Do you know of the Africa Centre in London’s Covent Garden? If you don’t it’s a kind of home away from home for Africans in London. It hosts regular events of interest to diaspora groups, it sells books and other lovely products and it’s of historic significance. Despite this, it was revealed this year that…
MsAfropolitan Boutique Interview Series – Douriean Fletcher, founder of eKlektik eKhos
The mission of the MsAfropolitan Boutique is to showcase and offer a handpicked range of products made by African Diaspora women on a rotating basis. Visit us here. As part of my journey to achieving this goal, I’ve met many inspiring women whose stories I want to share with you in an interview series features which…
Breaking it down – V&A Friday Late Afropolitans
Last Friday MsAfropolitan and I (some split-personality going on) participated in a wonderful event at the V&A Museum in London. We presented a fashion show and a panel discussion to a visitor count of over 5,000 people. Here are some of our, okay my, thoughts on the event. By the way, if you’re new to…
MsAfropolitan presents – Fashion and Talks at the V&A Friday Late: Afropolitans
MsAfropolitan is taking part in Friday Late: Afropolitans at the V&A, the world’s largest museum of art and design. In “MsAfropolitan presents – The rise of Afropolitan Fashion” myself with the help of creative director Ola Shobowalewill conceptualize the contemporary creativity and beauty of Afropolitan fashion for women. Visitors will be able to experience the fusion of bold African patterns and…
7 Afropolitan artists to watch
1. Kay Elizabeth Kay Elizabeth is a vocalist living in London, born in California, of Jamaican and English heritage. Her unique sound and performance style has formed through her personal voyages through history, experience and education. Becoming disenchanted in her youth with American education and popular culture, Kay found her musical interests moving away from…
Fela in Lagos, reflections and ruminations
I don’t know what to make of the Finnish elections last weekend, where the nationalist True Finns party won 39 seats of a 200-seat parliament. The Nigerian elections, which have led to violent clashes in Northern Nigeria where hundreds of people have now died, sadden me even more so. To make sense of things, I…
MsAfropolitan Boutique Interview Series – Aya Morrison, founder of Aya Morrison
As I was saying yesterday, the great thing about having an online boutique is that I am able to share inspiring stories about African Diaspora women entrepreneurs and discover new beautiful products. Aya Morrison is one of those women with a great story and product range. I caught up with her to find out the inspiration…
What’s great about having an online boutique
As a tribute to the African Women’s Decade 2010 – 2020, I launched the MsAfropolitan boutique last summer to celebrate the creative labour of independent African Diaspora women entrepreneurs. The boutique is currently showcasing must-have fashion, jewellery, art and interior design all made by African women. Each of the designers featured was chosen because they offer a…
Fashion really is not for African women and VOGUE’s Black Allure proves it
I hate to be a spoilsport, but I don’t see anything fabulous about Vogue’s Black Allure shoot. In the unlikely case that you have missed it, as marketing gimmicks like this are hard to miss, here’s the link to the photos and the video. Unlike most of the criticism the editorial has received, my issue…
This is not a fashion blog
Sometimes people introduce me to others as a fashion blogger. And although I once wrote that fashion is not for African women I like the creative art of fashion. The way we can express our individuality by what we wear. I love the burst of African fashion on the international scene thanks partly to magazines…
7 things that happened this week
1. MsAfropolitan was featured on some great websites. There was an interview for the Twenty Ten Club Blog, which is a club that connects, inspires and supports Black female business owners. MsAfropolitan was also featured as one of the ‘Women of Webster’, Webster Magazine being a men’s lifestyle magazine doing some admirable work on redefining the…
Fashion is not for African women
Despite the ‘trend’ for black models, racism in the fashion industry is still fashionable. Last week I attended the intelligence squared Fashion Maketh Woman debate. For the motion was the stylish team consisting of Madelaine Levy, Britt Lintner and Paula Reed (style director of Grazia in an Oscar de la Renta frock on the evening)…