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Eighteen Years of Tailoring — Two Expressions of One House, Crafted Since 2007
FAY HAUTE
Full-bleed silhouettes and editorial construction — statement pieces cut for the room to go quiet when you walk in.
FAY HERITAGE
Hand-waxed chitenge, batik-printed and block-dyed — every textile is a technique first, a garment second.
READY-TO-WEAR
Fay tailoring, simplified for daily wear — fewer embellishments, same pattern room.
OUR STORY
Since 2007, Fay Designs has been built one commission, one client, one atelier hand at a time. Eighteen years later, the house is bigger — the hand-finishing isn't any faster.
COMMUNITY
The Fay Fashion Design School mentors emerging Zambian designers in pattern-making, garment construction, and fashion entrepreneurship. Production stays local — Lusaka tailors and artisans hand-finish every order.
AS SEEN IN
All lines, one house.
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Commission a piece from this collection.
This archive documents work made over the years. To order a piece in your size, or to commission something of your own, speak to the atelier directly.
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{{activeProduct.statusLabel}}THE STORY
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THE STORY
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OUR STORY
Since 2007, Fay Designs has carried Zambian craft — chitenge, embroidery, tailoring — from a Lusaka living room to runways across four continents.
THE ORIGIN
Faith Mulenga Kabende was four years into a marketing career at Zambia's national telecoms company when the side project took over — a borrowed machine, a spare room in Lusaka, orders passed along by word of mouth for graduations, weddings, and formal occasions. In 2009, she resigned from corporate life to build Fay Designs full time.
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA — EST. 2007
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Born in Luanshya, Faith was sketching outfits for school before she had a name for the craft. She studied marketing at Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka, then spent four years at Zambia Telecommunications Company before choosing the machine over the boardroom. Two decades on, she still cuts every signature silhouette herself.
PRESIDENT, ZAMBIA ASSOCIATION OF FASHION DESIGNERS · BOARD MEMBER, NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA
"Designing is like feeding my soul. Beyond creating art, my goal is to build sustainable opportunities for tailors, young designers, and rural women across our textile chain."
— Faith M. Kabende
PHILOSOPHY
Chitenge wax prints and hand embroidery, cut into evening gowns, tailored suits, and red-carpet silhouettes built the Western way.
No rails, no mass production. Every piece is fitted, patterned, and finished for one client — precision over volume.
Collections draw from landscape, texture, and human expression — pattern and cut in service of a story, not decoration for its own sake.
SHOWCASED AT
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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PERSONALISED · PROFESSIONAL · TRANSFORMATIVE
Helping you look good, feel confident, and develop the skills to create your own fashion journey.
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Let's create, style and grow together. Book a consultation or enquire about any service above.
✓ Elegant & Confident
✓ Modern & Timeless
✓ For Every Occasion
✓ Your Style, Our Priority
99 Mulombwa Close, Off Bwinjimfumu Road, Rhodespark, Lusaka, Zambia
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Every Fay Designs piece passes through the same atelier process that built the house in 2007 — pattern, cut, fit, finish.
01 — PATTERN & CUT
No outsourced patterns. Our pattern room drafts and grades every silhouette by hand before a single length of fabric is cut, so fit stays consistent from the first sample to the hundredth repeat order.
02 — TEXTILE
Every Fay Heritage piece begins with a length of hand-selected chitenge — wax-printed cloth chosen for pattern scale, colorway, and how it will fall once cut into a gown or coat, not just how it looks on the bolt.
03 — CONSTRUCTION
Canvassed lapels, hand-rolled hems, and bound seams are finished by our Lusaka tailors — the same hands training the next generation through the Fay Fashion Design School.
See the craft up close.
IN THE NEWS
Coverage of the house, its founder, and eighteen years of Zambian craft on international stages.
Africa Fashion Network
A designer spotlight tracing Faith Mulenga Kabende's path from a borrowed sewing machine in Lusaka to a house dressing clients across four continents — and her drive to build opportunity for tailors and rural women along the way.
