Catherine & Hubby Michaels' Rare Editions

By Caroline Anande Uliwa

(written in April 2020)

My favorite suit jacket out of Rare
Editions that I spotted, just look at that
Afro-daladala theme oozing afro-elegance

Small things stand out at this fabric shop in Mwenge, Dar es Salaam, for one it’s clean. Neat rows of corporate fabric are next to lean torso mannequins donning striking suits, shirts & jackets. The décor is elegant but minimal allowing the merchandise to stand out. 

Flipping the suit jacket you spot clean lining, no crooked lines certainly no exposed seams, the outfit is draping the mannequin as a bespoke suit. I am impressed to learn these clothes are all made in Tanzania, so of course appointments are made and a sit down follows with the persons behind this brand called Rare Editions.

On the day of the interview we meet at the second outlet of Rare Editions in Kijitonyama, I was met with the same pristine clean surroundings as their Mwenge outlet with torso mannequins, little shelves with cufflinks ties & the like. Its at this spot that the tailors are hiding in an adjacent room.

When I walked in fumbling to note who is Catherine, I quickly guess it’s the petite lady in a peplum corporate dress. As she sits behind an austere wood desk inviting me to sit across from her, I don’t shake her hand (corona etiquette) but greet her warmly. Her smile quickly sets me at ease and soon am immersed in her world. 

Catherine and her husband 
when they got married and the 
first male bespoke suit of
Rare Editionswas made.

Rare Editions is a partnership between Catherine P Mlowe 33, and her husband Michael Mugabe 40. Catherine is a doctor and Michael a lawyer and both launched it in 2016. Prior to this since 2012 it was Catherine’s own business called K8 designs. “Initially it was a bit tough you know I had just finished med school. I rented a small frame close to home in Tabata, bit by bit I would pay the rent, I recall my neighbors being sellers of local beers” She laughs and continues “But I loved it at times I would finish at midnight then my Dad would come pick me up, so I wouldn’t walk home alone at that hour” 

Catherine’s journey with fashion was cemented in secondary school at Kifungilo Girls Sec, when she took up tailoring in form 3 & 4. Throughout college she would meddle in it until post her studies, when she met seamster Christopher Zacharia and started making whole garments for ladies & gents. 

Standard sewing machine that Rare Editions use. 
Embu nenda kawaungishe waTanzania wetu 
kwani kweli 'nyumbani kumenoga'

When she met her husband she recalls being at a crossroads almost going to leave the fashion business. As she was neck deep in her internship as a doctor which was very demanding, couple this with managing her business with now three tailors. “I wanted to quit, I thought why am I stressing after all I am going to be a doctor. But then when I started dating Mike I would tell him my frustrations, soon I called him my ‘shock absorber’.” Catherine quips with a candid laugh adding “See when I encountered that client who was driving me up the wall. I would ask him ‘please can you handle her’ and he would. He is good like that…you know when you have someone you love beside you telling you ‘you can do it’ it gives you courage.” Catherine affirms. 

Catherine Mlowe left giving a happy
customer Dr Ben his suit custom made
by Rare Editions

Things took a turn for K8 designs when Michael took a chance on his fiancés business and ordered his wedding tux from her establishment. The gist was if the tux wasn’t good they would default to buying one, but K8 designs passed the test and the tux Michael wore including those of his groomsmen were all made by his fiancé's venture.

“I then realized it’s even better if I cater to the male clientele” Catherine answers as to how Rare Editions came to be and why she dropped making casual wear for ladies. The fact that her own wedding had male outfits from her own shop, gave her courage to do more research. Where she noticed a gap in the market for men’s bespoke suits and with Michael’s investment the business took off.

To date Rare Editions has provided bespoke suits for many couples as well corporate wear for companies like Oryx, CRDB Bank & Gibotel. They employ a full time staff of five including a part time staff of five. They pride themselves in pooling quality fabrics which they source from overseas giving a one year warranty for their suits, if the color fades. Just recently they provided training for five young tailors from Don Bosco School in Dar es Salaam pro-bono.

On the challenges they face they are concerned with marketing as the roll out of the ban of second hand clothes ‘mitumba’ in the country is still not effective. This means they’re goods face steep competition. They also requested support from the government of this administration whose call for ‘Tanzania of Industries’ could benefit to look at enabling more processing factories for the cloth fibers the country exports like cotton. This will cut production costs for small factories like their own that have to go overseas to find quality fabrics that are expensive.

Rare Editions Tanzania merchandise on sale 
at their shops

“It would help if we got tax cuts for the tools we have to import that aren’t available in the country. You can find you’ve bought a sewing machine for five thousand dollars, but when it passes through customs it becomes three times that!” Michael Mugabe shared his two cents as a  partner in this venture. You can find out more about them by visiting their Instagram page @rare.editions they as well export their goods. Their price is in the range of 80,000 Tshs to 400,000Tshs for retail outfits.

Catherine in her day job as a Doctor

Michael & Catherine's daughters 
finish their homework at the 
shop awaiting their parents to
go home.

This article was first published by the east african newspaper The EastAfrcanNewspaper - Rare Editions Caroline Uliwa