I took this picture on the way back from the Christian Louboutin live talk, held at the design museum London.
The city can be so beautiful when it wants to be. As much as I complain about London at times, having traveled to a few places I haven’t found anywhere else I would rather be. I love London, warts n all.
African born, London-based designer Bukki Ojo has just unveiled her first collection ‘Afro’ and at just 18 years of age, Bukki has already has a concession stand lined up this July! The ‘Afro’ collection can be found on the ASOS market place and has been worn by several designers, bloggers, DJ’s and today was being rocked by Vince Kidd from #TheVoiceUK.
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Tell us, what is ‘Bukki’ all about?
Bukki is all about intertwining cultures, it is a combination of vintage denim and African print, with the aim being to change certain connotations of prints by making them more current and giving them a modern twist. I want to get people, particularly younger people comfortable with wearing these prints and I want them to filter through to different cultures. Also, I want to create an affordable high-street range that is urban and offers something new, I want to see people walking down the street wearing ‘Bukki’, that’s the big dream!
Read more from this interview at Spiltinc
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Click on the images below to enlarge and see more from the Afro collection.
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1) Mazuri Organics Hair Straightening Serum
£3.99 (200ml)
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As I do not chemically straighten my hair, I occasionally hot comb it if I want to achieve a straighter look, however it’s important to take into account the damage heat does to your hair. So if you are going to apply heat to your hair make sure it’s well protected. Since the beginning of the year I have been using Mazuri Organics straightening serum; it works to prepare the hair for thermal straightening and helps to keep hair straighter for longer.
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2) Mazuri Organics Moroccan Olive Oil Sheen Spray
£0.99 (100ml)
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If you do happen to get the Mazuri straightening serum, I would advise using the Moroccan Oil Sheen spray. Moroccan oils are one of the rarest and richest oils in the world and have been well known for rejuvenating moisture in hair and skin, this sheen spray has been custom blended with Moroccan Argan oil and Mediterranean olive oil. It smells great and I often use it as a normal afro sheen spray, I also love that it small and handbag friendly. However, I would point out that this product has paraffinium liquid, isobutane and propane, so do bare this in mind if you are chemical cautious.
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3) Toulou Organics- Sapote & Monoi deTahiti Moisturising Hair Butter
£19.50 (120g)
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Toulou Organics is my new best hair friend; and having been to the relaunch for their products you can believe me when I say they know their stuff! Toulou Organics does not use parabens, petroleum, GM ingredients, SLS, synthetics colours or fragrances or propylene. In summary it’s “nature in a jar”
The Sapote & Monoi deTahiti moisturising hair butter is suitable for natural and processed hair, and is especially effective for those with dry and damaged hair and a flaky scalp. Sapote is a fruit commonly eaten in Latin American countries and is packed with an array of Vitamins and minerals. I have just started using the hair butter and it’s a definite must have for me.
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4) Toulou Organics- Jojoba Hair Oil
(100ml)
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Jojoba is rich in Vitamins A, D, E & F, I have started using this hair oil in the same way I have been using normal virgin olive for years. It is suitable for most hair types, great for conditioning and moisturising dry and brittle hair, very helpful for preventing the build up of excess oil and can be used as a hot oil treatment. Although functionally I think it works like pure olive oil, Although I also reckon the Vitamin content to be richer and the smell is without a doubt much more pleasant!
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5) Philip Kingsley Exfoliating Scalp Mask
£5.25 (20ml)
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Called “The Hair Doctor” by The Times and “The Hair Guru” by The New York Times, Philip Kingsley, is the go to guy for hair products, I’ve read his book ‘Hair Bible- a complete guide to health and care’. The Philip Kingsley exfoliating scalp mask containing organic Aloe Vera and a combination of powerful exfoliants to help minimize flaking, whilst soothing the scalp. This scalp mask helps to remove dead skins cells, counteracting the build up of dry flaky skin.
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6) Philip Kingsley Stimulating Scalp Mask
£5.25 (20ml)
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This is a great products for rejuvenating hair growth. Apply after washing hair and feel that vapouresque feeling as the pours in my scalp breathe. This is a combination of vitamins, minerals, stimulating menthol and peppermint for optimum scalp health. This scalp treatment encourages blood circulation while helping to improve hair texture and behaviour.
