Congolese designer, Adriana Talansi’s dream became reality in 2014 when she launched her first collection “Simple and Sublime” in Angola. She remains inspiring young ladies in her home country to follow their dreams especially in the fashion world by breaking barriers most designers in Congo have not dared to. Her fashion house TALANSI has become a fast rising fashion brand in Congo Talansi L.R. Adriana she is the Creative Director of Talansi Fashion House she will showcase her “Identity” Collection at AFWN2018.
Some of Talansi Adriana Collection
What inspired your fashion journey? Adriana Talansi: Fashion and fashion design have always been in me since I was very young around 9 years old I think I realized my first fashion drawings
What has been your challenge as a designer in Africa? Adriana Talansi: Trying to change the vision of people who are used to traditional cuts and make them discover African Haute Couture.
Claire Albert is a high-end women’s couture clothing brand that was established by Zimbabwean designer Tanaka, who has always had a passion for fashion and bringing up the industry in her country. The label custom designs and tailor makes women’s garments for all occasions and ensures that every woman looks elegant, sophisticated and sexy, these being the main values of Claire Albert.
What inspired your fashion journey? Claire Albert: I have always wanted to be a Fashion designer since i was a young girl and my desire for elegant apparel led me to creating a clothing label that focuses on designs that are elegant and sophisticated while staying Fashion forward.
What has been your challenge as a designer in Africa? Claire Albert: My first creation was inspired by Indian Fashion. Colorful images with gold accessories excited me to design a red and gold gown which I called the Claire Albert because it spoke everything that i wanted my brand to be, elegance, sophistication and edge.
We got the opportunity to have exclusive Fashion Interview with Michelle Arowoshola from Nigeria she will be among top designer who will showcase their brand during Africa Fashion week Nigeria.
Local by Michelle Arowoshola is an innovative high-end/high street brand for both male and females, the clothing styles have elements of sportswear, some tailoring and are mostly ready to wear pieces, the print on the fabric makes it unique in style because of the originality of the design which is designed in house, The styles also reflect black culture within the UK and Nigeria and aims to encourage people from all ethnic backgrounds to embrace their culture and to see culture as something to be valued and celebrated in addition fashionable.
Its founder, Michelle Arowoshola’s love for fashion spanned from her interest in art and textiles..
What inspired your fashion journey?
Michelle Arowoshola: My fashion journey was inspired by my interest for art throughout the years this interest had filtered into a broader interest for design both graphic, textiles, and 3D art, which finally developed into a focus on fashion design.
Officially, it’s the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit, a black-tie extravaganza held the first Monday in May to raise money for the Costume Institute (a.k.a. the fashion department).
Unofficially, the night’s festivities have been called many things, including “the party of the year,” “the Oscars of the East Coast” (mostly because of the star quotient and the elaborate red carpet, where guests pose on the grand entrance stairs to the museum) and, somewhat pointedly, “an A.T.M. for the Met,” the last by the publicist Paul Wilmot.
The party signals the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual blockbuster show, and it is known for its celebrity and fashion hosts. This year the exhibition is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” and the hosts are Anna Wintour (the magical manipulative Wizard of Oz for this particular event), Rihanna (who has a starring role in the coming Met Gala heist movie, “Ocean’s 8”), Donatella Versace (because her brother Gianni had a thing about Catholic iconography) and Amal Clooney (because … well, who doesn’t want to stand in a receiving line with Amal Clooney?).
Stephen A. Schwarzman, a founder of Blackstone, and his wife, Christine, are honorary chairs. They are the first people to name-sponsor a fashion exhibition since 1997. That’s a big deal. It’s also big money.
Content Courtesy Of New York Time & Nairobi Fashion Hub
Best Dress celebrites at the met gala 2018 Considering the dress code of the 2018 Met Gala was “Sunday best,” celebrating a Catholicism-themed exhibit, Monday night’s celebrity-packed red carpet could’ve gone wrong in a million ways. Yet, for all the sacrilegious naked dresses or culturally inappropriate couture that the event’s A-list attendees could’ve worn to the event, the majority of this year’s Met Gala looks hit the mark, making for a revelatory night of saintly fashion. From Lena Waithe’s instantly-iconic LGBTQ flag cape to the many angels, popes and renaissance artworks that walked the carpet, these were the best fashions of the 2018 Met Gala.
Rihanna Rih has always been a Met Gala show-stopper, and considering Anna Wintour tapped her as one of the celebrity hosts of this year’s event, her look was bound to be a success. And it was, with the singer opting for a Margiela-designed papal crown and cape.
Lena Waithe With a suit and cape by Carolina Herrera, Waithe re-imagined the night’s theme as a way to celebrate a community that hasn’t historically been recognized by the church, a fashion choice both cheekily transgressive and triumphant. Plus, it was a look that Vogue icon and cape enthusiast André Leon Talley had to love.
