproductive because vhine is overflown by production all they need are markets so please don’t intend to export there they are the leading manufacturers in the world and are second to non.

Charlie Hebdo
Charlie Hebdo
9 years ago

Spare me the importation brouhaha. The T-shirts you posing in are probably from China. Branding T-shirts have never been the same as manufacturing or designing them. Most Malawians claim to be designers when all they do is branding or re-branding an already made product. Should we be surprised then that as a country we don’t have any dress style to call our own. What we call traditional wear here, is West African dress style. My advice to the group is that if they want their label to be credible, it should start from tailoring to branding their products. They need… Read more »

Charlie Hebdo
Charlie Hebdo
9 years ago

Councils at #58 comments out of ignorance. Nike, Adidas, Umbro and Puma do design their collections and then outsource the manufacturing of the same. You will never get any genuine merchandise of these companies that was not designed by them. Our country is flooded with counterfeit products bearing the brand or image of these companies most of which comes from China which I think Councils believes are original Nike, Adidas, Umbro or Puma products.

DJ??????
DJ??????
9 years ago

THESE GUYS ARE USOLVA SCREEN PRINTERS….. BUY PLAIN TSHIRTS FROM CHINA SHOPS AND TAKE THEM FOR SCREEN PRINTING… BASI…… u may try anyway… style ndi wekha pa town…..
however, one can buy better quality tshirt or golf shirt with that money on sankha wekha or gwada usankhe!

mosova just get the message from the comments so far….

Red Devil Fanatic
Red Devil Fanatic
9 years ago

This is very nice and refreshing to read. I notice some positive comments and the usual Nyasa destructive comments, but that should be expected because when people can’t do something themselves, they want to pull you down with them, protect your dream my brother men, bravo.

macd
macd
9 years ago

usolva ask nyau king where he is with his nyau wear/tshirts musovadi this is malawi

masa masina
masa masina
9 years ago

The issue here is about value addition. If these guys are adding value to the T/shirts they buy from China, then they have a very good business idea. otherwise all the nasty comments are not called for.

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