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If you happen to try any of these products let me know your thoughts, or get in touch if you have any other hair products I should know about :-)
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Louisa,
Last Friday evening I was invited to the Toulou Organics – the natural, organic skincare range officially launch, held at Blackfriars, Society’s private suite.
Andrea Lawrence, founder of Toulou Organics takes a holistic approach to health and beauty by only uses natural and organic produce in her products. The evening was a great way to see the entire range and ask specific questions regarding product ingredients, hair and skin issues, and hear about where we can expect to see the brand in the near future.
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The products showcased included their range of products of:
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• Anti-Ageing Care (Face & Body Care)- to restore and maintain that youthful appearance, utilising anti-ageing ingredients, antioxidants and essential fatty acids that work effectively and naturally.
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• Face Care (Crèmes, Oils, Cleansers & Flower Water) – Superior ingredients, antioxidants, essential fatty acids and minerals, that increases the skins elasticity, strengthens the connective tissues to achieve a more youthful, supple and toned skin.
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• Body Care (Butters, Crèmes & Oils) – Dry, ashy, rough skin, time to hydrate, nourish and feed your skin to regain soft, supple, smooth skin, with aromas that stimulate your senses and calm you’re mind.
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• Body Wash (Shower Wash & Soaps) -Beautiful aromas and gentle but effective cleaning of the skin, our body wash products will not strip or disturb the skins natural oil production or acid mantle.
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• Hair Care (Butters, Oils & Shampoo) – Moisturises, condition and protect the hair and scalp, whilst the shampoo bar cleans but does not strip the hairs protective layers.
Toulou Organics focus’ on bringing out the healthy glow and youthful looks many men and women are constantly striving to achieve.
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Toulou Organics’ Founder Andrea Lawrence said:
“Our objective is not to revolutionise, but to neutralise. The world is seeing a massive shift moving back to basic and natural products. There is a desire for individuals to stop the constant contamination being consumed through our food, makeup and skin care and our product focuses on bringing it back to nature.
I often feel like a gourmet chef for skin. I get the best organic, fair-traded, cold pressed and wild-crafted ingredients and spend many hours researching and creating products to address the problems of dry, ageing, rough and dull skin. Our products are Hand Made, which is a painstaking process as each finished product has to meet our high quality control”.
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Toulon Organics SkinCare products are all hand made and only uses the finest ingredients that retain their beneficial and therapeutic properties namely, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F & G, and minerals. Toulou Organics does not use parabens, SLS or any harmful preservatives in our products because we believe they do not help you achieve healthy skin.
The essential oils, floral waters,fruit, vegetable oils and butters,arefromorganic, cold-pressed, wild-crafted sources to make sure they retain their therapeutic benefits to the skin in addition the varied ingredients omit beautiful aromas. They are blended together to create nutritious, moisturising, and exotic crèmes, butters and oils; that feed and enhance your skin naturally.
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I look foward to using products from the Toulou Organics range and will be posting and tweeting my thoughts, I have already tried the Tropical Coconut Shampoo Bar, and so far so good! Follow me on Twitter to get my day to day updates!
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Yesterday was (of course) Stylist day, where I eagerly await my yellow t-shirt man who dispenses my free weekly pick me up of fashion trends, beauty products and inspirational features. One of the many things I was thrilled to see in this week’s edition was the Marks & Spencer AW12 collection.
I am sure that many of you will admit that Marks & Spencer might not be your go to store for a Friday night outfit, but it’s relied upon by many for smart, reliable and semi-fashionable clothing. However, by the looks of a few of its AW12 collection, M&S have dropped the ‘semi’ and finally jumped on the trend band wagon. The colours for this year and typically autumn inspired, the cuts are boyish, with touches of feminine chic. Overall, this is a collection for fashion conscious power women, and I can’t wait to see it in stores. Five outfits from the collection were featured in Stylist, so courtesy of M&S, here is the rest.
