The Billabong team went to South Africa, trekked inland, visited the Ndebele people and were generally super inspired by the rich colours and tribal patterns of the area, which showed in the eclectic spring/ summer 14 collection we shot in (almost) summery London.
Turns out our model grew up in neighbouring Zimbabwe, studied multi media journalism specialising in African current affairs and politics, and had lots to say about orphaned baby rhinos, going grocery shopping with suitcases full of cash, sundowners and Zimbabwe’s future.
Fashion shoot styled and art directed by Britta Burger, photography by Dasha Love. Interview by Britta Burger
From Cooler Issue 44 – Spring/Summer 2014 [WHICH YOU CAN BUY HERE!!] [We also have a comp to win the now-sold out Botswana Jacket from the Billabong collection HERE]
What was it like growing up in Africa?
To me it was just a normal childhood, I was born there, both my parents were born there. I’m from Harare the capital of Zimbabwe, I’ve never lived on a farm or out in the bush. But my best friend was born in a hut in the middle of the bush because her dad’s a hunter, she was best friends with 
an elephant for the first three years of her life, she didn’t know any other humans, at the moment a friend’s family is raising a baby giraffe, and another family raised an orphaned baby rhino whose parents were poached.
Was it hard to deal with Zimbabwe’s difficult economic and political situation?
The political violence happens more out in the rural areas, we heard about it and knew it was bad but we didn’t witness a lot of it. We obviously had the fuel shortages and hyperinflation. You’d go to the shops in the morning, a loaf of bread would cost 1.2 million dollars, you’d go in the afternoon of the same day and it would be 3 or 4 million dollars. We went up to 100 trillion dollar notes and go grocery shopping with a suitcase or a duffle bag full of wads of cash.
