Abigail Keats, Arise Africa Fashion Week designer 411

Abigail Keats graduated in 2007 and launched her first collection at Audi Fashion Week 2008 as part of the autumn/winter New Generation Designer show. Since then she has showed her spring/summer collection at Joburg Fashion Week in 2008 and her autumn/winter collection at Audi Fashion Week in 2009. Keats has also been invited to showcase in New York, London and Miami, and has been selected as the "designer of the month" in South African Elle magazine and the ‘designer to watch’ in Cosmopolitan magazine.

Keats’ signature style is best described as a sophisticated contemporary art form that plays with the paradox of masculine tailoring, while exaggerating a feminine figure. The focus throughout all her collections is embedded in exerting the power of a woman while magnifying the beauty and grace of her being and form.

Her love for art, self-expression and creation is the inspiration on which all her collections are fashioned.

Abigail Keats is stocked in Must Lust (Cedar Square, Johannesburg), Fizz Clothing (East London), Tzipporah (Plettenburg Bay), Blackbeard & Dare (Cape Town) and Roco Coco (Polokwane). You can also buy privately by contacting Abigail directly.

Abigail will be showing on June 13th, 2009 at Arise Africa Fashion Week.

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Sandra Muendane, Arise Africa Fashion Week Designer 411

Sandra Muendane is a Mozambican designer who studied fashion in Lisbon, Portugal. Since graduating she has gained valuable experience in the fashion industry, working in France, South Africa and the USA. In 2007 she was the winner of the ‘Africa in Style!’ competition at the International Festival of African Fashion in Niamey, Niger.

Sandra sees fashion as conceptual and functional – a complex visual communication influenced by cultural, political and economic associations. Her prêt-a-porter garments are “interactive” in that the original ideas behind them are open to the wearer’s interpretation and adaptation, thus making fashion a vehicle of creative collaboration. Minimalism and an absence of colour prevail providing a fresh yet subtle aesthetic for the discreet woman.

Sandra Cardoso Muendane was the first designer and the first African to chosen as the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence at the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, USA. She was selected because “Muendane conveys social messages through her designs”. Her winter 2008 ready-to-wear collection was shown in silence, “like a screen of pain and social degradation.”

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Heni, Arise Africa Fashion Week Designer 411

Heni Este-hijzen trained at the prestigious London International School of Fashion after winning a bursary in November 1999. Excelling in his studies, he won numerous awards and graduated top of his class in 2002. In the same year Heni walked away with the Smirnoff Fashion challenge, giving him the financial backing to start his signature label, Heni.

Sponsored by Levi’s Heni showcased his spring/summer 2003 collection at South African Fashion Week. Here he was named one of South Africa’s Innovators of Fashion by Elle magazine.

Heni went on to gain experience across all aspects of the industry, working as a head designer and stylist. In 2005 Heni produced a private showing of his spring/summer collection in the Seychelles. This collection was presented to the Young Designer’s Emporium who consequently stocked the Heni label nationwide in 2006. Proving his design abilities again 2007, he won the Vodacom Durban July Fashion challenge and the Vodacom Credit Card Fashion challenge.

Showing at 2008 spring/summer Joburg Fashion Week and 2009 autumn/winter Audi Joburg Fashion Week resulted in an exceptional reception from the media and buyers. As a result Heni was also invited to design a second collection especially for the Audi sponsored show finale.

Heni shows on Saturday June 13th, 2009 at Arise Africa Fashion Week.

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Samantha Cole London, Arise Africa Fashion Week Designer 411

Samantha Cole London is an international contemporary British brand that displays a flair for fashion that was natured in the Burberry design room and the London College of Fashion, where Nigeria born Samantha Cole received her degree in fashion and management.

Catering to the image conscious, confident, independent and discerning woman who dares to be different, Samantha draws influences from modern day trends without completely relying on it for the direction and purpose of her collections.

Samantha Cole London's philosophy is to interpret trends, thoughts or moods by deconstructing the obvious signals they project and redefining them to produce silhouettes that acknowledge the past and are situated in the present with a vision of the future.

At Nolcha New York Fashion Week in September 2008, Samantha Cole was named best women’s wear designer. Samantha has also shown her collections in cities across the UK as well as in Florida, California and New York in the US. Her latest collection is entitled The Warrior Princess.

Visit Samantha Cole's Website.

Samantha COle will show on Saturday June 13th, 2009 at Arise Africa Fashion Week.

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Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes Rocking Eyola Designs?!

Now you know about Eyola Designs. With her very refined touch and sexy structured silhouttes, it is no doubt Ladybrille celebs like Victoria Beckham and Katie Holmes (who happen to be best friends and lovers of Alexander McQueen designs) will naturally gravitate and ROCK the world out of an Eyola design!

