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Wednesday, March 5, 2008

USAID Apparel Exhibit Puts Africa on the U.S. Trade Map

WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has won the best exhibit award at one of the apparel industry's largest trade shows. Fifteen companies receiving aid from USAID's three trade hubs in Africa showcased garments with unique fabrics, patterns and colors at the Feb. 12-15 event in Las Vegas known as MAGIC Marketplace.Each trade hub -- located in Southern Africa (Botswana), Western Africa (Ghana, Senegal), and East and Central Africa (Kenya) -- helps entrepreneurs in the region develop professional businesses capable of competing in the global arena.

The hubs also promote economic development within Africa by training African business owners to operate companies prudently and profitably. Business management and marketing skills are also strengthened in the process. African manufacturers seeking American markets are supported by the trade hubs to exhibit their goods at international trade shows.

The U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act waives the duty for imports from Africa, further enabling African businesses to participate in formal economic trade.The 15 companies, representing nine African countries, set up their displays inside the "Source Africa Pavilion," which was sponsored by USAID. Hundreds from the fashion industry attended MAGIC Marketplace each year hoping to attract the attention of buyers from the retail industry. Fulfilling USAID's humanitarian mandate, the African-designed goods are not only attracting buyers, but are also building economic momentum and putting Africa on the map as a viable supplier of apparel for American and international outlets.

For more information about USAID and its other programs in Africa, visit http://www.usaid.gov/. Public Information: 202-712-4810 U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Ladybrille Woman of the Month, Damilola Amolegbe

Known as "Dammie," Damilola Amolegbe is our Ladybrille Woman of the Month. September 2007, Dammie had an official launch party for Haute Magazine, a quarterly 100 + glossy fashion magazine aimed towards the Nigerian fashionista/fashion forward. In 2008, she decided to broaden her reach by expanding the publication to include all Africans. As of ending of February 2008, she launched a complimentary fashion portal, FashionAfrica.com, for all things related to and about African fashions. She hopes to make her company Dammmie & Pearls Inc., publishers of Haute and FashionAfrica.com, the premier publishing and production company in Africa. When she is not working hard on her publishing aspirations, she freelances for other publications including GIANT and True Love SA. Enjoy our chat and random questions with Dammie conducted via IM.

LADYBRILLE.com:
CONGRATULATIONS Ms. Amolegbe on being the Ladybrille Woman of the Month! Dammie: Thank you so much. [I] am very humbled [Smiles].
LADYBRILLE.com:I have never met you before but have got a chance ot observe you via cyberspace. Tell our audience your age. Dammie: Hope you've gotten nothing but good energy via cyberspace. I am 1011 [laughs].
LADYBRILLE.com: [laughs] [For the non-slang oriented among us] how old is that? Dammie: [laughs] 21. I just watched a movie where a lady said she was 2010, meaning 30... I thought it was brilliant, you know how most ladies get about their age.

LADYBRILLE.com:
I know! [laughs]

LADYBRILLE.com:
Okay so you are 21 and the CEO and Editor of Haute Magazine [and] now FashionAfrica.com. Tell us a bit about that? Dammie: FashionAfrica.com [c]ompliments HauTe Magazine. We noticed our readers are very internet and blog savvy, and decided to find a way to cater to them, and give them their HauTe desires.


LADYBRILLE.com:
Now you started off with Haute catering exclusively to Nigerian fashionistas. Why the need to transition to a broader audience and FashionAfrica.com, especially since Nigerians are global and have strong spending power, at least as to all things fashionable? Dammie:After launching [Haute]/Fashion Nigeria in 2007, it was apparent, that it wasn't just Nigerians that came to the launch. Africans and even Black Americans expressed how much they loved the magazine, and why it wasn't so global. After much thought, I realised the same effort I used in making a magazine just for Nigerians, is the same effort I will put to make a magazine [that includes] other Africans, who also suffer the same lack of publicity in the fashion world.

