AFROBLUSH
"Musings of an Afropean" – Afropean culture and lifestyle blog
Posts tagged “fashion”
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Mondo Mix
L’Officiel Brasil, May 2013
Photographer. Andrea Massari
Model: Mariane Calazan
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.”
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B doesn’t waste anytime at all, and being that her Mrs Carter Show World tour kicked off earlier this week, there is no deliberation that she is fully in gear for 2013!
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In the campaign Beyoncé is wearing the key pieces from H&M you need for life in the sun this summer, and what makes these pieces even more interesting is that Beyoncé herself had input into the design.
Why H&M?
“I’ve always liked H&M’s focus on fun and affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements – fire, water, earth and wind. It was a beautiful shoot on a tropical island. It felt more like making a video than a commercial,” says Beyoncé.
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What’s the focus of the campaign?
“H&M’s summer campaign starring Beyoncé is an epic fantasy, with glamour, drama and also a sense of paradise, says Donald Schneider, Creative Director, H&M.
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The campaign images were shot in Nassau in the Bahamas by photographers Inez & Vinoodh, while the commercial was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. I don’t recall seeing the collection in H&M only last week, but I will certainly keep an eye out. Might I add, I hope that the collection will be accommodating for the more curvaceous woman, as we all knew Beyoncé for booty shaking before we knew her for running the world!
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If you’ve already bought your summer bikini and need an excuse for another, here’s a philanthropic reason to check out the collection. The summer campaign features swimwear and beachwear pieces as well as a tie-dye bikini from this summer’s H&M for Water collection, of which, 25% of sales from the H&M for Water collection will be donated to H&M for WaterAid.
If you do happen to get your hands on the collection before I do, tweet me your thoughts and/or leave a comment below!
Last week I had the honour of being called to report on the rise of African fashion for Arise TV (Sky Channel 234), a leading global media network devoted to championing voices of the African diaspora across the globe.
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The topic for discussion was high fashion in Africa, using Tanzanian designer Sheria Ngowi as a case study. The feature celebrated the progression of Africa’s luxury fashion brands, whilst also deliberating over whether Africans living in the continent can in fact afford them.
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Can Africans afford African luxury brands in Africa?
The immediate response to this quandary was yes. There is no denying that several of Africa’s markets are weak, not only because of weak infrastructure in terms of roads and communications but due to the absence of necessary market institutions, such as market information and reliable ways to connect buyers to sellers. Nevertheless, 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.
Out of what I can imagine was nerves, I recalled that roughly 30% of Africans now live in cities, I was being modest! This is in fact, 40%, and is expected to rise to 50% by 2025.
(Ernst & Young (2012) Growing in Africa- Capturing the opportunity for global consumer products businesses)
Promoting aid not trade
Andrew Mwenda, (Managing Editor of Uganda’s Independent news magazine), neatly expressed in his TED Talk (2012) that Africa has immense opportunities that rarely navigate through the web of despair and helplessness that the Western media largely present to its audience. The effect of that presentation is that it appeals to sympathy, pity and something called charity. As a result, the western view of Africa is an economic dilemma framed wrongly.
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I was asked in the interview whether we can expect to see Western fashion houses like Givenchy coming out of Africa. Of course, in fact, this is already happening. Last year I published a blog post on Vivien Westwood’s collection “This is not charity, this is work”. It was quite the double edged sword. At the time it was great exposure for fashion manufactured in Africa, however, in stating that ‘this is not charity’, Africa is once again branded with notions of aid, still guilty by past associations, and further perpetuating pity, rather than incentivising investment.
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African fashion for Africans- The new frontier
Another one to Mwenda, who made me chuckle with one of his latest sentiments “Madonna, Bono and Clooney cannot save Africa, only Africans can”. In parallel to my support for campaigns such as Diesel’s Renzo Rosso, Ali Hewson and Bono’s creation DIESEL+EDUN (you can read my coverage on the collection here), these collections are sourced in and in celebration of Africa’s innovation, they are not targeted to African consumers residing in Africa.
