HITTING THE
SWEET SPOT

Harare is a city full of surprises. It has excellent nightspots tucked down tiny side streets, next-level flea markets for tip-top vintage thrifting and a sense of community rare to find in these splintered times.

With this in mind, it’s not out of the ordinary to discover a top-class design atelier down a bumpy road in Borrowdale – here you’ll find Honeyguide, a beautiful womenswear showroom that wouldn’t look out of place in the Marais. Stunning vintage pieces hang alongside lingerie from South African brand Takkleberry, as well as Honeyguide’s own collection – a range that includes beautifully tailored jackets, trousers and waistcoats all designed and crafted by Olia Danckwerts.

As with many businesses that we see thriving today, Honeyguide was born during COVID times. During one lockdown, while living in Victoria Falls with her husband and young son, Danckwerts started making Forties-style dresses using vintage patterns, with the help of a dressmaker friend in Berlin. When Danckwerts posted the finished product online, it sold immediately. She was onto something.

HONEYGUIDE’S TOP-NOTCH CRAFTSMANSHIP IS THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE TO FAST FASHION

With her dresses flying off the hangers, Danckwerts launched her own label, naming it Honeyguide after the African birds known for their ability to track bees and lead humans to hives and honey. “I wanted to see the brand as a guide leading people to beauty,” she says.
Honeyguide has indeed set the standard for designers in Harare, showing us that attention to detail and top-notch craftsmanship are the perfect antidote to fast fashion. Its designs have one foot in the past, but structured tailoring and vintage silhouettes have been brought up to date with 21st-century flair and a focus on high-quality fabric.

“I started off making only a few dresses because I couldn’t find enough of the right material,” says Danckwerts. “I’ve now found a brilliant organic cotton and hemp blend that suits my designs perfectly.”

Printed in Cape Town, Honeyguide’s botanical fabric collection has been designed in partnership with Zimbabwean artists Josie Stainton, Tara Wallace and Roxy Danckwerts, echoing the flora growing all across Zimbabwe. Fashioned into shirts, skirts, blousons and dresses, the daintily decorated material echoes the environment from which it takes its inspiration. “There are so many species of flowers here in Zimbabwe,” says Danckwerts. “They are such fragile little things that have an amazing ability to survive Africa’s harsh climate.”

Honeyguide has a devoted following and its designs are taking root across Southern Africa. Like the wild flowers it takes its inspiration from, this label is set to keep blooming.

Nyasha Chiwara

16 Wood Lane, Borrowdale, Harare.
IG: @honeyguide.atelier