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Africa is known for being a land that has produced great talent and great leaders over the past decades who have managed to influence the world through the great work that their hands have touched. Many of these multitalented individuals have traveled the world and left a mark for many to carry without enough credit or light being shed on their amazing work. It is always beautiful to see when major brands recognize our fellow leaders and creatives as they extend the legacy of our fellow great and impactful people from across the continent with some of them being, Change Activist, Kovini Moodley, Jewellery Designer, Jenna Clifford, Fashion Designer, Gert Johan Coetzee, and Entrepreneur & Media Personality, Kim Jayde who have been highlighted in the latest “My Barbie Story” book by Mattell in celebration to the 65th Anniversary of their longstanding brand “Barbie”.
In the book, they highlight various stories from the various icons across Africa as they lay out their journeys and life walks with the aim to level up the playing field for girls across the world. All proceeds generated from the book sales will be donated with an additional top-up from the Mattell Children’s Foundation to UN Women UK. We couldn’t help but connect with one of the leading icons, Kim Jayde for an insightful interview regarding the book and her journey as she shared various information leading to the global release of this specially packaged book which you can indulge in below.
Disclaimer: Interview has been configured/edited for reading purposes.
As a fellow creative who has been active in the fashion and entertainment space for years, how would you say that your come up influenced your current approach to certain opportunities as well as building relationships with all the right people?
No matter how long I’ve been in the industry, I continue to be grateful for every opportunity. I’m hyper-aware of how lucky I am to be afforded these jobs so I take nothing for granted. That level of gratitude, humility, and hard work has helped me grow & maintain relationships with clients, media, and my incredible following.
Having represented both Zimbabwe and South Africa across the world, how would you describe the landscape perspective internationally towards the two countries within the entertainment and fashion space?
The South African fashion & entertainment industry is definitely more developed than that of my home country Zimbabwe. I’m optimistic that both will continue to grow as the world’s eyes are on Africa and our music, fashion & creative industries are a constant source of inspiration. It’s my true wish that our neighboring countries will be able to collaborate more, collaboration leads to growth and greater employment opportunities all around.
What would you say has been the most challenging part of being a multifunctional creative in a forever evolving space?
Evolving – one needs to evolve to remain relevant. I could not be the model in bikinis forever, I couldn’t be the young TV host traveling the world at music festivals forever. I love the fact that in our industry I can evolve and am proud to be a female business owner creating employment opportunities for the many people I collaborate with – from graphic designers to videographers, make-up artists to fashion designers. You see why I say collaboration is so important?😉
How would you say through those challenges you have been able to see the reward of your hard efforts? What would you say has been a core guide to troubleshooting those challenges?
It’s impossible to evolve if you do not know your passion and purpose. What do you want out of life? How can you get there? Who do you need to reach out to to achieve the next set of goals? How can you educate yourself to be able to step into that next role. These are hard questions to be able to answer, but a lot of honest reflection, and a little audacity to dream that it’s possible – you’ll get there!
When building a name for yourself over the years through strategic partnerships, what role would you say relationships played behind that what value would you say the power of relationships holds upon your current progress in life as an adult?
Fam! It is all about who you know! It sounds harsh, but if you don’t get out of your comfort zone and reach out to people, introduce yourself & nurture those relationships, you will struggle to sustain your career financially.
People choose to work with people that they like, they will tolerate someone they dislike if they are really really talented & in demand, but more often than not they will choose to work with the person they like. Once you book the job you must then deliver – again and again at a very high level. That’s what keeps you in the game.
We are here because of this major global opportunity that you have been blessed to be a part of better known as Barbie. How would you say that the book idea came about as well as how the authors or creators of the book came about with your work and name?
For the duration of 2024, I’ve been blessed to be part of the Barbie friends & family. We receive drops of product and tell the story of the brand – especially as they are celebrating 65 years of Barbie!
The PR Team reached out to tell us that Barbie was doing a book to commemorate 65 Years by launching a star-studded book celebrating the brand’s Impact with 100% of proceeds benefiting UN Women UK. I jumped at the opportunity to share my story and a few months later I got the call to say my story was selected! I still can’t believe it!!
How did you feel when you received the opportunity and did you know that it would be this big?
I honestly took a shot in the dark even submitting my story, I didn’t expect to be chosen and I certainly didn’t know that I’d be one of the few African women selected!
What impact do you plan on leaving behind through your work?
My father often speaks of legacy, and so I have reflected on this a lot. I would like for the legacy I leave behind to be one that empowers people to believe in themselves and the power of their dreams. It sounds cliché but I am a girl who grew up in a small town in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I could never have imagined that I’d have been the face of MTV Africa, or travel the world, or be in a Barbie book! But I got here being 100% myself, owning where I came from and who I am. Because I have achieved these things, other little girls and boys now know it is possible – and hopefully will far surpass my achievements.
Your dreams are valid – you just need to believe in them and be willing to work incredibly hard to bring them to life.
How do you anticipate for the youth or next generation to learn from your story and what’s your end goal with it all?
I hope it gives children pride to be African. When I was growing up we always looked to the West for our role models, to set trends, and to dictate what success looked like. I hope a child in a small town can hear my story and be proud to say “She looks like me,” or “She is also from a small town”, or “Because she did it I can do it!” I hope to make both SA and Zimbabwe proud.
What was your favorite moment when creating the book and how was it for?
My favorite moment was telling my mom! We both cried in disbelief and joy! My success is all because I come from an incredible home that instilled the value of hard work. My success is her success, so hearing her joy and pride on that phone call was so beautiful! She’s coming to the book launch in Sandton too! I can’t wait for that! To hug her and show her and my Pa the book in real life is going to be a major moment in my career.
Which leaders or multifunctional creatives do you mostly look up to and what would you ideally like to collaborate with them on?
Wow, there are so many!!! Mostly I look to women internationally who had careers on camera and proceeded to expand into producing and directing! Women like Viola Davis and Eva Longoria are tremendous sources of inspiration for what is possible.
Locally I’m super thankful to be working with Leon Haasbroek – he is an icon in the SA Fashion industry, so to have his support and be working together is a dream.
What advice would you leave behind with fellow multi-functional creatives and entrepreneurs?
The only limitation is you! In this era of social media, there are no publicists, managers, or record labels gatekeeping! The industry is wide open for you to make a name for yourself, but hone your craft – become seriously good at it. Stay humble in your pursuit of success, and finally remain grateful for it all! I thank God for it all as he gave me the dream, and the talent, and continues to bless me. I take none of it for granted.
Throughout this interview, we got to learn a lot about Kim Jayde’s journey as she continues to navigate through an evolving space, and with this current global opportunity, we trust and believe that her vision and story shall touch the lives of many including the stories of the great Kovini Moodley, Jenna Clifford, and Gert Johan Coetzee. May her journey continue to flourish and grow on the global scale that it continues to live by. As we await for a new episode of ‘Kickin it with Kim Jayde’ from her production house ‘Kim Jayde Productions’ featuring USA fashion and sneaker designer icon, ‘Philip Lipschultz’ which she showcased with a trailer on socials.
Check it out below:
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