fashion - The African Mirror

May

28

2024

Building an African fashion brand: The uncomfortable journey of a Cameroonian fashion designer

BEAUTY AND FASHION, MULTIMEDIA

IN one corner of a busy fashion house in Douala, Cameroon, designer Augustine Mabiama is in the middle of a photo shoot, using a makeshift photo studio equipped with an 18-inch light ring and a smartphone on a stand. Showcasing a whole range of outfits of different styles and colours, Mabiama checks the lighting quality of the images. Making a few adjustments to the clothes in preparation for the next shot, she walks back in front of the camera, poses for a moment, and then walks back around the light ring to check the image. This is all part of…

Sep

27

2023

By OWEN KONZOLO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

The Kenyan entrepreneur turning fish waste into fashion

BEAUTY AND FASHION

WALKING along the shores of Lake Victoria in his home town of Kisumu, Newton Owino, a chemist, witnessed vast quantities of fish waste dumped by the fishing industry. So, in 2012, he took a leap of faith and established a business. "Every day, tonnes of fish skins were discarded and treated as waste. I saw an opportunity to turn this waste into something valuable and environmentally friendly. That's when I decided to explore the possibilities of fish leather,” the entrepreneur explained. Owino is the holder of a Bachelor of Science in Leather Chemistry from Pantnagar University, India. He also worked…

Mar

20

2021

By The African Mirror

First transgender model of colour poses for Sports Illustrated

BEAUTY AND FASHION

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER HER name is Leyna Bloom and she has made history. As March continues to celebrate International Women’s Month, Leyna Bloom made history as a cover star for Sports Illustrated magazine, set to be released in July, making her the first transgender model of colour to do so. Bloom, a South Chicago native, told The New York Times that one of her biggest goals as a rising model was to be seen, not just for her curves or her looks, but to be seen as a someone who was as deserving to be featured in a magazine as…

Jul

22

2020

By The African Mirror

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

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…

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…

Sep

15

2021

By The African Mirror

MET Gala 2021 presents: the dazzling and the bland

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO AFTER a year break due to the covid-19 pandemic, the MET Gala, society’s most anticipated social fashion event of the year, returned to New York’s Metropolitan Museum with one of their most ambiguous themes yet - ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion Part 1’. The 2021 edition of the gala evening was met with a mixture of haute dressed-to-the-nines; social-cultural movement themes; old Hollywood glamour. There were reimaginings of iconic American imagery, old Hollywood glamour and reimaginings of iconic American imagery like the Wild West. There were also risque barely-there looks; underwhelming and absent faces with whom fans…

Sep

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Taking jewellery up-market

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MANDY KANYEMBA AN MBA is not needed to become a jeweller. But it may prove useful. When Bridget Mudota left her office job in 2019 to venture into jewellery design, the reaction was considerable. Here was a highly qualified individual with a Masters in Business Administration, "giving it all up" to venture into a trade that in many parts of Africa is associated with handicrafts and roadside stalls. However, Mudota was determined. She wanted something else from life. “The beauty of this art is that it is therapeutic as it takes one’s mind away from the worries of life and…

Jul

22

2021

By The African Mirror

Megan Thee Stallion brings hot girl summer to Sports Illustrated

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO MEGAN Thee Stallion has brought her famous ‘Hot Girl Summer’ energy as the cover star for Sports Illustrated (SI). The Texan rapper was unveiled as one of the cover stars for the annual SI Swimsuit issue, along with transgender model Leyna Bloom and Tennis champion Naomi Osaka. All three women appearing on the cover is a historic feat, with Osaka as the first female black athlete; Haitian and Japanese woman; Bloom being the first transgender model of colour, and Megan Thee Stallion being the first rapper. Previous cover stars of the swimsuit issue include Beyonce, model Tyra Banks,…