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Eyola-Alexander McQueen Chic at Arise Africa Fashion Week 2009

London based Eyola was created by British/Nigerian designer Aloye Adede, a Masters graduate from the prestigious Istituto Europeo di Design (IDL) in Italy, with experience working for various designers including Alexander McQueen.
Based on the hallmarks of Victorian fashion, each Eyola piece blends historical references from nineteenth century fashion with a modern twist. Eyola typifies artistically inclined pieces that rely on intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail. Eyola transcends the limits of fashion and is almost immune to expiration and seasonality.

Each collection consists of eight pieces which form an ‘Octette’. This term stems from the defining curves of the Victorian corset (a figure eight or hourglass figure) and represents a new unusual fashion system. With limited pieces, the focus is on creating a unique product that combines couture techniques with prêt-à-porter wearability.


Each piece in the Octette displays a bold colour palette. The choice of bold colours for the Octette derived from Sir William Perkin’s discovery of mauveine in the nineteenth century, which brought in the taste for bright strong, deep colour dyes that did not fade

Date of Show: June 13th, 2009 See full Arise Africa Fashion Designer schedule.

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Nkwo Onwuka, Arise Africa Fashion Week Designer 411

It all started with an obsession with dolls, and a mother who taught her how to sew. Nkwo Onwuka earned her university degree in psychology, but her love of making pretty things has turned into a thriving fashion business. Her designs are free-spirited and nomadic, inspired by the wild freedom and innovation of the '60s and '70s and fused with African influences, producing a new and exciting style known as 'Afro-Bohemian Chic'.

Her collections merge afro-centric sensibilities with a broadly commercial style, and though Nkwo does not adhere to a particular fashion trend, the extreme fusions create novelty and change along with a wide global appeal.

The collection debuted at the prestigious Kulture2Couture 2007 where Nkwo won the coveted Phoenix Award presented by the Mayor of London's office in conjunction with the V&A Museum. Nkwo is devoted to promoting a positive image of Africa and her unique interpretations of the continent's rich history, culture and traditions have seen Nkwo Onwuka emerge as one of Africa's leading fashion designers and a champion of the African Renaissance.

Nkwo shows her collection June 12th, 2009 at Arise Africa Fashion Week.

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Christie Brown-Arise Africa Fashion Week Designer 411

Aisha Obuobi is the face behind the label Christie Brown. She holds an honours degree in psychology from the University of Ghana and is a self-taught designer. With just over a year in the industry, she has managed to revolutionize the fashion scene in Ghana by revamping the use of African print.

Christie Brown is Aisha’s late grand mother, who is her inspiration. Aisha says, “I guess that’s where I got my passion for fashion, beautiful clothes and the art of making them. She sewed for the longest time, even when her eyesight was failing her she just went back to using the needle and thread! She was blunt to a fault, she had spunk, she was chic and most importantly she had style.” These qualities are what Christie Brown clothing embody.

Christie Brown clothing is made from carefully selected African print, from all over the continent. The label seeks to produce all the latest trends that women want, but the twist is a special African ingredient in the form of print, embellishment or knick knacks that depict Africa’s rich culture - the African pride, love for colour, music, dance and celebration!

Aisha shows her Christie Brown Collection June 12th, 2009 at Arise Africa Fashion Week.

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Anne Hathaway, Liv Tyler -David Tlale

There is a certain aspect of the David Tlale label that reminds you of Balenciaga. It is that attitude that says, “I don’t really care if you like my designs. I am going to design what I feel works for me and the kind of woman I like to dress.” This attitude has produced drama in the highest order on and off the runways when it comes to David Tlale. David Tlale’s collections tend to be very avant-garde, mysterious, full of volume-lots of volume, color and high drama. While that attitude works and drama is great, clothes must also sell to keep the doors open. It appears Tlale knows this because we are seeing a shift as he takes the drama two notches down and designs wearable collections for the everyday Ladybrille woman.

Catch him at Arise Africa Fashion Week Tomorrow!

Designer: David Tlale

Education: Vaal University of Technology, South Africa

Origin: South Africa

Career highlights: Dressed Gospel Singer Yolanda Adams, British Supermodel Jourdan Dunn, showed at Paris Couture Fashion Week, featured in numerous SA fashion publications including Elle Magazine.

Signature: Still dramatic but more refined in a "toned down drama meets elegance" way.

Ladybrille Celebs that would Rock Tlale Designs: Liv Tyler, Ann Hathaway.




Click to buy tickets to David Tlale's show at Arise Fashion Week set for June 12th, 2009.

