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AFROBLUSH
"Musings of an Afropean" – Afropean culture and lifestyle blog
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‘Accessing the Mainstream’- An evening of discussion on Africa’s influence in fashion and design
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Soboye Pop Up Boutique “an aesthetic playground of inspiration for lovers of African design”
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Menswear for Women- Adrien Sauvage AW12
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H&M Fashion Against AIDS collection SS12
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Christian Louboutin live talk @designmuseum thanks to @Grazia_Live
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Sundance Film Festival comes to London; #LUV written and produced by Sheldon Candis
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New African Fashion
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Style excellence with age : Seth Cohen – Advanced Style
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MY ASHO store opening- Notting Hill @my_asho
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Vogue dolls
London has a personality and style of its own- from grand to edgy, modern to heritage and urban to shabby chic.
It’s impossible to define the vast, sprawling, living, breathing entity that is London city, but there is an unmistaken essence that can be identified through the radar of places it hosts. from shops, street markets, corner pubs, local restaurants and my recent favourite…
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…pop-up restaurants.
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Pop up restaurants have increased in popularity across the city, with their fluidity, exclusivity and intimate settings, coupled with an element of punk rebellion. Typically only available for a few nights, weeks or months, these nifty eateries provide a fantastic platform for visionary chefs and entrepreneurs to gain exposure and build a following alongside aspiring or professional chefs in a free-range fashion.
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Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
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Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen is a perfect example of a pop up restaurant that share’s London’s diversity, eccentricity, quirkiness and independence of spirit. The temporary dinning event and catering services merges its Ghanaian roots with a contemporary dining experience, that I would co-sign in saying is home spun, home cooked, always fun, relaxed and always tasty!
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“Born from creating a ‘pop-up’ Ghanaian restaurant in her live/workspace in Hackney Wick
in the summer of 2011 as part of Hackney Wicked Arts Festival,
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen has grown with popular demand.”
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Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen held its most recent event ‘Ghana goes Sky High with Platterform’ at London’s Sky Rooms. The event held every Thursday offers a three course meal, served overlooking the Thames. On the menu for the evening was:
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Starter
Red Red with Kelewele (v)
Slow cooked black eye beans in palm oil with sweet fried plantain in ginger and chilli
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Mains
‘Nkatenkwan’
Peanut Butter Stew w / lamb, yams and sweet fried plantain
(veggie option available)
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Grilled Tilapia
Delicate fish marinated in fresh ginger and garlic, gently spiced, served with rice and sautéed peppers and onions
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Kenkey w/Kentumere
Maize dough dumpling served in a corn husk with a spicy sardine, kale & tomato sauce and Shito hot chilli sauce on the side
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Dessert
Chin Chin Banofee Pie
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The food was as promised, tasty and bountiful! I said to Zoe on the evening, that I couldn’t remember when I last had tilapia that was as good as my mum cooks it. Regrettably, I still feel that London lacks good mid-range African restaurants, and having visited a few, I have yet to come across another African dining experience that is equally priced providing well cooked food in a creative, modern and authentic way.
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So with that said, well done and many thanks to the ZGK team, I had a fantastic time!
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Fancy a taste? Get Tasty next Friday 24th May @London’s Pipdish, Islington!
Book here
http://www.edibleexperiences.com/p/539054/Zoes-Ghana-Kitchen/42002/ZGKs-PopUp-Challenge-event
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Menu
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This week the shadow business secretary of UK’s Labour Party; Chuka Umunna, is to leading a joint LCCI and UKTI North West trade mission to Nigeria and Ghana.
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Taking place between 13th-17th of May, the LLCI is London’s largest and most representative business organisation, with members ranging in size from multi-national companies to SMEs and sole traders; and coinciding with UKTI’s export week, designed to help businesses export. It was a fitting time to discuss how the UK can go forward in developing business partnerships in a range of emerging markets, with West Africa being one of them.
