Christie Brown Ghana: New Collection 'Xutra'

Ghanaian luxury brand Christie Brown's collection 'Xutra' for Fall/Winter 2012 is another eye-catcher. I really like this label from designer Aisha Obuobi. The cuts are elegant and the pieces always stand out. The collection wants to portray that fashion can be "multi-dimensional, yet wearable". My favorites are the geometric print dress at the bottom as well as the black dress with the fabric lines that almost seem draped on top of it.

How do you like the Xutra designs? Any favorites?

Find out more:

http://www.christiebrownonline.com/lookbook.html

Afro/Afri-Mania

Picture from afrodesiacworldwide

Afro-this and Afri-that: recently I came across a lot of new "Afro"-word creations in the fashion universe. Afrolicious, Afrofabulous, Afrizion, Aficlectic, Afropunk, Afrofashionista, Afro-what? As I feel the list must be endless and I probably haven't heard it all, I wanted to ask you guys for some new word creations.

Anything Afro- that I am missing on my list? I would love to hear it!!

Brooklyn Fashion Week{end}: A melting pot of talent

Pic from past BK Fashion Week{end}

As I am living and blogging in Brooklyn (BK), I also want to shed some light on what is happening in this great and eclectic neighborhood of NYC. BK Fashion Week(end) takes place from September 27 – 30, 2012 and will be showcasing emerging designers from around the world in Brooklyn. APiF asked the organizers a couple of questions.

APiF: What is BK Fashion Week{end} and who is behind it?

BKFW: BK Fashion Week{end} (BKFW) is presented by the 501c3 non-profit organization Brooklyn Style Foundation (BSF). BKFW has emerged as one of the leading fashion events showcasing the talent of aspiring designers across the globe. Attendees include a diverse spectrum of socially conscious, influential, fashion-forward men and women.

APiF: What is the objective?

BKFW: Established in 2006, The Brooklyn Style Foundation (BSF) has devoted each season of BKFW to support charitable organizations including The Abner Louima Foundation, MTV Staying Alive Foundation and the Japan Society.

BSF lends a voice to issues including human rights, HIV/AIDS awareness, community development and leadership training. In 2007 we established a partnership with the William H. Maxwell High School in the disadvantaged East New York section of Brooklyn. The following year, BSF started Stitch for Success to help low income individuals earn income from fashion-related fields, which has grew into an internship and job training program in 2011.

APiF: Why does NY need another Fashion Week?

BKFW: We feel the need to support emerging national and international designers and the talent in the Borough of Brooklyn. Brooklyn is a melting pot of talent. Most designers don't have the opportunity to showcase their brand in a professional setting outside of NY Fashion Week, we are here to fill the gap and showcase amazing talent.

APiF: Who can apply and when is the deadline?
BKFW: We encourage all designers to apply, the deadline is August 30th or until we fill all the slots.

APiF: Which BK designer(s) count to your favorites and why?

BKFW: We have several known and less known designers, and we are also proud of all the small boutiques and shops in Brooklyn. The designers from our past events are posted on our website and they are all favorites. For the event in September we have 2 designers who already completed all the requirements: Melissa Squire (left) and Abiosé Massaquoi (top). 

 

Designer Application:

 http://bkfashionweekend.com/designers/application/

Boxing Kitten: Fall/Winter 2012

Geometric prints and bold colors in blue and purple are dominating the Fall/Winter collection from Boxing Kitten. These designs will light up any day in autumn and I kind of can see myself wearing every single outfit. My favorite is the print of the jacket as well as the Mabel Dress below. How about you?

"Timeless instead of Trendy": Interview with Nigerian label House38

APiF: Please introduce your business and your designs.

House 38: We, D and S, design House 38 - a contemporary women's wear label. We are focused on easy-to-wear clothing that flatters the feminine curves.

APiF: What inspires you?
House 38: We are really inspired by our friends and family. We spend a lot of time talking to the women in our lives to know what they desire in their closets, and we try to fill in the gap.

APiF: If your label would be a person, what kind of person would it be?

House 38: A really confident woman who is unafraid of being timeless instead of trendy.

APiF: Sisters and Business Partners - a blessing or a curse?

House 38: It is definitely a blessing, because we are mindful of our relationship as sisters ahead of our relationship as business partners. We are able to catch each other and celebrate each other because of the sisterly bond between us.

APiF: Fashion Finds: What is your favorite piece in your closet or of your collection and why?

S: My favorite piece in my closet has to be my owl necklaces. I got them before owl motifs were trendy.

D: My current favorite piece is a matte leather box clutch from DOT, a Nigerian bag designer.

APiF: How do you market your designs and how do you make them accessible to a global audience?

House 38: We are currently focusing on creating a global network by developing our in-house e-commerce channel as well as working with stockists.

APiF: Any tips for new designers/start-ups in the fashion industry?

House 38: As a new fashion designer, it is important to have passion for what you are doing. There are days that we run just on passion. When all else seems to be failing, we remember the love we have for what we do.

