LIFESTYLE - The African Mirror

Jul

22

2020

Rich Mnisi and Karabo Poppy release everyday capsule collection

BEAUTY AND FASHION

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER TWO of South Africa’s world-class creatives have collaborated and produced a stunning collection during the COVID-19 lockdown. Designer Richard Mnisi and illustrator Karabo Poppy Moletsane have released a capsule collection. Titled “Running Errands”, the collection was officially released on July 20th and features a number of casual clothing pieces featuring signature illustrations by Moletsane as well as some of Mnisi’s signature clothing items, such as his scarf. Both Mnisi and Moletsane wanted fashion-lovers to see their first errand-wear capsule collection as a combination of different artistic styles intersecting multiple identities just as complex as South Africa’s diverse…

Jul

21

2020

By The African Mirror

Rapper Nicki Minaj expecting her first child

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER TRINIDADIAN rapper Nicki Minaj is expecting her first child. Minaj announced her pregnancy on Instagram. She is expecting her first child with her husband Kenneth Petty. The ‘Yikes’ singer posted four pictures of herself cradling her expectant belly taken by American photographer Dave LaChapelle, with the first caption written “#Preggers”, while wearing a two-piece with a jewelled bra and cradling her prominent baby bump. https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3ffwbDEM5/ In her second post, Minaj wore the same bra and wrote: “Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement and gratitude. Thank you for all the well wishes”. Minaj married Kenneth Petty, a…

Jul

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Fashion from waste

BEAUTY AND FASHION

ELLEN WULFHORST UNLIKE some designers, Daniel Silverstein doesn't mind when others freely copy his style. In fact, the designer of fashion from scraps and fabric remnants welcomes imitators. "The more people that do this, the more we see a solution," the New York-based designer told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "My job is to keep innovating and pushing forward and creating new things for people to rip off." Silverstein, whose fashion company is Zero Waste Daniel, creates clothing from bits and bolts of leftover cloth, with an eye to using, reusing and recycling all that he can. From a storefront studio…

Aug

01

2020

By The African Mirror

Snazzy face mask fashion reaches Nairobi neighbourhood

BEAUTY AND FASHION

THOMAS MUKOYA MOST of us have accepted COVID-19 face masks as an inconvenient, albeit necessary, safety measure. For the style-conscious like James Maina Mwangi, however, they are an unmissable fashion opportunity. Mwangi's brightly coloured suits and hats made him stand out even on the busy streets of Nairobi's Umoja neighbourhood, where nobody ever seems to sleep. Since the pandemic hit and Kenya made face masks mandatory, his outfits have become even more eye-catching. This week, the 59-year-old jack of all trades modelled his collection of face masks for Reuters. "Men knew how to wear clothes in black, brown, grey or…

Aug

09

2020

By The African Mirror

Black designers lead push for a more diverse fashion industry

BEAUTY AND FASHION

THIN LEI WIN and NELLIE PEYTON BRITISH-BORN Ghanaian designer Samata Pattinson taught herself to sew, launched her own label before the age of 30 and now runs an initiative showcasing sustainable fashion on the Oscars red carpet. She has found success in a cut-throat industry, but has never been allowed to forget her differences as a Black woman surrounded by mostly white executives, designers and models. "You feel like you're in the room, and then there's another VIP room and you can't get into that one," Pattinson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview. "There's pressure because you're…

Aug

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Footballer who tackled poverty stars in British Vogue’s Black ‘hope’ issue

BEAUTY AND FASHION

DARNELL CHRISTIE FOOTBALLER Marcus Rashford, whose campaigning pushed the government to change policy on free school meals, has won further recognition for his poverty-fighting efforts - starring on the cover of a British Vogue edition celebrating Black leaders. The Manchester United and England forward appears alongside fashion model and mental health campaigner Adwoa Aboah on the cover of September's magazine, which features them and other activists including leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. Rashford and Aboah were photographed by Misan Harriman, who became the first Black man to photograph the cover image in the iconic magazine's 104-year history. Rashford,…

Aug

04

2020

By The African Mirror

Black is King: A modern love story of black identity

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO BLACK is King, Beyonce’s much anticipated visual album which features a high number of Africans, is out to much acclaim and some criticism. Folajomi Akinmurele as Simba. Picture: Youtube On the evening of 1 August 2020, fans across the world saw the premiere of the long-awaited visual accompaniment of ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ - an audio album curated and produced by Beyoncé and popular black and brown voices all made into a 1 hour 30-minute long film titled “Black is King”. The late Mary Twala. Picture: Twitter Viewers on the streaming network Disney+ or on DSTV were…

Aug

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Somizi strips naked

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER IDOLS presenter, TV star and mega influencer Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung nearly brought social media platforms down when a video of him stripping naked on the Idols set went viral. Mhlongo-Motaung, a popular host on the M-net talent show, lost a bet and disrobed in front of his colleagues, cameras and ran across the Cape Town audition hall, to the amazement and the excitement of Idols contestants and fans. The streak was greeted with screams, whistles and huge laughs. His fans on social Twitter loved the moment and the enjoyment it provided. Some even suggested that he should consider…

Aug

12

2020

By The African Mirror

British music stars resurrect Rock Against Racism

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

EMMA BATHA MORE than 700 figures from Britain's music world, including pop star Rita Ora, One Direction singer Niall Horan and producer Nile Rodgers, united to "wipe out racism" declaring "silence is not an option" in response to discrimination and abuse. The pledge made in a letter published in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper comes four decades after British musicians banded together for Rock Against Racism - a cultural movement that emerged in 1976 in response to rising xenophobia. The letter comes amid a growing global movement to tackle racism following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police…

Aug

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Africa’s comic artists tell powerful stories in unique online exhibition

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ZEENAT HANSROD Follow THE work of 16 comic artists from seven African nations is showcased in an online-only exhibition, Afropolitan Comics. The French initiative, which germinated in South Africa, aims to show “what Africans can do”, the curators say.ADVERTISING Afropolitan Comics is part of the Africa 2020 project and regroups comic authors from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria. ‘Afropolitan’ is an amalgam of the words 'Africa' and 'cosmopolitan' in a reminder of the modernity and diversity that exists across the African continent. “We wanted to break away from the clichés and stereotypes about Africans. Also, inform people that comic authors in Africa do not…