READ THE FEATURE ↗02
TELEVISION FEATUREiCUTV Zambia
Zambian television coverage of the house's growth from a home atelier into a name recognized across the country's fashion scene.
READ THE FEATURE ↗03
DIASPORA PRESSUK Zambians
Coverage for the Zambian diaspora community ahead of the house's London runway showcase.
READ THE FEATURE ↗04
BUSINESS INTERVIEWBizChats Hub
An interview on building a fashion house in Lusaka and scaling a bespoke tailoring business from the ground up.
READ THE FEATURE ↗05
PODCAST FEATUREEAWiBP
The East Africa Women in Business Platform podcast sits down with Faith to discuss entrepreneurship in Zambia's fashion industry.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ↗For press inquiries and interview requests, reach out directly.
SUPPORT
In-stock Ready-to-Wear ships within 2–4 business days. Made-to-order and Fay Heritage pieces are cut and finished after your order is placed, and typically ship within 3–5 weeks — your product page notes the exact status.
We deliver across Zambia and ship internationally on request. Delivery windows and courier charges are confirmed with you directly before your order goes into production.
Ready-to-Wear pieces may be returned unworn, with tags attached, within 7 days of delivery for a store credit or exchange. Because Fay Heritage and made-to-order pieces are cut and fitted specifically for your order, they are final sale unless received damaged or defective.
Contact us within 48 hours of delivery with photos of the item and we'll arrange a repair, replacement, or refund.
SUPPORT
All measurements in centimeters, taken close to the body. If you fall between sizes, we recommend sizing up — our tailors can take in a Ready-to-Wear piece, but can't add fabric that isn't there.
| Size | Bust | Waist | Hip |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 80–83 | 62–65 | 88–91 |
| S | 84–87 | 66–69 | 92–95 |
| M | 88–92 | 70–74 | 96–100 |
| L | 93–98 | 75–80 | 101–106 |
| XL | 99–105 | 81–87 | 107–113 |
Made-to-order and Fay Heritage pieces can be cut to your exact measurements. Mention it when you enquire and our pattern room will follow up.
LEGAL
Orders are placed by enquiry with the atelier. By placing an order you confirm the details provided are accurate. Made-to-order and Fay Heritage pieces are produced only once an order is confirmed; full payment is required to begin production.
Prices are listed in Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) and may be updated without notice. The price we confirm with you in writing is the price charged.
All patterns, prints, and garment designs are the property of Fay Designs. Reproduction of our silhouettes or print placements for commercial use is not permitted without written consent.
Fay Designs is not liable for delays caused by courier services, customs, or circumstances outside our control. Our liability for any order is limited to the value of that order.
Questions about these terms can be sent to our support team via the Contact page.
LEGAL
Last updated 26 October 2026
Fay Designs is a fashion house and design school based at 99 Mulombwa Close, Off Bwinjimfumu Road, Rhodespark, Lusaka, Zambia. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this notice. You can reach us at faye9976@gmail.com or on +260 97 909 2992. This notice explains how we handle personal information under the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021 of Zambia.
This website does not run accounts, does not take payments, and does not profile visitors. It sets no advertising or analytics cookies. If you use the contact form or the school application form, the details you type stay in your own browser until you choose to send them to us — the website itself keeps no copy and no database.
When you submit a school application the form prepares a message containing the details you entered — your name, gender, date of birth and place of birth, nationality, identity or passport number, email address, phone number, postal address, and the courses and level you are applying for — and opens WhatsApp so you can send it to our admissions team. Supporting documents, such as a photograph, an identity document or a Grade 12 certificate, are sent by you on the same WhatsApp chat. We use these details only to assess your application, to register you if you are accepted, and to confirm your enrolment registration fee. Your application reference lets us match your payment to your application.
Fay Designs does not collect card or mobile money credentials, and this website never asks for them. The K100.00 enrolment registration fee is paid directly to the Fay Designs merchant account using the details our admissions team gives you, and you confirm the payment to us on WhatsApp. Only the confirmation you choose to send us is held by us.