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Michelle Obama, Singer Ciara-SIKA Designs

Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, Diane Von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Gucci, Versace, Christian Lacroix and Marc Jacobs are names most of us fashion-foward/fashionistas are very familiar with in the West. Not so when it comes to African designers. As Arise Africa Fashion Week kicks off in about 24hours, we figure we should help guide you with designers we think you ought to know! We've put a celeb slant to it so you can see what Hollywood celeb we think would be a match with our designers!

Designer: Phyllis Taylor

Years in Business: 3years with SIKA designs

Education:London College of Fashion

Origin: Ghana


Signature: London Urban Chic meets Accra-Ghana’s rich eco-friendly cultural heritage. Use of tie dye, batik and wax print fabrics. Sexy shirt dresses, empire waist and baby doll dresses are the order of the day for Phyllis. Great attention to details in her designs: whether it is a shirt dress with an ankara print collar or pleated dress, she never fails to deliver designs that are highly cosmopolitan and tres chic!

Corporate Social Responsibility: “All garments are produced in Ghana by highly skilled tailors and seamstresses. The highest standards in garment production are an integral part of Sika’s mission. By generating regular income for those involved, they are able to give back to the Ghanaian community and raise the standard of garment production."

Ladybrille Celebs that would totally rock Sika Designs: Michelle Obama is so SIKA design! The shirt dresses Michelle Obama loves to wear makes SIKA an easy choice especially since the First Lady will be visiting Ghana soon. Another celeb that would rock SIKA is singer Ciara. SIKA's empire waist dresses with the big belts would be an excellent choice for the tall, lean and strong beautiful body of Ciara.


Date of Show at Arise Africa Fashion Week: June 12th, 2009

Click to buy tickets to SIKA designs' show at Arise Fashion Week.

Contact Phyllis Taylor
T: 0208 858 8158
E: info@sikadesigns.co.uk
http://www.sikadesigns.co.uk/

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New York Fashion Week: Xuly Bet, Stoned Cherrie, Momo and Tiffany Amber to Show at African Fashion Collective 2009

We've got the scoop for you on those who will be involved at the upcoming New York Fashion Week, Fall 2009 ThisDay/Arise Magazine African Fashion Collective Show. The event will feature the following African fashion designers: Xuly Bet by Parisian/Mali's Lamine Badian Kouyaté, Tiffany Amber by Nigeria's Folake Coker, Momo by Nigeria's Fati Asibelua and Stoned Cherie by South Africa's Nkhesani Nkosi. Fashion production will be handled by South Africa's Jan Malan of Umzingeli Productions. Jan has had experience with producing shows across the continent. He also produced the Afridesia show in New York for Anglo Gold during New York Fashion week in 2002 and is co-owner of Supermodel Oluchi's O-Models Africa. Music will be by the reputable African born DJ Dino Moran.

Xuly Bet: Lamine Badian Kouyaté better known as Xuly Bet remains one of the most exciting designers from Africa. The fifth child out of six boys, Xuly was born in Bamako, Mali to a minister father. In his teens, he was convinced he wanted to be part of the creative process and would later enroll in school in Dakar, Senegal for a Fine Arts and Architecture degree. Dakar, however, could neither contain nor guide the burning fire in him for fashion that was African, traditional yet Urban and cosmopolitan. He needed something more, something like Paris!

Xuly subsequently left the motherland to embrace his thirst for urban-punk-pop Afro fusion fashion. He was and remains inspired by the works of great designers like YSL, Jean Paul Gaultier and even the punkish touch of Dame Vivienne Westwood. When Xuly arrived on the Paris fashion scene, he style was revolutionary. By 1989, he set up his own shop and over time has now become synonymous with recycled fashions, bright colors, cutting edge graphics and form fitting dresses. For Xuly, it is rare that you will see his deisgns "with fibers, beads or rafia." He insist that Africa is a melting pot with so many influences and a point of view that is not necessarily always embellished with African beads or rafia. In his designs you will find loads of synthetic materials,lace, fake fur and T-shirts with provocative slogans.

Tiffany Amber: Walk into Folake Coker's design studio in Lagos, Nigeria and you are most likely to catch her claded in one of her simple, long, fluid elegant designs and for a fact see tons of fashion magazines from Vogue to Bazaar strewn all over her coffee table. Big deal? Not necessarily except that for Coker, her desire was to be an attorney zealously advocating for her clients. In fact, she obtained a degree in law but changed direction to pursue her passion for fashion.

When Coker returned to Nigeria she, in 1997,took her passion by the reins and ran with it by setting up shop under her label Tiffany Amber. Today, the Tiffany Amber brand remains one of the most coveted lifestyle brands [clothes, shoes and accessories] in the country. So much so that Coker has four retail high end boutiques in Nigeria, including one located at the rather expensive Palms Shopping Mall in the Lekki Peninsula, Lagos. In 2008, Coker launched a higher end couture label Folake Folarin Couture while simultaneously celebrating ten years in the fashion business. She has always wanted to show in New York, now she gets to.

