And now, for some fashion advice

You will not believe the number of times I’m seized with the urge to walk up to total strangers and offer to help them (for free!) out of their fashion disasters.

Since I now have a "voice", instead of accosting random people on a daily basis, I figured I’d let it all out here!

A lot of us (myself, definitely included!) love our food more than we love the gym so........love handles are inevitable. BUT, they can be camouflaged!!!

Firstly get yourself trousers that fit right. Get a nice wide waistband that’ll skim over those love handles and keep everything in place. Hipsters are not your friend, low-rise is the enemy!!

Make sure they are the right length. If you’re over 18, stepping on your trousers isn’t cool. Find a tailor to get them to just the right length if, like me, the fit in the hip translates to about 4 inches excess length!!

Secondly, get clothes in the right fabric. Why would you want to wear something clingy and unforgiving that highlights all those lumps and bumps in your silhouette that you know you don’t like? Stick to fabrics that glide over you instead of attempting to become a second skin.

Be appropriate at all times. Seriously, a cocktail event is just that. It is not ok to rock up in jeans. I don’t care if they’re skinnier than your average runway model and paired with a $4,000 top (yes, people wear tops that cost that much apparently!). You are still wearing jeans to my cocktail event and I DO NOT LIKE IT!!!! Similarly, meeting the prospective parents in law and family for the first time in a cleavage baring, figure hugging, smaller than your average handkerchief type dress is also a no-no. As is wearing a bikini top and shorts to go grocery shopping. I know this is Africa, but that doesn’t make it right!!

Please be nice to the makeup. I think I could write a whole book about makeup gone wrong. I accept that it is sometimes hard to find the colour palette that exactly matches our skin tone. For instance my skin has a yellow undertone while a lot of products for black people have a reddish base but with persistence I found the right products and you can too. Please do not wear makeup that is wrong for you just because it was available!

This is in danger of degenerating into a mega rant so I’ll quit while I’m still being helpful.

Later!

Afrawear.com

Something I said in my last post got me thinking about what a huge role social media and social networking play in today’s world. 

Of particular interest to me was how the business of fashion has been impacted, if at all, by this sweeping phenomenon. 

In case you’re wondering what the difference is, briefly put, social media is where your message is transmitted via the web to a broader audience whereas social networking takes it a step further with actual engagement and creation of communities.

Moving on!

Playing an active part in this social experience is now de rigueur for today’s savvy designers and retailers considering how much time we all spend on the internet.

It’s a great way to keep people constantly updated about trends, general information and also to get feedback on your target market’s thoughts and ideas.

My girls at Afrawear.com store have taken this well on board.

They have an online store to make it easier for you to view and buy products, a Facebook page where you become part of their community, a Twitter account that keeps you constantly updated and a blog to keep you informed on all things fashion and African....quadruple threat alert!!

It’s about time I introduced them to you. 

So what or who is Afrawear.com?

The driving force behind Afrawear.com is two IT Consultants from a firm called Prompt IT Services ( I know, you’re probably thinking geek chic!) with a shared love and passion for Africa.

Afrawear.com was the love-child of that passion for Africa blended with their technical expertise.

As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, it’s an online store focusing on African wear. But it’s also much more than that. The idea behind the store is that it acts as a platform to showcase everything that is beautiful, diverse, fashionable and rich about Africa and her varied cultures. Afrawear.com aims to inspire and teach not only through fashion but through history, music and social experiences as well.

The store aspires to provide African-Americans the world over with a portal of knowledge into their African heritage as well as the means to express that heritage through dress.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the store also works closely with companies that are working to create sustainability within Africa.

So if you’re not already part of the family, then please join them online at Afrawear.com or on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll be glad you did!

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty woman wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to fit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

That, of course, is the first verse of Maya Angelou’s timeless poem entitled Phenomenal Woman.

I thought it would be nice to do a post on the women that wear the fashion. 

Who is today’s African woman?  Here’s a snapshot of a few I know. 

There’s Jay, the single mum raising her son. She’s a gifted chef but works as an editor full time while she runs a catering business on the side. Nothing gets this girl down. She’s as close to superwoman as you’re likely to see.

There’s Em, the married socialite. Her hubby owns half of town and she can have everything she wants.....except her freedom. She doesn’t go anywhere without her bodyguard. A beautiful girl in a gilded cage.

