The first time I saw ML_Musik - Maria Immanuel - perform, it was at her CD launch at the one and only Maperes Bar in Windhoek’s Eveline Street. 

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It was a launch dreams are made of. The vibe was on point, we all got a copy of the album on site and Maria delivered a performance that would become the reason I decided to work with her, one way or another. I had literal goosebumps. If it wasn’t for the Savannas I’d been downing all afternoon, I would have shed a tear, but I had to compose myself because it would obviously have made me look like a drunk mess.

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Anyone in the music industry will tell you how much star power Maria has. Passionate, dedicated and extremely generous, Maria is the epitome of excellence. Working with her has taught me so much about professionalism and dedication. Through watching her,  I have learnt that dreams are never to be left idle for too long. 

Personally, I struggle with getting my dreams off the ground, but Maria has shown me that real creative power comes from being a doer, and not merely a dreamer.
 

When we had our initial conversations leading up to hosting the very first event, none of us had any idea what the Fashion Soirée would transform into three years later. 

The only thing we knew was that these trendsetting visionaries were due to officially cement their place in the Namibian fashion industry. 

We also knew that one thing all of us had in common was our love for fashion events.

So after the usual “we need to make this thing a reality” chat that spanned well into a year, we finally hosted The Fashion Soirée for the first time in 2018.

It was everything and more we envisioned it to be.

The support from the industry was overwhelming. The support from our family and friends was out of this world.

As the brand grew, it went through growing pains, as is to be expected. Nothing serious enough to stop this powerful brand, though, because since 2017, this event has changed the face of fashion events in Namibia. It has created the only platform where stylish queer Namibians can live their best fashion lives and bring all the drama through their love for fashion. 

I am immensely proud of Rumano and Reinhard for allowing me to be part of this event from before it was even conceptualised. I am even more grateful for their unwavering support of all my personal projects. They continue to show me that I am Namibian fashion royalty because they deem me worthy. I love how fearless they are in the way they dress and carry themselves, I love their work ethic and passion for making people happy whenever they host and I absolutely love the loyalty and love that they show to each other and to me. There’s literally no badder babes than these two to have as clients and I absolutely love working with them.   

Wow! Where do I begin with my baby Penny? She is the only client I took on solely because of her persistent pleas to work with me.

For about a year before I took her on as a client, meeting up with Penny always ended with her pitching her desire to start her creative career under my guidance.

Unfortunately for her though, this happened at a time when I was so overworked and stressed that I was not willing to add anything more to my plate. I was in school pursuing my second degree, working full-time, doing PR gigs on the side to fund my studies and raising a child. No way was I going to make that schedule more painful than it already was.

Lucky for Penny, things slowed down for me. More importantly, she was willing to wait and once I was ready, we started our journey. She has since starred in her first play and is well on her way to making her mark on the creative sector. I remember watching her on her first professional photoshoot to prepare her new brand image and I just couldn’t believe how much of a natural she was in front of the camera, so much so that even the photographer raved about her to me telling me that she was a delight to work with. And Penny is just that, a delight to work with. She never complains, she’s willing to put in the work and most of all, she’s so razor focused on her dreams and that alone will take her to the very top.