Fashion with purpose
This story begins with a handbag, crafted from an old dress in the back of Belange Mutunda’s closet.
“I went to school with it, and my friends wanted me to make purses for them,” Mutunda says, laughing at the memory.
Soon, Mutunda was running a small business – what would become Belange Handmade – out of her bedroom in Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She had found her passion … a passion that brought her to Des Moines, Iowa.
“Des Moines is French, French is my first language, and I thought that maybe someone would speak French in Des Moines,” she says.
Mutunda didn’t find many Francophones, but she did find opportunities. After earning an associate degree in fashion design and merchandising from the Des Moines Area Community College Fashion Institute, she came to Iowa State University. Here, she juggled studies with part-time jobs and a fledgling business.
“Sometimes I felt like I was missing out on just being a student, but I don’t regret it,” she says. “I had a unique experience, different from other people.”
Pictured: Mutunda’s Black Dollar Wardrobe, released in spring 2021, features jumpsuits, midi and mini dresses, rompers, and maxi dresses. This inclusive collection was inspired by African arts and was designed to celebrate and highlight women of all backgrounds.
Her break came during the 2019 Standing INNovation Pitch Off, hosted by the university at the Iowa State Fair. Mutunda pitched her foundation idea … Eve Reusable Menstrual Pads.
“People started gathering around, women were listening,” Mutunda says. “Women came up to me afterward, saying, ‘We need this. I would use this now, myself.’”
Mutunda understood. She’s honest about her first experience getting her period.
“I didn’t know what it was, and nobody had told me anything,” she says. “In many countries, nobody talks about this. Even in my biology classes, the guy teaching was embarrassed to talk about it. I thought, ‘Why are we all embarrassed to talk about this?’”
Pictured: The BHM Foundation’s kick-off, postponed to April 2021 due to the global pandemic, celebrates a future without period poverty by supplying communities in the DRC with feminine hygiene supplies.
Mutunda paired her company, Belange Handmade, with her foundation, the BHM Foundation. The BHM Foundation is headquartered in the DRC. Its sole purpose is to provide reusable menstrual supplies to women and young girls affected by period poverty - the lack of access to menstrual supplies due to economic inequality.
Mutunda describes it as a partnership of slow fashion and fast impact. A portion of the proceeds from Belange Handmade sales supports the BHM Foundation. In turn, customers buy unique, eco-friendly pieces made from vibrant African wax fabrics. Each fabric is sourced from cities across Africa and purchased in local markets in the DRC, the Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire.
“I love, love, love colors,” Mutunda says. “I get my inspiration from my home. The nature, the community, the beauty. When I design, I don’t start with a sketch. I start by looking at the fabric. I had a tough time at first, because people would say I was doing things backward. But that’s just the way I am inspired.”
Her design choices have come with questions. Mutunda has been asked, “Can I wear your clothing? I’m not Black, and I’m not from Africa.” As an answer, Mutunda invites people to learn about her design choices on her website and through social media. She is proud when a person wears her designs. In deciding to share the bright colors and striking patterns, she welcomes partners to enjoy the beauty.
“I use African prints, but my clothing is for everybody,” Mutunda says. “People worry about cultural appropriation. They see someone wearing African prints and say, ‘Oh my gosh, why is she doing that?’ But my clients aren’t claiming my culture. They are just wearing something that is beautiful. There’s a difference.”
Sustainability, inclusion, community … Belange Handmade’s core values demonstrate the founder’s belief that each person’s fashion has real power.
“I want to give people what they need, a piece of clothing that they will continue to wear and use for a long time to come,” Mutunda says.
Read more about Belange in the Iowa State University May 2020 article “Fashioning her adventure in entrepreneurship” and the Iowa State Foundation article “Innovation for a new generation.” Follow Belange Handmade on your favorite social media platform, and visit Mutunda’s website for a look at upcoming collections, custom designs, and ready-to-wear looks.
By Kate Tindall
Story published: June 2021