There’s Dee, the budding entrepreneur trying to get her various businesses (because she’s not content with just one!) off the ground while studying part time. She’s Ms.Hustler and doesn’t take no for an answer.

There’s Kay, good job, great husband, wonderful kids and the best friend you could ever ask for. Nothing is too much trouble for this girl. She puts the rest of us to shame!

You might not personally know these women, but you know someone like them or you are them. 

What does fashion mean to them or to you? Where does it rank on your list of priorities? 

Personally, when I look good, I feel good so fashion helps keep me on an even keel. I’m addicted to Twitter and Facebook and love the fact that I can get my fashion fix from there as well since I’m constantly on the go. Since so much of my work revolves around the web, I also love the fact that I can shop online. 

If that sounds like you too, then you’ll love this page on Facebook, these updates from Twitter and this online store.

Random rant

If you haven’t heard of Vlisco, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen their fabrics at least once! 

They are the leading manufacturers of African print material and have been since 1846. 

So why am I writing about it? 

Because they’re not African! 

That’s right, they’re Dutch (well actually, originally Dutch but owned by a private equity firm with headquarters in London). Go figure!

I don’t know about you, but I personally think it’s a little weird when leading “African” lights aren’t actually African!

African fashion is making it big on runways and other places both regionally and internationally. 

A case in point is the Beyonce and Alicia Keys video for “Put it in a love song” (what do you mean you haven’t seen the stills from it?!). In case you’re wondering, the clothes in that video were designed by African American Maya Lake, founder of Boxing Kitten. 

What I’m now wondering is how many African designers are also profiting from this global trend? I suspect the answer is not too many.

Then there are the calls by some quarters for a Vogue Africa magazine. 

What is that about? 

Are we of the view that our designers are not getting sufficient exposure? That our designs aren’t good enough to make it into the “real” Vogue and so we should have almost an affirmative action mag done for us? Or that we’ll only feel we’re really designers when that category of media says so?

I get the distinct feeling that we’ve almost reached a point where we (and by we I mean African designers) are seeking validation from a cross-section of society that isn’t our intended audience anyway!

I’m one of those people who believe if you’re good enough, you can make it to the top regardless of the obstacles. 

But maybe I’m just lucky not to have come across many insurmountable obstacles. I’m also not an insider to the international fashion industry so my opinion is hardly informed.

What I am glad about, though, is that there are now more fora for talented African designers to showcase their talent (see a previous post on fashion shows in Africa).

My final question is – are these designers being exposed to the people who really care, that is, the people who’ll ultimately buy their designs?

Rant over.........for now!!

Watching African fashion evolve

Basically I want your views on whether or not the evolution of African fashion is a good thing. 

I have a lovely cousin who also happens to be a designer. 

Lately, she’s received a lot of requests for “modern traditional wear”.

We were having a discussion about it and trying to figure out what exactly the term means. We figured it must mean traditional wear with a contemporary twist.

So, how do you purists feel about that? Should African fashion be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern runway or should it stay firmly in the realm of “traditional”? And isn’t the term “modern traditional” an oxymoron?

My view on it is this:

Nobody designs in a vacuum and nobody wants to be irrelevant. I figure, therefore, that ultimately all designers want their clothes to be worn by as many people as possible. My other assumption is that all African designers take pride in their African heritage and would love, where possible, to showcase it (and if they don’t, I want to know why not!).

Following that thought process, to be categorised as a successful designer of African fashion, you’d have to have designs that the majority of people want to wear.

Now I know we’ve had this discussion in an earlier post as to why not enough people wear African wear and this came out as one of the main deterrents – it’s just not modern enough.

My very well meaning mother when I was pregnant gave me an African outfit to wear. 

Knowing me as she did, she must have assumed that pregnancy had addled my brain as I ordinarily wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit like that (due to my pregnant doll like proportions that I have also alluded to earlier!). 

Turns out she was right and my brain had turned to mush, I wore it on several occasions and now cringe whenever I see pictures of myself during that period! 

If the design had been more contemporary though, I’d have worn it with pride (yes, that was the whole point of this paragraph!)

So come on, what are your thoughts and opinions? Share with me please. 

Oh, and head on down to the Afrawear store to get yourself something African, be it modern or traditional!