Lilifeys’ Fashion is a female haute/ready to wear fashion brand founded in Lagos, Nigeria. The brand achieves her aesthetics by a seamless fusion of African cultural heritage and Western culture to appeal to a global market. Founded by Lilian Ifeyinwa Ndukwu, the brand name is a combination of her names.
What inspired your fashion journey? Lilifeys Fashion: My early childhood passion for my baby doll dresses and the curiosity on how to make such tiny little dresses really influenced and triggered my fashion journey.
Tell us more about the brand Lilifeys’ Fashion: We aim to seasonally roll out collections and designs that are carefully crafted with detailed finishing that fits all types of feminine silhouettes using bold African prints, colours and good textured fabrics to make every LILIFEYS’ woman look like a queen. The Brand’s pieces reflect elegance, style, royalty, and comfort for the stylish, trendy and confident woman. Our core value is detailed attention to fabric selection, perfection, quality and fitting. We target educated, female urban high profile clients, who wants to be stylish, trendy, and comfortable, with a feel of royalty irrespective of their body shapes.
Bushai Weave is a fashion label in Ghana that creates well-tailored addressing the style needs of the Afro gentlemen. Bushai weave has already made his mark as one of Ghana’s leading men’s wear fashion labels The label founded by Shaibu Abdullah intends to give the public authentic clothing, homemade fabrics and quality finishing touches.
What inspired your fashion journey? Bushai Weave: My journey was inspired by my joy and passion of seeing people wearing African wear. Tell us more about the brand Bushai Weave: We are an African brand located in Accra-Ghana that specializes in making unique and authentic outfits diligently crafted with handmade weave designs to suit the afrogentleman. We are working hard to make bushaiweave a successfully known fashion brand with its unique weave style across the globe What was your first ever fashion creation, what inspired it? Did you like it? Bushai Weave: Yes, the excitement of audience during my showcasing inspired me to do more and the love to see people wear something uniquely African hence the weave style
Erenti was established out of the aspiration to discover a distinctive approach to showcase African class and elegance through modern, urban apparel and accessories. With a strong appreciation of African authenticity and rawness, Erenti pursues to merge culture and contemporary designs to make its brand truly noticeable on a global platform.
What inspired your fashion journey? Erenti: After I started to realize how much deeper the pride of appearance, I fell in love with the masterpieces of clothing. The result of architecture and design, inspiration and dedication, individual vision and collaborative effort the fabrics that determined our daily directions and told the stories of our personalities.
Tell us about the aims and targets of the brand Erenti: We aim to establish ourselves in the Men’s African Fashion industry both Lagos and London, earn market share and be more memorable. We are currently working on improving our brand image, recognition and to enhance engagement with ambassadors We hope to build strong networking ties in Lagos and London.
What was your first ever fashion creation, what inspired it? Did you like it? Erenti: Most of my inspiration and reincarnation are motivated by Amancio Ortega Gaona owner of Zara I was instantly captivated by the way he made Zara truly his own. His clothes are more than just basic coloured polos and shirts. I have read most of Zara magazines and used them as inspiration to create my first menswear native piece which was a dark green with a slim fit feel. I cut out pictures and visualized pieces that I would actually bring to life.
Kenya fashion designer Kawira Mirero has done it again she made this butterfly dress for Yemi Alade for her concert in London duded O2 Islington Academy concert music meet fashion African celebrities are now embracing home made attire from Africa, fashion is now transcending borders and beyond its no longer an individual work but more of team work, Yemi Alade’s fashion statement is nothing short of a great collaboration fashion meets music for her music concert tour across Africa and Europe ( O2 Islington Academy concert ) she performed in a white and black butterfly dress designed by Kenyan Fashion designer Kawira Mirero from Mambo Pambo.
All Mambo Pambo designs are proudly designed and made in Kenya. Mambo Pambo Fashion House was Founded by Kawira Mirero, the brand’s vision is to change the way people view and experience locally made clothes by offering high-quality, beautifully crafted and well-fitting Afro-inspired apparel, designed and proudly made in Kenya,Mambo Pambo continually experimenting with new ways to fashion clothes that reflect each client’s unique personality, interests and lifestyle. Every Mambo Pambo Fashion garments are designed and crafted in their studio and workshop inspired by Africa and nature.
Yemi Alade keeps breaking boundaries for African music at large! Case point her “Black Magic Tour” which will see the praised performer visit countless cities across Europe, Africa and the United States of America. The tour stopped at London over the weekend; as the diva sold out the O2 Academy Islington and delivered a memorable set giving fans a magical experience. The historic concert saw jaw dropping performances from Yemi Alade and her raved Ova Sabi band, Dil and more. English hip-hop star Lady Leshurr was also in attendance.
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.
