BEAUTY AND FASHION - The African Mirror

Sep

17

2020

Maxhosa showcases Spring 2021 collection at NYFW

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO CELEBRATING ten years in the fashion industry, South African label Maxhosa has showcased its upcoming ready to wear Spring 2021 collection for IMG’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW), via a virtual runway show. Participating in NYFW for a third time, the ‘Missoni of Africa’ brand by Laduma Ngxokolo displayed a vibrant collection with the brand’s signature Xhosa-inspired patterns and beadwork on its knits for the men’s and women’s collection. Titled “God’s work is miraculous”, Maxhosa’s latest collection has pieces which do not only cater to the vibrant cosmopolitan fashion enthusiast, but also to the sporty fashion enthusiast, which…

Sep

15

2020

By The African Mirror

Top Italian designer takes on racism in fashion

BEAUTY AND FASHION

SOPHIE DAVIES STELLA Jean, the Haitian-Italian designer who has just announced a boycott of Milan Fashion Week, says she has suffered racism all her life. But it was only when the 41-year-old encountered it in Italy's mainly white fashion industry that she realised just how unwilling people were to talk about it. Now Jean, whose brightly-coloured skirts and dresses are worn by celebrities including Beyonce and Rihanna, says she can no longer remain silent in the face of what she sees as a rise in racially-charged incidents in Italian fashion. The former model, a protege of Giorgio Armani and the…

Sep

11

2020

By The African Mirror

First look at Nike’s new active maternity collection

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO MOST mothers-to-be find it tiring to find, wear and change out of clothing they need to be active while pregnant. Nike has a solution. The company has launched an active gear range that is comfortable for all mothers-to-be when they’re either at working out at the gym, out on the road or working out in the comfort of their homes. This week saw popular active sports brand Nike promote their new collection, titled Nike (M), for sporty moms to be, explaining that the collection aims to “support women during all stages of pregnancy and beyond”. The collection was…

Oct

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19

BEAUTY AND FASHION

SARAH WHITE JAPANESE fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, who created his label in Paris in the 1970s, died on Sunday, the brand that still carries his name said. Aged 81, Takada died of complications linked to COVID-19 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a residential suburb on the western outskirts of the capital, his spokesman told French media. Known for his colourful motifs and original silhouettes, which mixed inspirations from Japan, such as the kimono, with other cuts, Takada also branched into perfumes and skincare lines, helping his business boom. He had retired from his…

Nov

07

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID pandemic disrupts 2021 men’s fashion week schedule

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO COVID-19 has changed every aspect of human life and the 2020 international fashion season is no different. The 2020 fashion season saw the traditional format of physical viewing for fashion week around the globe abandoned in favour of non-contact, digital fashion shows. Famous luxury designers like Hugo Boss, Chanel, Moschino and Louis Vuitton have all had to preview their collections for the 2020 fall/winter season through digital shows that were streamed live either on their websites, or on Instagram and Facebook. Other luxury fashion brands resorted to premiering their seasonal collections on Instagram as visual lookbooks, turning a…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Mexico demands answers over use of indigenous designs

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MEXICO’S culture ministry has questioned French fashion designer Isabel Marant's use of patterns from indigenous Mexican communities, marking the government's latest complaint over high-fashion brands appropriating local styles. Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto. Photo: Tania Victoria According to the ministry, Marant's latest collection, including a long cape with stripes and starburst designs in gray and brown hues, includes elements from the Purepecha people of Mexico's Michoacan state. "I ask you, Ms Isabel Marant, to publicly explain on what grounds you privatize a collective property ... and how its use benefits the creator communities," Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto said in a letter…

Oct

07

2020

By The African Mirror

Rihanna and Savage x Fenty under fire for using Islamic Hadith

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO RIHANNA and her lingerie brand have come under fire on social media by Muslims for her use of a sacred Islamic text in music which was featured in her recent Savage x Fenty fashion show. The Bajan singer recently held the show on October 2 with the new release of her Savage x Fenty collection, which was hailed for continuing to be inclusive with their featured plus size, racially diverse and LGBT+ representation. However, while many were celebrating and hailing the singer’s brand, others - mainly Muslim fans and social media users - called out the singer for…

Oct

19

2020

By The African Mirror

Beyoncé and Adidas to release second IVY PARK collection

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO NINE months after the successful sold-out collection between first-time collaborators Beyoncé’s IVY PARK and Adidas, the two brands are returning with a sophomore collaboration for the spring/summer season. The German athletic brand announced last year that they and Beyoncé’s IVY PARK label would be joining forces to create a sneaker range that many feel would arguably be the biggest sneaker signing since Kanye announced and dropped his Yeezy range with Adidas. Beyoncé’s collaboration with Adidas was undoubtedly a success with her first solar orange/maroon-themed collection selling out in the beginning of 2020, after being on sale for no…

Oct

15

2020

By The African Mirror

Polyester from pollution? Fashion’s next generation goes green

BEAUTY AND FASHION

THIN LEI WIN FROM using custom-made, biodegradable fabrics and 'living' clothes that photosynthesize to polyester created from planet-warming carbon dioxide, European start-ups are on a quest to transform one of the world's most polluting industries: fashion. The business is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined during the pre-pandemic period, said the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). A sizable chunk of fashion's emissions - up to 40% - comes from the manufacture of polyester, the most-used fabric, said Benoit Illy, co-founder and CEO of French start-up Fairbrics. "If we can bring emissions from…

Oct

23

2020

By The African Mirror

Naomi Campbell is tired of the angry black woman trope

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO ONE of the world’s biggest supermodels returns to grace the cover of American Vogue after an absence of two decades, speaking on her strong background, her outspoken nature being seen as angry, and her efforts in increasing the visibility in fashion for black people. Naomi Campbell makes an appearance as the cover star of the November issue in a white Dior Haute Couture Dress, making it her first with the American version of the magazine after her last cover shoot in 1993. Naomi Campbell’s Vogue cover by Ethan James Green. Picture: Instagram/naomi Described on the cover as a…