We’ve all come across this problem: you’re out shopping at the local mall or flea market, determined to find a new dress to rock into the weekend with. You find a lot of great options, but something always seems amiss – the colour is right, but the fit is off; the fit is right, but the details aren’t quite doing it for you. With a little imagination, however, you can see what the dress could be like, if only you could unlock its potential. And this is exactly what the founders of Mozambique-based clothing brand, Mima-Te, have focused their entire career on: altering and upcycling new and second-hand clothes to give them a whole new life through a change of style.

Mima-Te – Portuguese for “spoil yourself” – is the brainchild of twins, Nelly and Nelsa Guambe. For as long as they can remember, their mother would take them to local, informal markets where they would be allowed to pick their own clothes on special occasions. The clothes that can be purchased from these markets are usually vintage items that have been shipped in via the United States or Europe and are no longer on trend. Nelsa and Nelly learned how to alter their clothes into a more flattering form at an early age. They taught themselves how to sew on machines that are half a century old and began transforming dresses, shirts and trousers in their entirety, creating new, unique pieces and setting their very own trends.

The Guambe sisters live in Maputo, the vibrant capital of Mozambique, where unemployment rates are incredibly high. There is a strong lack of resources for designers and those otherwise involved in the fashion world, but this did not deter Nelsa and Nelly from setting up their own business, Mima-Te, in 2010. Having always relied on their know-how and can-do-spirit, they continue to approach their upcycling-business in the very same manner as did their mother – by scouring the local markets whenever possible and selecting clothes based on particular colours, cuts or prints, and reimagining them. Once they have made a good haul, they return to their workshop and decide on how to translate their visions into the final product.

Nelsa and Nelly believe that sustainable fashion will make you feel a part of the change and, in doing so, these clothes will become a form of self-love – in other words, of spoiling yourself! Mima-Te’s upcycled designs breathe fresh life into worn clothes, granting the population of Mozambique – and beyond! – the opportunity to dress in a stylish way that is fashionable as well as comfortable. Upon launching their brand and showcasing their clothes in local fashion shows, the Guambe sisters received global recognition thanks to their sassy, youthful designs and their eco-consciousness, sustainability being the very heart of Mima-Te. Nelsa and Nelly’s creations can now be purchased online, in pop-up-shops all around Mozambique and, at the Deal Espaço Criativo in Maputo.