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Sheria Ngowi’s collection entitled ‘Year of the Gentleman’; is made by an African, in Africa, for Africans. The collection excels in quality and style, and Ngowi is joyfully unapologetic that his collection has a price tag to match, as he brags of no shortage of Tanzanian clientele.
Sheria Ngowi, modelling his collection ‘Year Of The Gentleman’
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So with that said, let us encourage opportunities for Africans who are enterprising in the market, to be able to invest and trade with equally enterprising individuals from the western world, only then can you create opportunities of mutual benefit through innovation and private enterprise.
Waiting for the Western markets to set the benchmark for our taste will only strip us of our self-initiative.
It’s a personal choice of mine to source clothes and merchandise from existing and upcoming African creatives, as opposed to waiting for TOPSHOP or H&M’s next ‘tribal’, ‘safari’ or ‘out of Africa’ repeat collections. As Africans we need to tell our own stories, as waiting for the Western markets to set the benchmark for our taste will only strip us of our self-initiative.
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I am not ignorant of Africa’s fundamental weaknesses, but I am more motivated by its opportunities and potential, and the growing enthusiasm from Africans across the globe to reframe the challenges facing Africa; as challenges of dependency and lack, become challenges of opportunity and wealth creation. Especially within the arts as film-makers, novelists, designers, musicians and other artists thrive in a new climate of hope.
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In summary,
Whilst Western communities continue to live beyond their means at the expense of developing nations, Africa is the world’s fastest growing continent, with an economy likely to take the lead over the next five years. With an expanding disposable income, coupled with a middle class that has tripled over the last 30 years, and set to grow by (42%) by 2060. Africa is indeed rising, so please; do not deprive us of our expensive taste!
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All comments welcome, and thanks to Arise TV for a the opportunity to give my two cents. For any further questions feel free to drop me an email afroblush@outlook.com
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Ranjith Kally, African Jazz, 1957, Miriam Makeba with two ladies, courtesy Bailey Seippel Gallery Johannesburg, ©BAHA
This spring The Campaign for wool showcased its most expansive exhibition of wool at London’s stunning Somerset House. With dates recently announced for October, here are some reasons why wool is not only cool (especially when they come in the form of neon sheep), but it has evolved to produce a fabric that has become one of the most effective natural forms of all-weather protection known to man.
http://www.campaignforwool.org/
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A few facts about wool:
1) Breathable- Wool has a large capacity to absorb moisture vapour and sweat next to the skin making it extremely breathable.
2) Multi-climatic- Wool is active, reacting to changes in your body temperature to keep you warm when you’re cold but releasing heat and moisture when you’re hot.
3) Durable- A wool fibre can be bent 20,000 times without breaking and still have the power to recover and return to its natural shape so top quality wool products stay looking good for longer. The natural elasticity of the wool fibre means it stretches with the wearer, but then returns to its natural shape, so there is less chance of garments sagging or losing their shape.
4) Biodegradable- When a natural Merino wool fibre is disposed of it takes only a few years to decompose and can be used to put fertility into soil for crop growing. Most synthetics on the other hand, are extremely slow to degrade.
The Campaign
The Campaign for Wool was a collaborative initiative and is a global community involving farmers, textile manufacturers, carpet makers, fashion & interior designers and artisans from around the world. Stepping into WOOL HOUSE at the stunning West Wing of Somerset House in central London, the house was a beautiful vision of wool as a modern, versatile, lifestyle fibre curated into home furniture, flooring, clothing, accessories and other stunning decorative pieces.
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The Campaign for Wool was curated by Arabella McNie who was determined to show wool as a modern and versatile fibre, inviting leading interior designers to offer their vision in seven individual rooms showing how the design community uses the fibre extensively within their work. Exclusive room sets included work from Donna Wilson, Ashley Hicks, Josephine Ryan, Anne Kyyro Quinn, Mary Fox Linton of Fox Linton Associates and Kit Kemp who featured alongside a huge wool art installation commissioned by the Campaign from the acclaimed Dutch tapestry artist, Claudy Jongstra.