21st Century Remix Autograph Dress £49.50, Belt £25
21st Century Remix M&S Woman Coat £89 Limited Collection Jumper £29.50, Limited Collection Trouser £29.50, Scarf £22.50, Shoes £49.50
Arts & Crafts Limited Collection Jacket £49.50, Limited Collection Jumper £35, M&S Woman Trouser £19.50, Faux Fur Hood, £19.50, Bag £39.50, Footglove Boots £89
Limited Collection Coat £79, Twiggy for M&S Woman Dress £49.50, Necklace £17.50 Ring £7.50, Belt £15, Boots £59
Indigo Coat £79, Indigo Jumper £39.50, M&S Woman Top £27.50, M&S Woman Skirt £25, Belt £15
M&S Woman Coat £89, Hat £19.50, M&S Woman Jumper £35, Indigo Trouser £29.50, Belt £25, Footglove Shoes £39.50
Autograph Top £65, Autograph Trouser £59, Shoes £49.50
M&S Woman Top £35, M&S Woman trouser £35, Necklace £29.50, Belt £15, Bag £25, Rings £25, £12.50, £9.50, Shoes £35
Hat £19.50, Limited Collection Jumper £29.50, Limited Collection Trouser £19.50, Roll Neck £69, Boots £75, Bag £129, Belt £15
Autograph Dress £69, Leather Gloves £35, Boots £75
Autograph Coat £110, M&S Woman Top £35, M&S Woman Trouser £19.50
Platform exhibition opening: Showcasing, John Pawson- Framed.
Thursday 10th May 2012
Habitat, 208 Kings Road, Chelsea, London.
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Last Thursday was the opening of Platform, a design initiative by Habitat which aims to share remarkable and thought provoking design with its customers to encourage, support and promote talent. The evening was held in the recently refurbished Chelsea branch, which was one of the first Habitat stores opened by Sir Terence Conran, founder of Habitat.
Having been looking forward to the event, I was slightly disappointed when my plus one cancelled last minute, but the Habitat team sent me a reassuring tweet to say that I would be well looked after, and indeed I was. Upon arrival I exchanged my jacket for a glass of champagne and was met by Marc, Habitat’s Marketing Manager, who briefed me on the background of Platform and what they are hoping to achieve.
“Platform is one of the ways Habitat is stepping out in an attempt to recreate its existing brand and convey to its customers that it is more than just furniture, it’s an appreciation of art, space and personality. We are housing the event at the first Habitat store ever opened by the founder Terence Conran and we want to invite customers and our industry partners to initiate design ideas, and for Platform to ultimately serve as space for brand creativity”
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Platform opened with an exhibition of work by designer and architect John Pawson who broke through the industry in 1995 after designing Calvin Klein’s first flagship store in New York. Pawson focuses on ways of approaching fundamental problems of space, proportion, light and materials. His many residential and commercial interiors have included homes, art galleries and stores in London, Dublin, New York, Paris, Seoul and Tokyo, and his subsequent projects have spanned a wide range of scales and building typologies, from stage sets and exhibitions to boats and monasteries.
The curator for Platform is Suzanne Trocme who has written for publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Telegraph, Interior Design and Wallpaper, where she became Architecture and Design Editor. In addition to her contributions to journalism, Trocmé has written a number of books including ‘Influential Interiors’, ‘Fabric’ and ‘Cool Homes in Hot Places’.
Having managed to grab a brief moment with Suzanne, she expressed to me the importance of the ‘design process’ and how Platform is all about being organic, and inspiring the designers whilst also creating transparency between the company and its customers. Personally I think this level of thinking is vital for companies that are seeking to create a high value experience with their customers. Several insights into consumer behaviour have shown that customers buy ‘into’ the brand, as the behaviour and choices define the expression of a certain taste- a personal identity.
From my experience into consumer buying habits, and a customer of Habitat furniture, I believe that by creating a customer experience such as Platform, it says, “this is who we are, come and share our interests” which sets off a combination of emotional factors that makes you feel that they understand you and your values.
I think this is a great move forward for Habitat and I look forward to new exhibitions at Platform and exciting developments in their home deco range.
Here are some pictures from the evening; and of course, many thanks to the Habitat team for the invite and congratulations on such a successful evening!