LADYBRILLE.com:
How did Dammie & Pearls INC, [t]he parent company, come about? Dammie: I share a love for magazines and happen to have close friends who have the same passion for magazines & film and we decided to get together and start a publishing & production company that will represent Africa in the best light, globally, and set a standard that will keep us as a top publishing/production company in Africa.

LADYBRILLE.com:
Where can our readers find Haute magazine? Dammie: They can subscribe to the magazine via Haute website, no matter what part of the world they are in, and have it delivered to them. In Nigeria, you could find it at the Nu Metro Stores.

LADYBRILLE.com:
So you are selling mostly via the [internet]? Dammie: Yes!

LADYBRILLE.com:
Now [I] have to ask the challenges of shipping an order let's say to Asia if a reader is there, [especially with a limited quantity ordered by the subscriber?] Dammie: There's nothing Fed Ex can't do... We do have an extra $10 fee for international orders, to cover all those expenses. If they can order all the way from Asia, then we must ship it to them...
Random Questions With Dammie!
LADYBRILLE.com: What is a must have for you in your purse? Dammie: My Kajal [traditional eyeliner]. It defines my eyes very well!
LADYBRILLE.com:
You are based in New York, who are your favorite New York designers?Dammie: Lola Faturoti & Luca Luca! [Smiles]
LADYBRILLE.com: Are you single? Dammie: I plead the 5th. [laughs] Just kidding. I am as single as single can get. [smiles]
LADYBRILLE.com:
What would be your perfect date for the men looking to date a brilliant woman like yourself? Dammie: Peace & quiet and a lovely meal. I love food!
LADYBRILLE.com:
Alright Dammie before we go, tell our readers what to expect when they visit FashionAfrica.com plus what a typical day is like for you. Dammie: Hmm, when you visit FashionAfrica.com you should expect to be ready to feel a certain pride as an African, and how beautiful our culture, and the people are. A day in my life... really boring, all I do is write, write, write, and read...but it definitely livens my spirits to see lovely inspirtational things that are African. I love it!
Readers, show some love for Ms. Amolegbe by visiting http://www.fashionafrica.com/.

To be a Ladybrille Woman of the Month, send your e-mails to ladybrillewoman@gmail.com. Include your name, contact information, your industry [fashion, publishing, marketing, PR e.t.c.] and why you feel you should be the Ladybrille Woman of the Month.
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Monday, March 3, 2008

Happy New March!


It's the month we've all been waiting for in Africa's Fashion Industry. February was sweet with Valentine's, Black History Month, New York, Milan & Paris Fashion Weeks but really it gets sweeter as South Africa begins its fashion weeks and other countries in Africa prepare to follow suit. We of course will bring you unmatched coverage/analysis straight from the runways starting with Sanlam SA Fashion Week, Audi Joburg Fashion Week and much more as we break down trends, colors and the business of fashion!

Congrats to our Ladybrille Woman of the Month, the 21 year old Damilola [Dammie] Amolegbe who operates Haute Magazine, a publication initially geared towards Nigerian fashion and designers but has now expanded to include Africans the world over. Dammie as of ending of February also launched FashionAfrica.com to complement Haute magazine. Please be sure to congratulate her as we kick off our month with a one-on-one chat with Dammie.

Our main feature for this month is the fierce, sassy, fun and gorgeous designer Adefunke Agboola of Ella Brown Couture. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we did when we interviewed her. Stay tuned for our juicy interview with the beauty and brains behind Ella Brown Couture. We conclude what we hope is a truly fun and exciting month with our business of fashion series focusing on how to choose the right name for your business!

Enjoy and have a great month!

