The basket bag wave is still ongoing and we can say this is the 3rd season this trend is popping up so it’s safe to say the trend is going nowhere. As new collections pop up without fail, new DESIGNS and creation emerges in the ‘Apere’ (basket) culture. A new brand of Apere bags have surfaced thanks to this vibrant collection.
Designed by ethical fashion brand ÉKÉTÉ, we believe we’ve gotten to the right Apere bag shopping destination. The brand uses uses locally grown natural fibres combined with a well prodced leather to create beautiful Apere (basket) bags. Extremely Skilled artisans make the bags by hand and they come in different variations and shapes.
ÉKÉTÉ which means basket in the Igbo language is must certainly so much more than its literal meaning, it is a representation of the beauty and strength of a woman and the bond thats she shares with the people in her life. The brand prides itself on its modern take on an age-old traditional craftsmanship.
According to the statement following the release:
Baskets are malleable, intricately woven into different forms, shapes, and sizes whilst possessing a lasting staying power, these same qualities apply to women of all ages and race.
Our debut Spring/Summer’18 collection was inspired by our love for fashion, culture, and travel, and the burning desire to always carry a piece of home with us wherever we go. These summer bags are fun and colourful, as they are the perfect accessories for vacations, getaways to the beach and all your favourite summer activities. They also work perfectly to compliment your everyday style all year round.
Launch of Darling Runway Kenya, an annual platform about the business of Fashion COUTURE Africa magazine in partnership with Ajuma Ltd will be hosting a one-of-a-kind fashion experience on the 6th and 7th of April at the Two Rivers Mall and Sankara hotel dubbed Darling Runway Kenya.
COUTURE Africa magazine founder, Olive Gachara says that Darling Runway Kenya shall be an annual event specifically focused on the Business of Fashion. It brings together key industry players; 16 showcasing fashion designers, the creative community, and talent such as bloggers, photographers, writers, journalists, and stylists as well as a troop of 75 models and a fleet of Black| make-up artists and hairstylists. Designed to be more than a visually memorable affair.
Darling Runway Kenya draws industry thinkers for a cross-section of intense workshops and conferences open to the public on Friday the 6th of April at the Two Rivers Mall Expo Hall. This will culminate in the ultimate roundtable that will include highly-acclaimed South African designer Thula Sindi, beauty, hair, and fashion professionals and will be moderated by COUTURE Africa’s Managing Editor and award-winning fashion journalist Carol Odero at Sankara Hotel prior to the official event launch at the same location.
Saturday 7th April will see 7 fashion shows take place every hour-on-the-hour at various locations around Two Rivers Mall and event title sponsor, Darling Kenya – East Africa’s Leading Hair Brand – will launch a collection of their latest trends, a compelling live look book created by their top partner hairstylists on the runway. This will be simultaneously done on the same runway models as they showcase the fashion designers. Worth an estimated KES 25 billion, the local hair market is home to 150,000 salons and growing. Darling has a salon partnership program that currently reaches over 20,000 salons across Kenya.
“The Kenyan consumer is becoming more fashion aware and hair is a fundamental part of this awareness. She demands quality hair products and accessories that keep her on the cutting edge of fashion. She has big dreams and is clear that her hair plays a huge role in helping her achieve these dreams. Darling has become the go-to partner for this stylish woman and fuels her passion and aspirations. This means leading the conversation on fashion hence the need to be part of the premier of East Africa’s Home of Fashion,” said Victoria Kieti-Chesire, Head of Marketing, Dry Hair, Godrej Kenya.
To help realize this vision is Ajuma Ltd., founded and run by Kenya’s first supermodel Ajuma Nasenyana. “What made me come on board was my good relationship with COUTURE Africa magazine. They are outstanding when it comes to pushing fashion in Kenya.
We all know models outside of fashion capitals pretty much struggle when it comes to making modeling a lucrative career. Ajuma Ltd. is constantly scouting and doing our absolute best to push potential high fashion models through to international platforms.” Ajuma’s scouting led her to the Kakuma Refugee Camp where she discovered two gems who will come to Nairobi and strut on the Darling Runway Kenya catwalks.
Darling Runway Kenya shall bring the already vibrant Two Rivers Mall to an all-new high, with a Darling Mobile Salon, Black|Up Make-up Booth, COUTURE Africa Magazine custom covers, Pop-Up Stores by the 16 Designers, Mini Casting Sessions by Ajuma Ltd, select backstage access all wrapped up with a Fashion Party. This is an Open Access event with VIP priority parking within the mall and exclusive VIP seating at the runway shows.
Content Courtesy Of Darling Kenya, Couture Africa Magazine, Ajuma Limited & Nairobi Fashion Hub
What Is a Brand At its core, your brand is what consumers know about you. This is established by your image, your products and your reputation.
What does your brand look like? What typefaces and design choices have you made? How do those things make people feel? What story are you telling? Can your customers relate to that or see themselves as being somehow a part of that story? What products do you offer? Are they high quality? Convenient? Unique? What is different about them? What do people say about you? If someone is a customer of your brand, what does that say about them?