Last Wednesday was the preview for this summers hottest beauty products hosted by PurePR London. It was a fantastic opportunity to get a sneak peak for natural, environmental and socially conscious beauty products set to hit the high street and selected stores around the country. We were greeted with champagne, nibbles and handmade brownies courtesy of Planet Organic, I had my nails done by Mavala and had a good look of some fantastic products by Philip Kingsley, which I think need a blog post of their own!
PurePR is not exclusively but heavily invested in promoting and raising awareness of health, social and environmentally conscious products.
The Pure ethos:
Washing powder can wash without toxins, body cleansers can clean without parabens, hair care can foam without SLS and candles can burn without paraffin. We want people to be able to make more informed choices, earth conscious choices, purer choices.
Here are some pictures from the evening, over the next coming week I will be reviewing beauty products from Spa, MALIN+GOETZ, Mavala, Planet Organic, Philip Kingsley and more. I will also be running a competition to win some great beauty products at the end of the month, so keep checking in, or follow me on Twitter ;-)
Many thanks to PurePR, I had a lovely evening and loved my goodie bag ;-)
Here are some pictures from the evening, click on an image to enlarge.
This term my board reflects the current sorbet and pastel like pallets across the high street, with references to tropical print and colour block combinations. I have been meaning to try the “panda” eye and use a fuller range of eyeliner shades this summer!
Today I knight myself the undisputed domestic goddess as I have managed to do my laundry, ironing, and rearrange my belongings all the way from makeup brushes to knickers and shoes! Every 4 months or so I rearrange what I call my mood board which is a collection of fashion, beauty and style tear outs from magazines I would have read over time and found inspiring. Yet it’s only today I realised how similar my mood board is to both my tumble and pinterest page. However, I have been updating my mood board since I was 16!
Click on an image to enlarge :-)
I have just returned from the fabulous Christian Louboutin exhibition.
Thanks to my organized friend we got the tickets in advance, so didn’t have to queue. You don’t have to buy the tickets in advance, you can get them on the door, but with Saturday being the most popular visiting day it did save us a little bit of time.
Rhi rhi has teamed up with Armani Jeans and Emporio Armani Underwear to design another collection, imbued with her own boyish, dressed-down style. In comparison to the previous collection, there is a lot more versatility in regards to colour, fabric and style as this collection will have a mixture of both full length jeans, shorts and a one piece. On the whole I found the first collection sexy and fierce, whilst this collection is a more romantic rock and roll type energy.
“Rihanna is a great artist,” Giorgio Armani said today. “She has personality, charisma and energy, and has been a pleasure to work with. She captures the young and contemporary essence of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans perfectly.”
Thoughts?
My afro and I were graciously invited to the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, to join the bloggers focus group which took place as part of Afro Comb day.
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Hosted by Crystal Afro, the creator of the natural hair care blog United KinKdom, AfroComb day was an insightful collaboration between Crystal (@CrystalAfro) and Egyptologist Sally-Ann Ashton.
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I was late for the first round of debates (hand over face), but I managed to be part of the second round, where I got to meet several of my favourite hair bloggers and have what I felt was very meaningful, open and honest discussions on what it was to have afro hair growing up in the UK. We swopped tips and tricks from which combs to use, products to avoid and had a humorous talk on the growing community of ‘natural Nazis’ flourishing on the YouTube landscape.
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Regretfully, I had to leave earlier than the others (my fault for being late in the first place), but I had a great time, and look forward to reading what the other bloggers took away from the day. Crystal did a fantastic job at bringing together an eclectic mix of modern day natural hair bloggers to discuss what afro hair and the afro-comb means to so many. Lord knows that it’s impossible to have this level of debate is impossible on twitter with its 140 character limit!
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Here are some pictures I took on my iPhone on some of the natural hair combs, some of which are over 500 years old.
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I have also added a video from the ‘Combing from afro curls’ blog. I was too busy yapping away to remember to take my own video! Lol
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I very briefly recall going past this shop a while back, and in my attempt to confirm what I was seeing in a moving car, my neck almost did an exorcist style 360 spin. However as with most interesting things you see in passing, I didn’t take a picture or write a note to myself to check it out, and thus forgot all about it.
