Designer Spotlight: Back to Africa with Duro Olowu

Nigerian-born Duro Olowu has been in love with textures and fabrics since he was a child. So it seemed very natural for him to bypass a legal career for a career in fashion. Twelve months after the debut of his October 2004 collection, Olowu won the prestigious BFA "Designer of the Year" award in 2005. He has been upward and onward every since. His collections always stay true to his African roots. Here are some of my favorites from the Duro Olowu Collection at CoutureLab.

Fashion Designer Spotlight: That Handmade Touch @ Art on Crafts

This is their story. They worked for a leather company in Chiangmai, Thailand. But as you know, the world's economy took a downturn and the factory where they worked closed. So what should leather artisans do? Start their own company, of course. You should be glad that they did. These leather bags are beyond fabulous. Not to mention that their prices are exceptional. You can order one of these amazing bags at Art on Crafts.

Designer Spotlight: Mark Fast SS 2010

Canadian-born Mark Fast designs by hand on a domestic knitting machine. His work is formed onto the body as he knits. He blends lycra with viscose, angora or wool. If you look at the silhouettes of his dresses, you will fully understand that he has an active imagination and a flair for envelope pushing. There are strands of yarn in places where you know there should be fabric. But he takes you there. You willingly go.

There is also a hint of innocence in the ruffles he uses to accentuate his designs. He has so eloquently and strategically placed these ruffles. A bit of the naughty and nice clashing for the full effect. He tames himself with his pales shades of beige, gray and blue. But then the roars aloud with his louder shades of fuschia and black. You have to love the complexity. These are my favs. See his entire SS 2010 collection here.

REVIEW: Arise Magazine

I was in Barnes & Noble to get my usual fare of British and French fashion magazines and I discovered Arise magazine. Arise is Africa's style and culture magazine published in the UK and edited by Helen Jennings. Jennings is a London-based journalist, editor and stylist with broad experience and contacts in the fields of fashion, music, entertainment and the arts.


As I browsed through the magazine, I was overcome with glee. As a woman of African descent, I was proud to see that African fashion is booming. There are designers all over the Continent that are creating fabulous fashion on their own terms. Arise also contains articles on music, culture, and politics. The magazine also covers news in the US and the UK, in addition to African news. In addition to the prominent stars in Africa, the Arise team has also interviewed the likes of Spike Lee, Grace Jones, VV Brown, and models such as Liya Kebede, Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell. I am very impressed.

The magazine's fashion spreads are full of amazingly beautiful photography.










There was an issue dedicated to President Obama's inauguration and the impact that his election had on the U.S. and its impact in Africa.




There was an amazing article with agent pioneer, Bethann Hardison of Bethann Management. Hardison is credited with fighting to increase the number of models of color on the runways and in the fashion magazines. She represented some of the top African-American models such as Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb and Tyson Beckford.



I learned about the Genge music movement in Kenya. The rhythm and beats of Genge has been the soundrack of Kenyan culture for over nine years.



My favorite and most inspirational article was the coverage of the Arise Magazine event that showcased African Fashion Collective at New York Fashion Week in February 2009. It was the group's fashion debut at the prestigious fashion extravaganza. Xuly Bet, Tiffany Amber, Stoned Cherrie, and Momo presented their Fall 2009 collections to the fashion elite.





The collections were well received. Fern Mallis, President of IMG and creator of Fashion Weeks said “We are very proud and supportive of all the designers who continue to understand the power of the runway, the effectiveness of producing a first-class, top notch show is the best marketing tool a designer has in this climate, and we look forward to working closely with each designer to maximize this opportunity."

So the next time you are trolling the bookstore for your favorite fashion magazines, make sure to add Arise magazine to your pile. It is a must read, especially if you want to know what's hot in Africa.