Wool in Fashion
The Campaign has seen to date, WOOL HOUSE also showcased three rooms dedicated to fashion, including a space showcasing fine woven fabrics and live tailoring while two others will celebrate the importance of wool in the fashion industry. It’s often forgotten that wool has dressed people throughout the ages – and throughout time it has also developed into a soft, luxurious fabric that is suitable for any occasion and any climate. The advantages of wool as a fabric are many – it’s warmer in winter but cooler in summer; it holds its shape better than synthetics and it’s longer-lasting. It is also fully biodegradable – a garment made of 100% wool will, at the end of its very long life, biodegrade but synthetics can linger in landfill for years.
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The Campaign for Wool, whose Patron is HRH The Prince of Wales, is funded by the British Wool Marketing Board, the Woolmark Company, Wool Council of New Zealand and other wool organisations across the world including those in South Africa, South America, Norway and the USA.
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Tonight I have the pleasure of dining at The Chop Bar Ghanaian Pop-Up Restaurant; a delicious collaboration between Diesel and Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, held at the Diesel Village concept store, Regent Street.
What better way to spend the evening but to bask in the laid-back vibe and flavour of home-spun, home cooked African food, off set by a private screening of Andrew Dosunmu’s film, Restless City? #thegoodlife
@Diesel_UK #DieselVillage – my spicy suya beef kebabs are hot! just sayin' x—
Zoe's Ghana Kitchen (@GhanaKitchen) March 18, 2013
Feel free to follow me for the night on Twitter at @afroblush, and find more commentary by using the hastags #DieselVillage #ChopBar
This spring I have been all over Diesel, it started as a love affair with their Edun collaboration and the introduction to Studio Africa; and has grown into a respect and appreciation of a brand that runs an amazing series of diverse destinations and understands itself as a lifestyle brand committed to building a great community online and offline. Alongside housing some of the most premium apparel, until April, Diesel Village, based in Regent Street are uncovering new and exciting aspects of their lifestyle brand by joining forces with guest creatives from the worlds of fashion, music, film and art to host a series of experimental events, live demonstrations and exhibitions exclusively for the Diesel Village community. They are vibrant, engaged and innovating, online, offline, in-store and out of store.
Saturday and Sunday saw the Diesel Village LIVE Radio, presenting musical legends and up coming talents from Africa and the West including Africa Express, Bill Brewster, DJ Edu, Shepdog, Soweto Kinch and Todd Hart.
Aj holmes in the house! #dieselvillage radio live #studioafrica sounds
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Make room for DJ edu! Soulful and uplifting vibe here at #dieselvillage #studioafrica radio LIVE
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I am sure you’ll enjoy even more of the Diesel features I will be bringing to you over the next few weeks, and pictures from tonight’s event will be up tomorrow ;-)
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Follow @Seyemusic
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“The DIESEL+EDUN collaboration-
A global loudspeaker for the new African economic and creative paradigm”
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Looking back to 2012, a common hash tag cited on twitter on several events such as Design Africa was #TradeNotAid, a fashionable slogan in its own right adopted decades ago by the United Nations Conference on Trade Development, but one that still sits true to this day, it’s about companies and designers working with Africa, not for it. Which is why I have been excited and inspired by the Diesel+EDUN collaboration.
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Last night was the long awaited Diesel+EDUN collaboration launch party, which was part of a city wide celebration, from Paris to London and Amsterdam to Berlin. The Diesel+EDUN denim collection is born in Africa and inspired by African creativity. Most importantly the collection is sourced and manufactured in Africa with the finest cotton from the continent.
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Using raw, untreated denim, the DIESEL+EDUN collection was built around a reinterpretation of the four-pocket jean of the 1970s popular on the streets of South Africa. Malian textile prints are echoed in the denim lining and across the jersey pieces in the collection. Embroidery details reference traditional Zulu weaving patterns, while the dresses feature Kenyan metalwork. Running through the collection are four original symbols designed to reflect the heart of the DIESEL+EDUN collection. In January 2012, DIESEL founder Renzo Rosso and EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono travelled to Uganda and Mali, where they shared their love of the continent and toured each other’s programs: DIESEL’s Only The Brave Foundation project in Dioro, Mali and EDUN’s Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda. The experience encouraged them to join forces to further apparel trade and development in Africa under the name DIESEL+EDUN.