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Several months later I saw the shop again whilst browsing on Tumblr, and I figured, well if this isn’t a sign for a great blog post then I don’t know what is. So I grabbed the picture, and decided to give the people behind this bodacious building a call *bodacious should be pronounced in American surfer dude accent*.
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I spoke to a very cool guy who sent me even more pictures of their other shops, which are just as *accent*…bodacious!
[Me] As you know…completely in awe of your shop design. How long have you had it like this?
[Cool guy over the phone] We’ve had it this way since 2008, and have also developed our other two stores with a similar style, one for drums and the other for acoustics
[Me] How did you come up with this idea, what was the process?
[Cool guy over the phone] Well it was the owner of the business; but it started from us sitting in a car outside of the shop one day when the shutters were down, and randomly thinking “hey, the shop looks like an amplifier” … and really from there we got a team together, which consisted of a local graffiti artist, builders and designers; and here it is!
As I mentioned, the cool guy over the phone who I now know is called Ed kindly emailed me some pictures, which are even better than the one I found on Tumblr, so I hope you enjoy.
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THE GUITAR STORE 62 COMMERCIAL ROAD SOUTHAMPTON HAMPSHIRE SO15 1GD
I was so excited to see myself featured as SPELL Magazines best beauty blogger today :-D. Published monthly, SPELL Magazine is a stylish modern magazine for aspiring and discerning women of colour, and a fantastic platform for the best in Afro hairdressing, black beauty and culture which is often overlooked by mainstream media.
SPELL is also published as a standalone magazine, which is distributed at major hair shows such as the annual Afro Hair and Beauty Show at the Business Design Centre in London. Last year I witnessed TV presenter, journalist and contributing columnist for SPELL Raya El-Salahi, who put on a fantastic show with Sensationnel, so it’s been a privilege to be recognised by such a hard working and creative team of professionals.
Check out this months edition for great tips for celebrating the Queens 60′s on the throne in style, as the team look at how 50′s inspired market is still as hot as it ever was with reviews from a an exciting new collaboration between Bare Minerals and Virgin Media.
Click on the page to read the full feature :-)
Click on the front cover to read this months SPELL Magazine
Don’t miss the May issue of Spell – eepurl.com/kp2B1
— Spell Magazine (@SpellMagazine) April 25, 2012
Yesterday I went to the last day of the Sundance Film Festival, an American annual film festival which showcases new work from American and international independent film makers. This was the first time the Sundance Film Festival has travelled outside of the United States, taking place at the London O2 between the 26th to the 29th.
From the moment Robert Redford announced that the festival would be held in London, I knew I had to attend. I booked tickets to see the eagerly anticipated film LUV, written and produced by Sheldon Candis, and starring Common, Michael Rainey Jr, Danny Glover, Meagan Good and Michael Kenneth Williams.
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Let me start of by saying what an amazing movie this was, touching upon so many issues, from how young people can get trapped into a lifestyle which becomes impossible to get out of, and the pursuit of manhood. Sheldon describes this movie as an ‘Adriller’, a dramatic film with undertones of a thriller, and I believe his casting for this film was so perfect. Common’s style, appearance, background and storytelling tone of voice was made for this story, along with Michael Rainey Jr, who completely blew the audience away (many of whom where in tears) with such an mature and authentic performance for his age.
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In the Q&A session, we had the honour to speak to Sheldon Candis and gain an insight into his inspirations for the film. Sheldon Candis further describes how the movie is a fictional tale inspired by a relationship that he had growing up in Baltimore, with his uncle who at the times was one of the city’s most infamous and feared drug dealers.
“Love is a dysfunctional love story between an 11 year old orphan boy (Michael Rainey Jr) and his recently returned home from prison uncle (Common), who this kid loves, revers and looks up to. Over the course of a day, this young boy finds out that his uncle is a really bad person. The movie explores what happens when a child is exposed to violence for the first time”
One of my favourite questions from the audience was by a man in a blue shirt who asked “you have a fantastic cast, how did you manage to get everyone together to take part in the movie, with what I can image wasn’t a Hollywood blockbuster budget?”