A mature brand communicates instant understanding. A developing brand helps consumers understand who ‘you’ are in relation to what ‘they’ need. A poorly developed brand feels disconnected from its customers, disjointed, lacking definition.
Branding is mostly intangible. It primarily exists within the philosophical orientation of a company, and within the minds of consumers. However, branding produces real world results:
Good branding helps customers make key buying decisions. Good branding tells customers what they will get. Good branding makes people feel safe. Good branding builds trusting relationships founded on honesty, authenticity and genuine understanding.
odAOMO Seductress at Sunset Fall 2018 Runway Show went down at the tribe hotel village market the show started exactly at 5:00 pm east African time, event was graced by who is who in Kenyan fashion sector , great performance from America Pop idol and Odaomo creative director Quentin Alexander who left guest wanting more and more, fashion show was held at the poolside spectacular view with African set up.
Luxury Design for Global Citizen Luxury line for modern women’s wear with a timeless and cross-cultural aesthetic ,Odaomo company is based on the principle of “giving back” and supports improved social and economic conditions here in Kenya Creates exclusive and collectible statement pieces for global citizens, utilizes sustainably sourced materials to handcraft leather goods, Ready-to-Wear and jewelry in limited seasonal collectionsat the same time preserves the art of quality craftsmanship and community development through the fair-wage employment of local Kenyan artisans Odaomo produces regular fashion shows and events to foster a transcultural, stylish and philanthropic community, offers private shopping and personal styling services to clients Knowledgeable team of passionate professionals committed to providing the highest standard of products and services
History ( Odaomo Background ) Established in 2014. As you may know, in Africa, given names have significant meaning. Children are named after a great ancestor, a significant birth trait, a time, season, or an event. The designer’s name, Aomo, not only talks of ” a time of harvest” , but is also after the great matriarch Aomo. Her grandmother was tall, strong, entrepreneurial, and left a legacy carried by many female grandchildren. The house of Aomo (od AOMO in Luo, her tribal language) was indeed the beginning of it all. We welcome you to odAOMO, “House of Aomo”.
Hubert de Givenchy, the aristocratic French fashion designer whose understated style represented a golden age of elegance, has died aged 91. Givenchy dressed Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy and is famous for the “little black dress”. He died at the Renaissance chateau near Paris that he shared with his partner and fellow designer Philippe Venet.
At 6ft 6in tall, Givenchy, whose full name was Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy, was a giant of the fashion world in every sense.He created on- and off-screen wardrobes for Hepburn for films including Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Funny Face. His enduring muse, Hepburn inspired Givenchy’s first perfume, l’Interdit, and is credited with the designer’s subsequent success and popularity in the US. Givenchy, who learned his trade from another fashion master, Cristóbal Balenciaga, produced restrained designs of what admirers called an “extreme elegance” that became his trademark. His creations were eagerly awaited and sought out by the titled and wealthy in the 1950s and 60s, including Princess Grace of Monaco and Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.
The fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has been criticised by environmentalists after reportedly chopping down several old oak and poplar trees for his Chanel catwalk show. Campaigners said the grand couturier’s attempt to present Chanel’s green credentials had badly backfired and revealed the fashion house was “completely divorced from the reality of protecting nature”.
Chanel Fashion Show, Ready To Wear Collection Fall Winter 2018 in Paris
Lagerfeld turned the vast glass nave of Paris’s Grand Palais into an autumn forest for the event, strewing dead leaves, moss and logs on a mirrored runway and installed nine tall trees inside.
Guests, including the British actor Keira Knightley, the singer Lily Allen, and the former French first lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy, were installed on rows of wooden benches to watch the models walking down what appeared to be woodland paths.
Margaux Wong, based in Burundi, East Africa, is an innovative design hub where artisans have been transforming discarded cow horn and brass into luxurious, beautiful wearable art since the brand launched in 2001.
The brand’s artisans are the center and essence of Margaux Wong, and they continually strive to create objects of beauty. Founder and Creative Director Margaux Rusita, originally from Guyana, South America, draws inspiration from her homeland and home-continent.
Having lived and worked in Burundi for the last 10 years, she pulls from the turmoil and victories that come with being an artist in the country.
All Margaux Wong designs are hand-made and each piece is unique due to the special quality of the cow horn.
The brand emphasizes the value and the natural beauty of the horn and does not add dyes, paints or varnish to their merchandise.
Each piece is hand polished to the finest finish using tedious traditional techniques.
Constantly working to produce the most prized artisan jewellery from the finest cow horn in the region, Margaux Wong prides itself on its sustainable and eco-friendly practices.
Anok Yai has become the first black model to open a runway show for Prada since Naomi Campbell did so more than two decades ago in 1997. The 19-year-old only discovered that she had been chosen to open the show for the Italian fashion house at Milan Fashion Week about an hour before she was due to grace the catwalk.
