Miss Tourism, designers bury hatchet

By Sharon Muguwu

Miss Tourism Zimbabwe and fashion designers who made dresses for the 2016 edition of the pageant have buried the hatchet following a row over payments.

Miss Tourism Zimbabwe spokesperson Alson Darikayi, while conceding that the two parties had disagreed over payments, told the Daily News that the matter had been blown out of proportion.

“We didn’t owe them anything. We made an arrangement prior to them starting the work. The arrangement was that they would benefit by getting exposure while we would also benefit by having our girls dressed by local designers,” Darikayi said.

The pageant spokesperson added that misunderstanding arose after designers demanded more money outside the terms of their contracts.

“They made a request for us to pay them more which was not part of our agreement. That is when the problems began but it wasn’t really a big issue because I guess because the designers realised that we fulfilled their contracts,” he said.

Despite the tiff, Darikayi said they will not cut ties with the designers.

“We have nothing against the designers and we will work with them again. It is all about consistency and for a project to work out, you should maintain the people you started with.

“These are our designers; a little misunderstanding will not stand in the way of great projects. We believe in engagement as a brand. All the designers we worked with are really good, “he said.

A designer who declined to be identified conceded that they were partly to blame for the row.

“The problem we had was that the contracts were a bit hazy; they were not clear. That is why you find that both parties feel they are right.

“Designing a high end fashion dress takes time, concentration and money, so we expected more than the $100 and ‘exposure’ they gave us.

“Since they are only starting, we will give them the benefit of doubt and see what their next move will be,” he said.

Miss Tourism Zimbabwe  2016 took place in November last year where bubbly Ashley Morgen was crowned the winner.

The first princess was Nonhlanhla Dube with the second princess being Shirley-Ann Lindsay. Daily News