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Candis answered by stating how he had got to know some of the cast having met the David Simon, writer and author of the HBO drama series, The Wire’, and through that met Michael Kenneth Williams (who played Omar Little in The Wire.; a made that stayed with me was that, it’s pretty much a given that independent film makers start of with next to nothing, but “if it’s a good story the right artists will get on board”. I found that quite endearing as all too often, we look at our barriers, before just getting on with it and opening ourselves up to potential opportunities.
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Here are some pictures from the night.
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I am so behind on blogging, don’t even tell me about it! I have been shacking and jiving all around London this month, that it’s only now I can sit down, tackle my blogging backlog and fill you in on what I have been so busy doing.
First on my blog list is some feedback from the raved about documentary that has got the fashion, blogging and photography scene raving, Bill Cunningham New York.
The documentary is an insightful journey about the most adorable, modest and world renowned photographer Bill Cunningham; the Renaissance man for street style photography, and the person whom without, the fashion blogosphere would not be what it is today.
In the documentary Bill is seen as a humble 83 year old man dedicated to showcasing the beauty in clothes and the women who wear them on the streets of New York. We see his contribution to fashion and our relationship with fashion over the years, touching upon his work with the Tribune to Vogue, and now the Times. The most striking element of the documentary is the contrast between his occupation and personal life, as we see him dine with the finest A list celebrities and yet reside in a tiny one bedroomed apartment in Carnegie Hall which does not have a wardrobe, kitchen or even bathroom.
Known for his trademark bicycle and camera I watched the movie at an exclusive screening at one of London’s trendy bicycle bars ‘Look mum no hands’. Located between Old Street and Barbican station, I have often walked past and thought what a fun and quirky name for a bicycle café, as some our earliest memories of riding a bike goes back to us shouting back to our parents ‘Look mum/dad no hands!’ before we bash into the neighbours hedge. The event was organised by Cycle Love, a site dedicated all that makes cycling great, and celebrating the diversity of cycle culture. Run by designer and photographer James Greig, Cycle Love aims to change the way readers think about cycling in London and urban transport.
The audience was comprised of photographers, fashion bloggers, bike fanatics and it was a fantastically informal evening which brought an array of people with different backgrounds and interests together to laugh and enjoy a great film.
Here is the trailer for the documentary and some pics from the screening, they are the first set of photos since having upgraded from a Sony compact camera to a Nikon SLR, so I hope you see a difference in quality. I highly recommend both the venue and the documentary.
Website: Cyclelove.net
Email: info@cyclelove.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cyclelovehq
Twitter: @CycleLoveHQ
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HERSELF magazine is biannual fashion magazine with a difference: every image (including every single ad for brands such as Gucci, Jil Sander, Givenchy etc) is illustrated. Creative Review talked with their art director to get underneath the skin (or pages) of their most recent publication.
”HERSELF celebrates the staggering power of fashion, the beauty and seasonality of its clothes, the overwhelming status of brands, the never ending fascination with celebrity and icons,” says Thorbjørn Ankerstjerne, the magazine’s art director.
The magazine consists of 248 entirely illustrated pages which allows us to break boundaries of time and space, travelling everywhere. The person behind all the illustrations is Lula and her team, (Lula has no surname in case you were wondering); she is magazine editor and chief and creative director. lula-thesubjectiknowbest.blogspot.co.uk
Last Wednesday I was invited by Stylist Magazine to attend an exclusive readers evening, accompanied by champagne, canapés and 20% of all Folli Follie Jewellery and accessories in store. Having picked out my 80′s vintage dress and 6 inch angle boots, I anticipated a glamourous night at the Folli Follie store and a chance to meet a few people from one of the most popular style and lifestyle magazines in London.
For anyone who is not so familiar with Folli Follie, they are Greek designers and manufacturers of luxury jewellery, watches, sunglasses and handbags. I love their most recent advertising campaign featuring Shanghai model Gaile Lai across all of their branding; giving her different personas “Classic Gaile”, the “Trendy Gaile” and the “Rock Gaile”. I am always excited by their designs, as they are colourful, feminine and fun; plus great for anyone who likes a bit of bling.
My favourite items from the night were the Urban SPIM, and Pyramid watches. I was also quite fond of their Signature edition jewellery.