Find out more:
w: http://house38.tumblr.com/
f: https://www.facebook.com/House38
s: www.MalakhandSco.com

From Beach to Bar: What to wear?!

Bracelets
Teen Girls' Clothes

I was at Long Beach (Long Island, NY) with the girls yesterday. Love Long Beach, the sand is so clean and it almost feels like being on holiday. After chilling the whole day at the beach, we kind of wanted to go out for drinks. But we knew that once we would go home to change, the likelihood of ending lazy on the couch would be 99%. That made me think about the best transition outfit that would enable us to go straight from the beach to a bar or a restaurant. Dresses seem to be best as they don't add too much weight to the beach bag. We ended up going to KIF in Brooklyn in our sandy beach outfits. Next time we will be prepared.

Bags with a Conscience: Furaha

Furaha is committed to empower women in Uganda and change their lives. With the "Weave out poverty" initiative they are trying to impact women's lives by promoting and supporting basket weaving skills.The idea is to offer women a source of employment and income. Besides helping a good cause, these bags are gorgeous! I also like the photography a lot - especially the market pic.

Some of these bags can be purchased here:

http://www.ethicalmuse.com/site/shop-for-good

Like Furaha on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KikapubyFurahaB

Nneka for Minku Bags

Nigerian-German singer Nneka, who's music I love, is showcasing the new collection from Minku Bags. 

Minku is a Nigerian leather goods company that creates beautiful hand-made bags. Their claim is: "hand-made leather goods for a happier life". That usually works for me, as every additional bag puts automatically a smile on my face.

The AW 2012 collection is called Folklorist Reloaded. And here comes their explanation: "The power of folklorists to unveil old ways and help us imagine new possibilities through their colorful folktales." I actually like that and it is quite fitting to have singer and songwriter Nneka showcase this collection, as she does the same through her powerful and beautiful songs.

Find out more:

w: http://minkudesign.com/

f: https://www.facebook.com/NnekaWorld

f: https://www.facebook.com/minkudesign

Africa Fashion Week NY (AFWNY) - Day 2: My Highlights

Vanessa Mukasa Collection

All Pics by Candace Bell

Ill La La Designs Collection

All Pics by Candace Bell

Vanessa Mukasa (Uganda) and Ill La La Designs (working with artisans in Ghana, Rwanda and other African countries) were my favorite designers showing on Friday at AFWNY. The dresses from Vanessa Mukasa and one of her jackets made me jump out of my seat. I hope she will start selling her creations online soon, as I would look fabulous in them. The prints that Ill La La Designs used were stunning. I love it if prints stand out due to their uniqueness, not just because they are bold.


I would be very interested to hear which design you like best!

Snapshots: Africa Fashion Week NY (AFWNY) - Day 3

AFWNY drew an eclectic and interesting crowd. I met a lot of great, creative and interesting people. Below are some more style snapshots. 
What is your favorite outfit?

Great outfits all three of them, right?

Right: Designer Kibonen Nfi.

Left: Make-up Artist/Hairstylist Etta Young. Right: Moi.

Africa Fashion Week NY (AFWNY) - Day 1: My Highlights

I wanted to share some of the collections from the AFWNY show on Thursday the 12th that I liked best. Let me know your thoughts - which look do YOU like?

MAFI - Ethopia

The designs were like a summer breeze - flowy, in light colors and thin materials.

Kibonen NY -Cameroon

I am absolutely in love with her designs. This was my favorite of the day.

The designs are stylish and present prints elegantly mixed in with other textiles. The oversize print clutches were great add-ons. I need some of her designs in my life and closet!

Hennaflower - USA

Fresh and happy summer dresses. The collection mixed African Prints with other textiles like jeans, which gave the designs an overall young look. The cut of the skirts and dresses looked as if they will put a spring in everyone's step.

Mesanga Fashion House - Cameroon

Turquoise was the dominant color of this collection. I liked the print shorts best - surprisingly, as I am usually not into shorts at all - but they were just sexy and cool. I wasn't overall in love with this collection, probably the repetition of the same color and print kind of tired my eyes, but I wanted to share it anyhow.

All Pics by Andrew Adlam

Snapshots: Africa Fashion Week NYC 2012 - Day 1+2

Day one and two of Africa Fashion Week NY are already over. The designs and the atmosphere were inspiring and just amazing. I will post some pics of the designer collections I liked best in the next days. Below you can already find some snapshots of the audience, who was equally inspiring, consisting of designers, bloggers, stylists, journalists, buyers - you name it. I apologize upfront that I don't have all the names from the displayed fashionistas and fashionistos below.

In the middle: Designer Farai Simoyi

Far right: Moi in dress from  Rafiki Clothier, heels from Rachel Roy and jacket from Zara.

Left: Joshua Kissi from Street  Etiquette; Right: Moi and designer Vanessa Mukasa

Middle: Designer - Eldenna Designs