Step In Style: A testament to resilience, growth, ...

Step In Style: A testament to resilience, growth, and commitment in Zim’s garment industry

Zim Now Writer

With a staff complement of 270 employees, in different departments that include the cutting room, production line, embroidery, printing and warehousing among others, Chitungwiza-based Step In Style ranks among the top five employers – outside Chitungwiza Municipality - in the populous town.

Tucked in the Chitungwiza Industrial site, the bustling clothing manufacturing firm, specialising in school uniforms, corporate wear, work wear and security uniforms, among other products, Step In Style is a hive of activity that shakes off the inactivity tag that has been characteristic of the industrial site.

The death of Modzone Enterprises, successor to Cone Textiles, had almost killed the once-vibrant industrial site. However, the birth of Step in Style in 2002, has breathed life into the largely dying industrial site. According to General Manager, Anusa Jaidi, they have been growing steadily over the years, despite the several challenges that have blighted the sector.

We have been growing over the years owing to our staff retention policy. We have never retrenched staff, but have instead been adding some numbers in line with the increasing demand for some of our products. However, there are some challenges here and there that we with government could look at. We cannot access raw materials in Zimbabwe and you can imagine the costs given issues like import duty.

“We could have grown even bigger by now had it not been the systematic closure of companies in the last decade and back. This saw a decline in demand, especially for work wear such as work suits,” said Anusa.

Step In Style, Anusa said, was the brainchild of one of the directors, Cheseni Jaidi. “Step In Style has four directors. Mrs Svodai Titi Jaidi heads Operations, Alec Jaidi Design, Cheseni Marketing. Our sister company Chitungwiza Uniform Centre has a number of outlets with the main ones at Makoni Shopping Centre and another at Nyatsime Turn-Off in the industrial site.

Anusa also said that they are not spared power outages that have been affecting other manufacturing concerns. “We, however, have a standby generator that powers all our operations in the event of power cuts. In the next 10 years, Step In Style must be bigger as we are expanding. The new building out there should be completed soon and it will house other machines, which means more employment.

“We are also involved in philanthropy. We give the needy uniforms in several schools as well as supporting prize giving days in the majority of Chitungwiza schools and others beyond.