The Regents Street store was noticeably small on arrival, comfortably accommodating around 20 people at any given time, however, as the night progressed, the store capacity reached over close to 100, and by that time the shop was literally bursting at the seams; and despite being surrounded by fantastic accessories, in one of London’s high end stores, having an over filled venue took a lot away from the experience of the shoppers within the store, as navigating and finding space to look or try something you wanted to buy was quite taxing.
It has always been my impression that Stylist regard their readers extremely highly, and to a great extent I still believe that, however, on this particular event, which was described as being “exclusive to Stylist readers” it did not feel very exclusive at all. Here are my reasons why:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/vouchers/follifollie.co.uk
http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/follifollie.co.uk
http://www.retailmenot.com/view/follifollie.us.com
I also recall attempting to make conversation with one of the Stylist team as I took a break from the overcrowded store floor, and I just don’t think she was all that bothered to make small talk, and turned away at the soonest opportunity. Last month I spent three days with 50,000 young people and their parents for one of our events, but despite however late or tired it was, I always smiled and was Mrs. Enthusiastic, because it’s my job, and moreover, I know how much it means to our visitors for that event.
Laduree macaroons
Twitpic- Benefit foundation...one hue fits all?
I love Stylist Magazine, and I will continue to sing its praises as one of my favourite fashion and lifestyle magazines, and not just because it’s free, but because I find it informative, entertaining and engaging. However, I do think that on this occasion, Stylist underestimated the extent to which their readers value them and expected a more genuine and less commercial level of engagement. It was great to get some free champagne and the goodie bag, but I truly believe that if I had felt comfortable enough to approach the Stylist team for a group picture, or had someone ask me, “how are things, who are you, or how are you finding it?”; it would have accounted for much more than any item of jewellery or glasses of bubbly.
If you look back on over 90% of my blog posts, I am not a “complainer”, but one of the most valuable things about being an independent blogger, is that you are not restricted by the interests of “stakeholders”, and for that reason I feel obliged to tell my readers exactly how it is. Being that I currently work as a client side market researcher, in consumer insight and perceptions, I often keep Roy H Williams quote in the back of my head
“The first step in exceeding your customers expectations is to know those expectations”.
Venue
Folli Follie
124 Regent Street
London
W1B 5SB
Falling slightly behind on my fashion reading list, I am flicking my way though February’s issue of Delux Magazine (The Evening Standard). In this issue there is a fashion feature entitled “Out of Africa”; my eyes were instantly presented with tribal like patterns, and therefore my initial response was one of skepticism. Having celebrated the Launch of Africa fashion Week London last year, and African Fashion Week held in Lagos last month, several African designers are desperate to detach themselves from the stagnant and yet dominant perception of African style and/or African fashion, which typecasts animal print and tribal patterns into a unanimously vague title such as ‘Safari Chic’.
Hannah Pool freelance journalist, and features editor at Arise Magazine, asked in her recent Guardian article whether fashion editors are lazy when looking for new African inspired fashion or whether it is the African designers themselves at fault for not better educating the masses on what African fashion is?
“Are this season’s “African-inspired” collections referencing Ghana or Nigeria? Are they paying homage to what kids were wearing in post-independence Mali in the 1960s, or in modern-day Johannesburg? Is the fabric they have interpreted aso oke, or is it Kente? Are they inspired by the streets of Asmara, or Dakar?
We have no way of knowing, because the designers seldom tell us. They just label it all ‘African’, and by so doing they strip away the chance for people to know more about it.”
The selection of African inspired items in this particular magazine states that ‘it has so much more to offer than plain old safari suiting. Making a tribal dress the foundation of your look and decorate with raffia-trimmed accessories’.
I recall commenting on this topic at the African Fashion Guide book launch last year, stressing that we should open up all the possibilities of what African fashion can be, and let it evolve with not only western influence but Eastern influences and other continents and countries alike. Another member in the audience challenged my remarks and said that we will move too far away from what was traditionally ‘African’, and thus forget our roots.
