Zimbabwe Fashion Week veteran Jose Rui Lopes from Angola never disappoints with his runway offerings, and this year was no different. This 2014 ZFW collection featured slim-cut harem-style pants tapered at the ankle in African print fabrics. Midriff-baring wrap-and-tie tops kept it sexy and were the perfect proportional balance to a bottom half with impact.
Many among us we have pondered at one time or another: is it a good idea
to wear African prints at work? This is not unusual question to ask as, despite
the rise of African fashion market, some still think that the bold colours of
wax fabric or kente might not be suitable for a work environment. Here are a few facts that might change your
mind.
Africa, this beautiful continent, mother of civilisations awakes. Not that she fell asleep on her own will, no, but through a drowsiness induced by the morphines and sedatives of slavery, colonisation and organised miseducation. Now, here she wakes up in full force, shaking the centuries of indoctrination that were intended to make her forget her greatness. And she lets her black natural hair glitter in the morning sun.
Today, aware of her heritage, and without anger, Africa proclaims Afrocentrism as a new way for her children to reach globalisation, Afrocentrism as an arrow pointing at the rainbow sky shown by her ancestors, the likes of Nelson Mandela, now gone to Pemba, a new way for African cultures to shine again.
African fashion designers don't lack heart. on the contrary, they have loads of desire to be useful to their local community.
We have recently heard of a charity campaign promoted by Nigerian designer Oluwatobi Abisola, famous and revered creator of Prima Rouge, the classy label that brings African Fashion to stratospheric levels. The brand has been growing internationaly with customers in the 5 continents. Alongside the engagement from Tobi Martins to developping an ethnic fashion using african fabric, Tobi Martins is deeply involved into the empowering women in Africa.
The Real Woman Foundation
Beauty for Ashed is an initiative of The Alpha Series (TAS), a new social enterprise created by Tobi Martins in support of The Real Woman Foundation. Founded by Nike Adeyemi who is an advocate against domestic violence and abuse, The Real Woman Foundation has gained international recognition for their work to fight abuse agains women in all their forms. They provides shelter and rehabilitation for abused women and the orphaned children through their many programmes. Among others we can mention these ones:
Peace Villa Rehabilitation Centre: a centre to help sexually abused ladies and former commercial sex workers within the ages
of 13 & 25 years. This is meant to give them another opportunity to
be healed, empowered and live a normal life.
Love Home Orphanage: a centre catering for abused and abandoned children. All the children who are of school age attend private schools and are progressing with their learning. The older children in the orphanage are also learning vocational skills
such as bead making, barbing, photography, hair dressing, make-up
artistry and baking which can also help them in the future.
Beauty for Ashes
Beauty for Ashes is an event organised by The Alpha Series. A new collection will be release intitled Beauty For Ashes. 50% of each sale will be given to the charity The Real Women Foundation.
We can only contratulate such initiatives as abuse agains women is a real problem in African. According to Advocate for Youth, a US organization,
violence against women is a widespread problem in sub-Saharan Africa.
Surveys conducted in sub-Saharan Africa reveal that:
46% of
Ugandan women, 60% of Tanzanian women, 42% of Kenyan
women, and 40% of Zambian women report regular physical
abuse.
In a Nigerian survey, 81% of married women report
being verbally or physically abused by their husbands. Forty-six% report being abused in the presence of their children.
Not to mention places like East Congo where rape has been used for the past 10 years as weapon of war.
We can only congratulate such initiatives as abuse can only be condemned. Respect of Women is essential to build a strong and harmonious society
Please bring your support to this initiative. if you know any charity that carries the same action, please let us know. Joining efforts makes the task easier.
Fikirte Addis is an African Designer from Ethiopa. Currently based in Addis Ababa, she created her own label, Yefikir Design, in 2009. Yefikir Designs creates luxurious ready to wear and tailor made clothing inspired by Ethiopian culture.
Jezreel Designs is a Nigerian leather goods company dedicated to designing and manufacturing products with expert African craftsmanship and timeless style.
Deriving its name from the Hebrew word meaning “God plants”, Jezreel Designs sows the seeds of unique design for a fast few to harvest and enjoy as each piece is made in limited numbers to ensure exclusivity and individuality.
Previous collections from this African accessories company include ‘Spiral and Sophomore’; a sophisticated assortment of geometric shapes, vibrant colours and silhouettes, JD continue to make chic accessories while bolstering the often overlooked talent and trade of Nigerian craftsmen and women, ever mindful that fashion should be expressive and fun.
