I want to do African fashion too!

This particular post is inspired by a very good friend of mine who accused me recently of being exclusionist.  She says my blog writes about African fashions for Africans or people of African descent.

She’s Norwegian, gorgeously blonde and says having lived in Africa for 10 years, she can rock African chic as well as the next black girl (my words, not hers!)

So what do you think? Do you have strong views on African fashion being worn by non-Africans?

I was ready to get all huffy about it till I stopped to think, maybe she’s right. Am I (and others like me) guilty of reverse racism (which she kindly called exclusionism!) by thinking that we own the right to design and wear African fashions?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Anyway, the idea is this: today’s post is all about how you can be Afrofabulous whether you’re black, green, orange, white or purple!

(Quick tangent: my little boy refers to his friends as either pink or brown – also includes dark and light brown LOL! Aren’t kids on point?!)

So, here are some thoughts, ideas and tips: 

1.       Start small – if you rock up at my garden party in a full on bubu and gele you will attract some strange looks! I’ll love you for trying but we probably need to take it down a notch!

2.       Identify what it is about African fashion that rocks your boat - is it the fit of the clothes, the vibrant colours, the cultural statement?

3.       When you’ve identified what you like about it, see how you can make it relevant to you. For example, if it’s culture that you’re fascinated by, then maybe what you really want is to pick up a language or learn how to cook the local cuisine. Something inspired by Africa that resonates with you.

4.       Own it! I have another friend who’s Italian (and not black) who has the most beautiful collection of African jewellery. She has specific tastes and all her pieces speak to each other. She can wear a simple sleeveless tee and jeans but when she puts on that jewellery – bam! Full diva mode!

So there you have it. A few of my ideas that you can take and do with as you please.  Take a look in my favourite online store – they’ve got some beautiful Afrocentric clothes that we can all wear and look great in!