It is my belief that one of the fundamental ingredients of a successful fashion collection is the ability to take the audience/consumer somewhere new, or the opposite, by conjuring up a deep sense of nostalgia. Therefore I have no doubt that African tribal prints, khaki safari inspired suits and oversized jewellery will always find itself back into the fashion product life cycle. Helen Jennings, the editor of ARISE magazine and the author of New African Fashion, has done a lot to champion African fashion, and sums this issue up succinctly.
“Although some argue that this cherry-picking of so-called African aesthetics is superficial and is somehow robbing or ripping off African fashion designers, I disagree,” she says. “Anything that keeps Africa in style is a good thing and these trends also tend to translate into more work for African models too”
What are you thoughts?
Good evening beautiful people, hope you all had a great weekend.
I certainly did, and as usual it completely flew by. Almost all of Saturday I spent at the Ideal Home Show at London’s Earls Court, it was overwhelmingly busy but very exciting for anyone into interior design, space conservation and generally just hoping to get some design ideas.
So over the next week expect to see the pictures from the show, from the arm chairs I felt in love with by The Velvet Chair Company, to all the stunning show houses.
As you may or may not know, I moved into a two bedroom apartment in January this year, and as my partner and I don’t have children, I put in a request to turn the second room into a walk in closet. Needless to say, the request was denied! (boooooo!) So, instead we compromised and agreed to let the spare room be a walk in ‘shoe’ closet, and office that I can use for my writing, blogging and designing. #FairBargain
Having gone to the Ideal Home Show I felt completely inspired and decided to finally get a move on and design my new work space. I took a trip to TK Max bought some accessories, of which include some graphic zig zag wallpaper by Neisha Crosland for Penny Kennedy London; a Victorian style tray and old style alarm clock. I have some beautiful cards that I bought from Sweet Design Studio, at the Africa Fashion Guide book launch last year, that I have finally put into a thick black frame, giving them the attention they deserve.
Here are a few pictures from a few of the show rooms and a peek at my work space as it stands…baring in mind it’s still under construction!
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I am insatiably in love with this song by indie pop group Fun., featuring Janelle Monae. It will be on repeat until further notice. Here is the official and acoustic version, hopefully you can drive your loved ones mad by over playing the song, which is what I certainly intend to do!
Have a fantastic Friday night y’all.
x
I came across this typewriter necklace created by Vintage Jewellery designer Penelope Porche when browsing through my favourite freestyle blog ‘Go Pantone’.
Penelope’s Porch offers an eclectic selection of Unique, Whimsical and Vintage style handmade jewelry and accessories. Kitchen Baking and Cupcake charm necklaces ,Typewriter Necklace, Oz Ruby Slippers Necklace and lots more.
Check our some of her other items,
I had just added the typewriter in my basket only to see she only ships within the US :-( Oh well, I shall admire it from a far.
This is the amazing work of emerging photographer, designer and entrepreneur Fatou Wurie. Fatou tweeted me a link to her Flickr albums which I found to be so authentic of rural African life and touch upon important issues of education, literacy, poverty, politics and social mobility.
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These are some pictures taken from the album ’60% photography’
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“THE 60% based on Sierra-Leone’s illiteracy rates, which according to World Bank figures, is at 59%. The illiteracy rates we used are based on the percentage of total people ages 15 and above, and although we rely mainly on World Bank figures, other reputable sources such as UNDP Sierra-Leone and UNICEF Sierra-Leone figures vary slightly in illiteracy rates, hence we chose to round the figure to 60%. THE 60% based on Sierra-Leone’s illiteracy rate is a deliberate choice because we come from the belief that poverty is further generated and perpetuated due to lack of proper education. We are also of the belief that in order for development to truly transform the social, economic and political climate, Sierra-Leone needs an educated society. With education comes the freedom to dream, to think independently and to compete with the rest of the globe. This is the philosophy that guides our decision to entitle our photography exhibition based on the country’s illiteracy rates.
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Communities Photographed are spaces of inspiration for us. Some of the photographs depict the average Sierra-Leone on their daily living, others we spent time speaking with and hearing their stories. With their gracious invitations into their homes, we were given first account of their daily reality and privy to their worries, concerns, hopes and dreams.”
http://thefatoublog.blogspot.co.uk