We process application details to take steps towards a contract of enrolment with you, and because you have given us the details for that purpose. We process enquiry details on the basis of your consent, which you may withdraw at any time. Where we are required to keep records of fees received, we do so to comply with our legal obligations.
We do not sell personal information and we do not share it for marketing. Your application reaches us through WhatsApp, which is operated by Meta Platforms and carries its own privacy terms; messages are end-to-end encrypted in transit. Our admissions records are held within Zambia. We may share information with our bank or payment provider to confirm a fee, and with a public authority where the law requires it.
Applications that do not lead to enrolment are kept for twelve months and then deleted. Records of enrolled students are kept for the duration of the programme and for six years afterwards, so that we can confirm attendance and results. Enquiries are deleted once the conversation has ended.
Access to applications and fee records is limited to the admissions staff who need it. Devices holding them are protected by a screen lock and a password. We do not store identity documents in any public folder or shared drive. If a breach occurs that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify the Data Protection Commissioner within 24 hours as the Act requires, and we will tell you.
You may ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it if it is wrong, ask us to delete it where we have no continuing reason to keep it, object to our use of it, or withdraw your consent. Write to faye9976@gmail.com and we will respond within one month. If you are not satisfied, you may complain to the Data Protection Commissioner at the Ministry of Technology and Science in Lusaka.
Applicants under the age of 18 should apply with the knowledge of a parent or guardian, and we will correspond with that parent or guardian about fees.
If we change how we handle personal information — for example when the online store opens and payments are taken on this website — we will update this notice and change the date above.
GET IN TOUCH
ATELIER
99 Mulombwa Close, Off Bwinjimfumu Road
Rhodespark, Lusaka, Zambia
PHONE
+260 97 909 2992Thank you — your message has been received. We'll respond within 2 business days.
MASTER THE ART OF DESIGN
Learn the craft in the room where it is practiced. Pattern-making, cutting, tailoring, and design taught by the atelier that has dressed clients across four continents since 2007.
THE SCHOOL
Students train alongside the tailors who cut and finish Fay Designs orders. Classes are small, hands-on, and built around real garment production — from operating the machine through to a finished, fitted piece.
Courses run at Foundation, Certificate, Advanced Certificate, and Diploma level, with part-time options for students in work.
COURSES OFFERED
Operating the machine, thread and tension control, seams, and the basics of safe, accurate construction.
Blocks, grading, and the cutting-room discipline behind a garment that fits the same way every time.
Sketching, proportion, and translating an idea on paper into a pattern that can actually be cut.
Resist dyeing, colour layering, and finishing cloth by hand for one-off surface effects.
Screen and block printing, print placement, and working with chitenge-scale pattern repeats.
Hand and machine embroidery, beadwork, and the finishing detail that defines occasion wear.
LEVELS OFFERED
Foundation
Certificate
Advanced Certificate
Diploma
Part time
DOCUMENTS TO ATTACH
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FEES
Enrolment registration fee is K100.00, paid to the Fay Designs account once your application has been received — our admissions team sends you the details on WhatsApp and confirms your payment on the same chat. School fees can be paid through the bank or at the office; always obtain an original receipt. Fees may be paid termly or by monthly instalment. Fees once paid are non-refundable.
COME PREPARED
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Some of these items can be purchased directly from the school.
Ready to enrol?
Complete the online application form and our admissions team will follow up within five working days.
APPLICATION FORM
Complete the form below. When you submit it, your application opens in WhatsApp ready to send to our admissions team, who will reply with the enrolment registration fee details and confirm your place.
SEND PAPER APPLICATION TO
99 Mulombwa Close, Off Bwinjimfumu Road, Rhodespark, Lusaka, Zambia.
SEND ONLINE APPLICATION TO
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One step left. A WhatsApp chat with our admissions team should have opened with your application ready to send — if it did not, use the button below. Send it, attach your supporting documents, and the team will reply with the details for the K100.00 enrolment registration fee. Pay the fee to the Fay Designs account they give you, then send your payment confirmation on the same chat quoting Application No. {{applicationRef}}.
SEND MY APPLICATION ON WHATSAPP