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“The primary message I want to give to the business community, Government and everybody in Lagos and beyond, is that the UK is speaking in one voice when it says that it wants to be part of Nigeria’s growth agenda.” Chuka Umunna
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In my recent post discussing the growth of Africa’s luxury fashion industry, I described that at 6%, Africa’s GDP growth rate has surpassed that of Asia – making it the world’s fastest-growing continent and a promising target for emerging-market investors, accompanied by a burgeoning middle class with a rising disposable income. Therefore it was encouraging to hear Chuka Umunna warn ministers against the over concentration on bigger emerging BRIC economies, therefore missing trade opportunities in Africa.
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Related blog post: Talking African luxury brands with AriseTV
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“As Europe’s economies struggle to see any growth the IMF expects Nigeria’s economy to grow by 7% next year alone,” he added. “The Nigerian middle class is growing fast. With it is coming rapid growth in demand for consumer goods. The export opportunities for British firms are vast and growing.”
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Umunna identified Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique and Ethiopia as four of the biggest growth markets in sub-Saharan Africa, none of which currently feature in the top 30 destinations for UK exports. Moreover, Government figures show that in 2012, only five African countries featured in the top 50 list of markets for UK exported goods – South Africa (22), Nigeria (34), Senegal (40), Egypt (41) and Morocco (46).
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In the first decade of this century, China’s trade with Nigeria increased by a phenomenal 800%, and I’m not surprised that Britain is beginning to feel left out of the fun.
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However, in more informal settings I’ve discussed with friends and peers that China’s relationship has been more transactional, unlike that of Britain, where a history of exploitation and dominance has set the tone for business relationships. With the threat of Britain falling behind what has been described as the ‘energetic approach of the Chinese’, I am interested to see how trade between Africa and Britain, will take shape under this shifting paradigm, and if and/or how Africa will exercise its bargaining power under its shifting position.
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“Let’s take it back to the old school
Let’s take it to Union Square,
Let’s take it back to the LQ,
and wave your hands like you just don’t care”
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A Tribe Called Quest was/is probably my favorite hiphop group of all time. Threw a quick mix of my favorite ATCQ hits I had in my collection. Most are Tribe’s songs and few select song “featuring” either ATCQ or members of the ATCQ.
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Mondo Mix
L’Officiel Brasil, May 2013
Photographer. Andrea Massari
Model: Mariane Calazan
Even though the sun has only just made an appearance, it’s still spring, and with summer approaching now is the time ditch winter warmers and embrace a fresh look. I am starting off my spring beauty posts by introducing Birchbox. One of few good beauty boxes I know of, and who are redefining the retail process by offering consumers a unique and personalised way to discover, learn about, and shop the best beauty, grooming, and lifestyle products on the market.
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How does it work?
Each month subscribers sign up to a beauty box, which includes a range of products tried and tested by the Birchbox team. The box includes sourced samples from both well-known brands and emerging gems that include everything from skincare to makeup, as well as fun non-beauty extras.
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You can read more here www. Birchbox.co.uk
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Inside my April Birchbox, I received an all-natural cleanser plus a cute mirror for touch-ups on the go. Plus,the well appraised Weleda Skin Food, Mirenesse glossy lipstick, Natio form cleanser and the gorgeously scented La Société Parisienne de Savons soap.
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Weleda Skin Food
“Weleda’s unique ethos and company philosophy is based on the motto ‘In harmany with nature and the human being’, promoting ecological and social responsibility. We only use natural raw ingredients in our products as we believe everything you need to ensure wellbeing can be found in nature.”
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From the time I instagramed the contents of my Birchbox, received several praises in support of the Weleda Skin Food! It’s infused with organic sunflower seed oil, a protective ingredient that’s rich in fatty acids, as well as the soothing, super- nourishing extracts of calendula, chamomile, pansy, and rosemary. The essential oils of sweet orange and lavender also leave behind a lovely scent.
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The correct application is to gently pat it onto the face to avoid tugging the skin and smooth it over the rest of the body; to maximise hydration, do so while the skin is still damp. Note that this cream is ultra-rich—a little goes a long way.