L-R: Miss World Agbani Darego, Folake Coker and Nike Osinowo

Stoned Cherie: It takes guts and a truckload of confidence to be different and super comfortable with it. Nkhensani has both. A designer, television personality, stylist and actress, Nkhensani understands style from various angles. Her design sense is sort of like Bill Blass, Donna Karan and Stephen Burrows rolled into one. She cuts clothes in ways that say she "gets it" when it comes to a woman's body. She has a great eye for design and is never afraid to use colors and more colors especially in her determination to keep things very urban African. Nkhensani continues to expand her brand Stoned cherie and is a very accomplished young designer having won numerous style awards for her work. We have named her as our style star in the past and we predict that even though all the designers that will show in New York are quite strong in their own right, Nkhensani's designs have such a unique and fresh point of view it won't be suprising to see American buyers purchase in droves and fashion press create so much buzz about her work.

Momo: Abuja the current capital of Nigeria is not necessarily synonymous with fashion. Indeed when we speak of Abuja, "politics" comes to mind. However, for Fati Asibuela, whose company is headquartered in Abuja, it is all about fashion. A fierce business woman with accolades to match, Fati is a graduate of Richmond American International University in the United Kingdom. She also has a Masters in International Communication and Development at the City University London. Her fashion interest compelled her to pursue and obatin a diploma in Fashion Marketing and a Masters in Fashion Styling from the Instituto Marangoni Milan, Italy. She is known for her exquisite, elegant designs and was one of the deisgners who showed at This Day Africa Rising Music Festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC late last year. Her brand Momo is alleged to be quite successful with an annual turnover of over $20 million USD and about two hundred employees working for her.

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Audi Joburg Fashion Week, Winter 2009-House of Heni

And you thought the plaid days were over after Fall 2008? Not so, at least according to House of Heni. For Winter 2009, House of Heni kept it fresh and funky with a burst of tomato juicy red dresses and bottoms contrasted with plaid jackets, plaid skirts and long cute plaid bow ties. Accessories were a big part of the collection as argyle knee high socks pulled a lot of the looks together. If you are more like the Avril Lavigne kind of woman [18-25] then this collection would be adorable on you!

Photos: AFI/Simon Deiner

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Audi Joburg Fashion Week, Winter 2009-House of Machere

Pairing red carpet/business worthy designs with African inspired head ties can be quite tricky. A balance has to be struck where classy, sexy elegance seamlessly integrates with African culture in a way that says,'my look is uniquely African yet cosmopolitan.' The House of Machere 2009 Winter collections struck that balance on the runway.

House of Machere played with rich fabric colors like yellow and greens to create colorful African styled head-ties fitting for work, red carpet or church services. The head-ties were matched with elegant simple khaki, silk and cotton dresses, making the collection spectacular and memorable.

Photos: AFI/Simon Deiner

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Audi-Joburg Fashion Week, Winter 2009-Gavin Rajah

Innovation remains one of the hallmarks of a great designer. Gavin Rajah has such innovativeness. Each season it is clear Rajah challenges himself and pushes the creative envelope to produce must have designs fitting for every Ladybrille woman’s wardrobe.

For Winter 2009, for Rajah, it was all about, ‘African Pride.’ Inspired by Victorian novelist Sir H Rider Haggard, Rajah takes traditional cultural dresses and infuses a healthy dose of modernity to it, a collection he calls ‘Eau Sauvage.’

While silhouettes are kept very simple, traditional culture is demonstrated with bold colors that include yellow, orange, green and gold. His use of silk chiffons and taffetas creates a seamless intersection of comfort and fluidity. Special attention to details is seen with his hand painted animal prints complemented with embellished cowrie shells and swarovski.

Photos: AFI/Simon Deiner

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Audi-Joburg Fashion Week, Winter 2009-Nigerian Fashion Show

While prior Audi-Joburg Fashion Weeks have primarily featured South African designers, this year's opened it to other African countries. One country which took advantage to showcase their works, in front of national and international buyers and press,was Nigeria.

Four Nigerian designers which included Bayo Adegbe of Modela brought a strong 'wow!' factor to Audi Joburg Fashion Week, Winter 2009. The designers presented designs with fierceness only fititng for a Ladybrille woman. Colors on the runway included energetic yellows, golds, browns and purples. Fabric choices ranged from silks to ankara cottons. There were also stunning form fitting sequined dresses. Fabrics were cut into flattering shapes that included voluminous skirts, cascading ruffled skirts and halter dresses. The ever present friend of the fashion-forward in Nigeria, wide belts, were also used to create an overall effect of sexy cinched waists.

~Photos: AFI/Simon Deiner

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