Remain Blessed,

Uduak

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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Ladybrille African Fashion News #35

Fabric Design/Technology/Designer: "PARIS: When young fashion designer Bill Ruterana was looking for inspiration and cheap material to make clothes in his native Rwanda, he found it sprouting under his feet. "Umugwegwe" grows prolifically in Rwanda and when treated produces a frothy wool-like fibre. Ruterana used it to spectacular effect in his latest collection unveiled this weekend at the second edition of Paris' "Labo Ethnik World Fashion Show" spotlighting African, Caribbean and multi-cultural design. "Umugwegwe serves no real purpose but is a goldmine for me. It grows everywhere and it's very easy to work with," said the slight 24-year-old, who is such a fan that he used it not only for flamboyant multicoloured head-dresses but even for a show-stopping wedding gown. He discovered that by pulverising the plant he could tease out fibres and colour them with vegetable dyes. Read more here.
Fashion Model/Fashion Crimes: The body of Guinea born model Katoucha Niane is found in the Seine River in Paris. AFP reports: "PARIS (AP) — The body of Katoucha Niane, one of the first African women to attain international stardom as a model and a vocal opponent of female genital mutilation, was found in the Seine River, police said Friday. Known simply as Katoucha, the former top model for Yves Saint Laurent and other top designers was found Thursday near the Garigliano bridge in Paris, judicial police in Paris said." Read more here.
British Vogue heedsNaomi Campbell's call for more blacks in its fashion pages. Sunna Gottshalk, Jamaican model, got a full spread on British Vogue's fashion pages.
Business of Fashion:
The South African rand gets stronger pushing the wool market down. Click here for story. In contrast, the US dollar keeps falling. What it means is a trip to Europe is becoming very expensive, interest rates are increasing, foreclosures abound and retailers are nervous.
Bloomberg reports one of South Africa's biggest gold producer to cut as many as 6,900 jobs due to power crisis! "Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Gold Fields Ltd., Africa's second- biggest gold producer, will eliminate as many as 6,900 jobs, or 13 percent of its South African workforce, as the state-run utility fails to provide enough power for the company's mines.
The cuts are the first by a South African mining company since utility Eskom Holdings Ltd. said power shortages will last for four years. Gold Fields will close part of its operations at Driefontein, Africa's largest gold mine, and redesign its South Deep mine, the company said today
. Read more here.
Puma and Chalayan team up:
"PARIS — Sportswear brand Puma AG on Thursday named Cyprus-born designer Hussein Chalayan as its creative director and acquired a majority stake in his signature fashion brand, confirming a report in WWD. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. The announcement came a day after the London-based designer unveiled his fall women's wear collection here." read the rest here. An even more interesting news is Puma's focus on the African market using soccer as a vehicle. Ladybrille obirin [women] and okurins [men] if you have not thought about investing in Africa, get to gettin' especially if you are from Africa. Annansi Chronicles captures Puma Africa move here.
Fashion Law [Intellectual Property]:
From Afro IP, "Afro-IP was alerted by Nola Bond to a recent decision of the Cape High Court in favour of Crocs Inc (“Crocs”) and others defending an appeal brought by Shoprite Checkers against a counterfeit goods seizure in South Africa. Shoprite Checkers is a large retail chain operating throughout South Africa. Crocs successfully seized over 10000 pairs of footwear destined for Shoprite Checkers’ stores early in 2007. Shoprite Checkers sought to set aside the warrant and subsequent seizure on the grounds including that the seized goods were not counterfeit goods. Crocs seized the goods on the basis that they were a reproduction or an adaptation of their design/drawings of the famously ugly and successful, strapless shoe." Read more here. On to the rest of our fashion news about or relating to Africa:
  1. Setting the catwalk alight
  2. Survival of the fittest in the couture jungle
  3. The divas wear Prada and Rajah and ...
  4. End of a Supply Chain Era
  5. IAL Group launches subsidiary in Tanzania
  6. Franchise opportunities offer a leg up for entrepreneurial spirit ...
  7. A Chance Encounter In Africa
  8. Technology improves efficiencies in the warehouse
  9. Africa's organic farms
  10. Fashion Icon: Louis Vuitton Luggage
  11. South Africa : Menswear range to be launched at SSAFW in Aug
  12. Do 'Leading' Film Festivals Discriminate Against African Films?
  13. Wal-Mat Raises the Bar But Africa Still Clogged by Plastics
  14. Investing in the future for Africa and the west
  15. Liberty results
  16. IT spending in Middle East and Africa to exceed $40b this year
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