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Diesel founder Renzo Rosso and EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono have joined forces and produced a collaboration that goes far beyond just fashion. The DIESEL+EDUN collaboration aims to engage a global audience with the passion of its founders to raise awareness of the creative opportunities in Africa and build sustainable trade with the continent through fashion – a global loudspeaker for the new African economic and creative paradigm.
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An in-depth experience trip to Africa last season was the catalyst for them to develop a co-branded, co-designed collection; this project is meant to channel and give visibility to Africa’s incredible creativity – in style, in fabric, in craftsmanship and encourage, as I mentioned above: TRADE and not AID.
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To bring the spirit of the collection to life, DIESEL+EDUN developed the concept of ‘Studio Africa’, described as virtual loudspeaker for a new generation of creative talents from across the continent. The campaign features nine artists in fashion, film, music, literature, and photography; individuals with both talent and a deep commitment to their respective countries and people. Curated and edited by OKAY AFRICA alongside Africa’s most creative, Studio Africa hosts inspirational, forward thinking creative work originating in or inspired by Africa.
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I SEE A DIFFERENT YOU
(I See A Different You are a trio of photographers from Soweto, South Africa with an eye for style and ambition to show their continent in a whole new light.)
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[Left]
YANNICK ILUNGA
(Petite Noir is the recording name of South Africa’s Yannick Ilunga who is championing a new musical movement)
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[Right]
UVIWE MANGWENI
(Uviwe Mangweni is an endlessly curious photojournalist and copywriter from South Africa documenting hidden stories with sensitivity)
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[Left]
ABDELLAH TAIA
(Abdellah Taïa is the first openly gay Moroccan writer and his celebrated books have been translated into several languages)
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[Right]
FLAVIANA MATATA
(Flaviana Matata is an international catwalk model who runs a foundation for the education of orphaned girls in her home country of Tanzania)
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BALOJI
(Baloji is a fiercely original and acclaimed rapper and producer born in DR Congo and raised in Belgium)
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[Left]
LAURENCE CHAUVIN-BUTHAUD
(Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud is a rising menswear designer providing local workers in her birthplace of Côte d’Ivoire with skills and training)
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[Right]
SY ALASSANE
(Sy Alassane is an actor and model from Senegal who played the lead in 2011’s Sundance Film Festival official selection Restless City)
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TANYA MUSHAYI
(Tanya Mushayi is a talented surface pattern designer, stylist and blogger running her own business in Zimbabwe)
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You can follow OK Africa on Tumblr here http://www.okayafrica.com/
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To find out more about the collection follow:
Diesel UK - @Diesel_UK
EDUN- @twEdun
STUDIO AFRICA – @Studio_Africa
Okay Africa- @OKAYAFRICA
“ Bridging the gap between fashion, environment, and our lifestyle choices”
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The consumption of fashion has grown in recent years as prices of clothing have fallen largely due to a spending culture that encourages fast fashion with trends and clothing having an increasingly short life span. This has led to various ethical and environmental concerns within the framework of sustainability. Despite growing concerns being expressed about the future of eco-fashion, there continues to be little awareness of environmental issues related to ‘considerate design’; with self-righteous environmental attitudes rarely translating into action, with very few buying ethical/green fashion.
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Sensing the need for a sustainable platform to celebrate and promote sustainable fashion, Nigerian Born Jennifer Nnamani started the Beau Monde Society as a creative hub for artistic and fashion forward inclined individuals who view fashion not only as a career but as a raw art form. The Beau Monde Society represents designers who have a fashion forward perspective, who then curate fashion shows that are aligned with eco-related fashion, art, and music to address environmental issues through a F.U.N (Fashion Understanding Nature) approach.