Anok Yai is an Egyptian-born American fashion model of South Sudanese descent. She is the second black model to open a Prada show after Naomi Campbell, and the first South Sudanese model to do so. Yai currently ranks as one of the “Top 50” models by models.com
Anok Yai at Prada Show 2018
She showcased pieces from Prada’s autumn/winter 2018 collection, only a few months after being scouted for her modelling potential at a college party.
“It was an honour and I’m proud that I was the one chosen to open, but this is bigger than me,” Yai told Vogue. “Me opening for one of the top fashion houses is a statement to the world – especially for black women – that their beauty is something that deserves to be celebrated.”
Moyo By BiBi is a Kenya Luxury accessories Brand (company) founded by Bibi Ahmed accessory designer based in UK London with Kenyan roots,all her accessories are handcrafted at the island and Village by selected artisans from Kenya
Moyo By BiBi was founded by Bibi. The brand is Inspired by the Maasai, Samburu tribes, Kenyan culture and tradition. “Moyo” which means “heart” in Kiswahili the main language spoken in Kenya. All accessories have been handcrafted by native Kenyan men and women at the village using tradition method, making sure they have put effort in every little detail to give you a true statement piece, and long lasting accessories.
Her first collection of accessories was launched in march 2016
Moyo By BiBi accessories are unique, versatile and vibrant. One of the reasons why Moyo By BiBi accessories are so unique is because men and women can wear, each piece has a story to it. Using a range of materials such as real leather, maasai beads, pipe beads and glass crystals. The art of the bead work is out of this world.
“Be bold and vibrant with African inspired jewellery”
Whats it take to become a successful fashion designer? its simple follow this step you may excel in some areas but need work in others. Don’t let that discourage you. Enroll in a fashion institute or take classes at a two- or four-year college to brush up on the skills you have and develop the ones you need to be a fashion designer, young and aspiring fashion designer should follow this tip.
Africa Fashion Design
1. Highly Creative & Artistic Are you known for being artistic? Do you have a unique sense of personal style or appreciate the fine arts, music and dance? An innate sense of creativity is extremely important in the fashion world. Together, artistry and imagination can give you the instincts necessary to turn raw materials into a beautiful finished product.
2. Strong Drawing Skills Do you like to draw? If so, that’s good news because you’re going to need this skill as you pursue being a fashion designer. Strong drawing skills are a must in fashion, as designers need to be able to take a concept and get it down on paper. If you’re lacking in this area, you can take classes to practice drawing ball gowns, dresses, pants or whichever garments you envision yourself designing.
3. Good Eye for Detail Fashion designers need not only the ability to draw but also a good eye for detail. For example, how do you envision the pleats falling on a skirt or a blouse cinching at the waist? What about ruching, ruffles or embroidery? It is often the detail that makes a product unique, so this skill cannot be overlooked, even if you’re great at visualizing and drawing.
Who is Deepa Dosaja? She is one of the Africa’s top designer her couture collection was for the first time showcased at the New York Fashion Week, Studio 450 New York. With her distinctive designs, Deepa Dosaja, has firmly established her name in Kenya and has clientele across the globe.
One of Deepa Dosaja Collection
Deepa Dosaja, one of Kenya’s leading designers, was recently selected to represent Kenya at the inaugural Commonwealth Fashion Exchange that was launched recently in London. Her look was exhibited at Buckingham Palace, during London Fashion Week, on February 19/2018 and ended yesterday 20th February 2018
Deepa Dosaja Background Deepa Dosaja was born in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1977 her family relocated to Montreal, Canada, where she was to spend her childhood. It is whilst growing up in Montreal that Deepa realised her creative instincts.
On completing high school Deepa enrolled into La Salle College, Montreal from where she received a Diploma in Fashion Design. During this period Deepa also worked at a small exclusive boutique Filly and Colt (www.fillyandcolt.com/). This opportunity proved invaluable to her for the knowledge gained in various aspects of fashion.
In the early 1990’s Deepa relocated back to Kenya with an eye to launching her Fashion career. At the time the Fashion scene in Kenya was slowly ebbing into a reality. Her first assignment was Merchandising Manager or Hardcore Clothing Company a highly successful manufacturer and retailer. Deepa ventured into her own business in 1991 and primarily engaged in Haute Couture for a client base that was growing in numbers. The year 2000 saw the creation of her own distinct label and flagship company Vabene Couture. The label was elemental in bringing a stylish upscale facet to the then burgeoning Kenyan fashion scene, changing the perception of what Kenyan fashion really means among style conscious consumers.
Founded by Oguana Okonkwo in 2012, Style Temple is a millennial womenswear brand that caters to upwardly mobile, globally curious women.
Recognized for its signature sophisticated textiles, silhouettes, and cuts, Style Temple delivers well-structured, contemporary garments with impeccable tailoring and fit.
After debuting their SS’17 collection at Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012, VOGUE Italia wrote about the buzzy premiere:
“Presented in a chic and contemporary manner, it’s accessible to the independent young woman who frees herself to stylishly embrace all that she is.” Marie Claire South Africa calls the brand “a celebration of African design fused with international trends and influences,” and as Style Temple continues to grow, Okonkwo proves time and again that her designs are a means for self-expression for the women who wear them.
