African Bush Camps Celebrates Zimbabwean Culture Through Fashion and Conservation

African Bush Camps brought together fashion, conservation, and community empowerment in a striking editorial project at Somalisa Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Created for World Safari Day, the feature transformed the safari landscape into a runway celebrating Zimbabwean identity, creativity, and pride. Staff members from Somalisa Camp, including guides, chefs, and housekeepers, became models wearing bespoke couture designed by award winning Zimbabwean designer Victoria Mnase.

The project was a collaboration between African Bush Camps, local creatives, and the African Bush Camps Foundation. Over several months, participants shared their stories and personal journeys, ensuring each garment reflected individuality, heritage, and lived experience. The result was a powerful visual narrative that positioned conservation as inseparable from culture, people, and self expression.

Beyond the photoshoot, the initiative reinforced African Bush Camps’ commitment to empowerment, particularly of women. Several models are graduates of the Foundation’s Women in Tourism Programme, which equips women from underserved communities with skills and opportunities within the tourism industry. The editorial highlighted how conservation in Zimbabwe goes beyond wildlife protection to include cultural preservation, storytelling, and economic inclusion.

Set against the backdrop of Hwange National Park, the fashion showcase blended traditional textiles with contemporary design, framed by iconic safari imagery and wildlife. The campaign demonstrated African Bush Camps’ holistic approach to sustainable tourism, where conservation, community upliftment, and authentic African narratives are deeply connected.