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The following shoot was about bridging the gap between fashion, environment, and our lifestyle choices. Shot in Central Park, New York, Beau Monde Society’s features three eco-friendly confirmed designers (Amy DeCew, Jwhite and Tamara Leacock), whose collections I will talk you through entitled ‘Midnight Jungle’.
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www.beaumondesociety.wordpress.com 
Amy DeCew presents The Nomadic Chic
Amy DeCew is a graduate of Parsons the New School for Design and worked at apparel companies in New York City prior to attending the FIT sustainable entrepreneurship program. Motivated by ethical and environmentally-conscious business practices and the growing awareness of sustainability issues, Amy started making her own items through a dynamic group of game-changing people creating new sourcing and manufacturing opportunities.
As an Ethical Fashion Forum Fellowship 500 member, Amy uses her background in both anthropology and clothing design to combine traditional methods with new techniques, creating a fusion of cultural arts and conscious fashion that widens the scope of economic possibility for marginalized communities.
The Look:
Inspired by nature, the nomadic tribe in Africa, and the classic cut, The Nomadic Chic describes a young woman looking for alternative ways to remain trendy but at the same time keeping the environment in mind. This look was completed by a few statement jewellery pieces to bring the earthy tones to the forefront.
• Top up-cycled Tunic & poncho jacket by Amy Decew Designs
• Necklace and Belt by Bunm-I Jewellery
• Bracelet- Stylist’s own
• Below- Models are wearing tunics up-cycled from previously worn garments
• Bracelets by Design by U Jewellery
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Jwhite presents Fabric Harvest
Designer Jwhite pushes boundaries in design by returning and growing within the most authentic methods of screen printing. Her original textile prints are all hand designed and hand screen printed with natural, water-based Eco inks. Experimenting with many forms of fashion as a canvas, these bold designs bring tanks and tunics to life. Most popular this season was her pairing of prints with two tone, dual textured infinity scarves.
Detroit raised and Brooklyn based, Jwhite finds inspiration for her colourful prints in world and life. These concepts take you on a journey though ancient times, cultures near and far, textures within nature and social/Eco consciousness. For the individual who wants to make a statement, show true colours, to inspire and be inspired.
The Look:
The inspiration behind Fabric Harvest is celebrating the beauty of nature through vibrant colours. By placing the scraps of fabric on withered branches, we are reminded the source of these materials. The joy that time of harvest brings and the importance to reconnect with nature.
• Tanks, Scarves, Blue turban and Dress designed by JWhite
• Mustard scarf- Stylist’s own
• Necklace Belt by Bunm-I Jewellery
• Bracelets- Design by U Jewellery
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Tamara Leacock presents Fashion Hacktivist
Tamara Leacock is an artist, activist, ethical fashion writer, who uses fashion design and performance as her media of social expression and outreach. Through her most recent fashion project, ReciclaGEM (or “recycling” in Portuguese), she creates one of a kind works of wearable art clothing and jewellery from recycled clothing donations, renewable fibres, and fair trade grains, inspired by salient political, public health and social themes of regional and global importance.
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The project is named “ReciclaGEM” as an ode to the cultural and environmental art movement of Brazil but also to reflect upon the power re-envision American fashion as a bi-continental, hemispheric, and environmentally conscious movement.
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Tamara has received a dual B.A. in Latin American Studies and International Studies from Yale University, where she created her first socially inspired fashion productions. Currently, she is pursuing an M.A. in Individualized Study with a concentration in “Community Development through the Stewardship of Ethical Fashion Performance and Design” at NYU while training further in sustainable design and haute couture at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
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“Ashley Isham’s AW 2013 collection was a singular wave of fetish.”
Alex Moss and Giorgio Grande, 160grams
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Ashley Isham’s AW 2013 collection couldn’t have been further from what I expected, but in saying that, I’m not complaining, his collection took me somewhere I was excited to go.
The collection was dark, sexy and dominant, as models stomped the catwalk with reconstructed evening-wear leather peplum and opulently embellished maxi dresses. The PVC visors masked over the models faces added to the illusion of anonymity and sadomasochism.
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