£6.90
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Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Quick Kiss
I really like this smart little pen by Mirenesse. Great if you’re looking for a matt high pigmented look. So far I’ve found it’s perfect for adding a bit of oomph over a base lip application. The twist up stick contains a gorgeous sheer, and is perfect for on-the-go touch ups!
£17.50
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Natio Renew Radiance Foam Cleanser
With its plant-based, gender-neutral skincare range, Natio must be one of our favourite discoveries from Down Under. Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, this lightly scented cleanser removes dirt, makeup, and excess oil while helping to ward off damaging free radicals and brighten the complexion.
£9.20
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La Société Parisienne de Savons soap
A gorgeous set of scented soaps in a refined box from Paris
http://www.lasocieteparisiennedesavons.com/
£35.00
To find out more follow Birchbok on twitter @BirchboxUK
Founded in 2010 by Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud, LAURENCEAIRLINE is a menswear label and conscious project based between Abidjan and Paris. Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud is also one of the talents of Studio Africa, celebrating and promoting creativity in Africa.
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http://www.laurenceairline.com/brand.htm
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LaurenceAirline brings together a path between cultures drawing contemporary timeless basic silhouettes with deep African roots. Re-imagining the African continent’s cultural inheritance in a way that fashion and ethnic cultures can successfully collaborate to create possibilities for the future is the driving force behind LaurenceAirline. The entire line is made in accordance with conscious and sustainable manufacturing practices in LaurenceAirline’s workshop in Ivory Coast, where local people are trained to produce high quality garments following international standard. Valuing bold aesthetics and sustainable development, the label merges creativity coming from Africa with the sophisticated standards of modern societal way of life. In that frame, worldwide sold LaurenceAirline’s collections help build Africa’s modern reality into the international fashion scene.
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COLLECTION SS13
… and what is Koutoukou?
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With typical panache, LaurenceAirline has named her third collection after a tropical drink from the Ivory Coast, Koutoukou.
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LaurenceAirline has also, once again, created marvellous pieces out of Wax Cotton. This season it’s festooned with fan patterns, baroque Moroccan frescoes and Japanese etchings . These two exquisite fabrics come together in an explosion of complementary hues. She plays with the contrasts and connections between the textures, setting off the sheen of the Bazin against the cotton poplins and colourful matt wax prints. Added to the mix are the perfectly mastered subtleties of LaurenceAirline, such as the vintage style yokes with a dog wallpaper pattern sewn into the shirts and the cornelian embroidery details which embellish the ‘Face’ shirt. The designer hasn’t forgotten her little nod to women’s wear and over-sized shirts with multi-coloured cut-outs complete the collection. These are accompanied by a selection of high-waisted shorts and cigarette trousers, available in block coloured Bazin and printed Wax. Combining artisanal techniques with contemporary shapes, this third springtime collection is imbued with a variety of favourite motifs. With a fresh, nonchalant and urban silhouette this is ready-to-wear for the zeitgeist man.
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Click on an image to scroll through the gallery
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From her workshop base in Abidjan, the Laurenceairline collection is now entirely manufactured by local workers that Laurence has trained up.
“I think about Africa and I see people that have a lot of talent but they don’t have the opportunity to learn properly some stuff and I also came from the same background. I came to Africa and I just knew a few things but for them it’s amazing things and I really feel that what I know can help. I really feel that altogether we make something good. That makes me feel alive and makes me feel that I would love to continue.”.
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What’s your…
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BIGGEST INSPIRATION?
“I am inspired by people living in their clothes rather than a constructed fashion influence. It is the attitude and spirit that an individual gives a garment through the way that they wear it.”
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DREAM CREATIVE PROJECT?
“Create a cultural centre where people from different backgrounds and with different skills can come together to exchange ideas.”
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COTE D’IVOIRE’S BEST-KEPT SECRET?
“Man is a village in the north of the Cote d’Ivoire that is definitely worth a visit. There is a beautiful tradition in handcraft and the town is in the middle of the forest, with a magical story, incredible waterfalls and mountains.”
