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.
Africa Fashion guide is hosting in May an event aimed at African fashion designers and retailers to give them some insight in the sector. The event will be held in London.
Details of the event:
Date :Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 6:30 to 9.30
Adress:34b York Way, Kings Cross, N1 9AB London, United Kingdom
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.
Barcelona welcomes African fashion designers in june 2013
Assurely the entire world has fallen under the spell of African fashion. After New York, Johanesbourg, London, it is now Barcelona’s turn to host an African fashion week.
Happy New Year to Everyone ! May you see glory and see all your dreams come true this year 2013.
To start this year, I would like to discuss something which is at the heart of Mayasi passion for African fashion: African fabrics.
Is Africa all about Wax?
When hearing about African fabrics, people generally think of wax, this very colorful batik fabrics very popular in Africa. Although originated from Java, this fabric once imported by the Dutch to Africa was to know an amazing success throughout the African continent, from Senegal to South Africa, shaping the way Africans dress themselves for ever.
I was scanning the web in search of coming African fashion events in 2013 and i came accross this event in African Fashion Guide website. The German fashion scene seems to be growing. To follow with care.
DETAILS Africa Fashion Day Berlin is the vision of a fashion showcase for Designers of the African Diaspora. The event will include runway shows, showrooms, exhibitions, networking opportunities, and a fair trade program (raising awareness for fair trade is an important aspect of the Africa Fashion Day Berlin).
“Africa Fashion Day Berlin” is intended as a network for fashion designers with an African, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-German background using the framework of an exclusive event with international character, esprit and African flair. The inaugural “Africa Fashion Day Berlin” is planned for January 2013.
