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Preserving culture though personal style: special focus Yemi Alade

Afrobeats musician Yemi Alade is a rising influencer of style. Her unapologetically vibrant fashion choices and love for braided sculptures as hair dos, have painted her as a contemporary Mama Africa. Yemi Alade's distinct sense of style which she has termed ''Afropolitan'', is the most telling reflection of the growing trend of African fashion across Africa and the diaspora. It is therefore of little surprise that she was the 2016 Ambassador for Africa Fashion Week Nigeria and Africa Fashion Week London.

Thanks largely to fashion bloggers and celebrities who showcase both DIY and designer African inspired clothing on platforms like Instagram, it seems that for the first time, it is not only cool to be visibly African, but a trend that has come to stay! A common vision associated with African fashion, is the desire to see it main-streamed to the extent that it is no longer labelled ''African'' but simply fashion (albeit still authentic).

Stars like Yemi Alade are doing a great deal to help solidify this vision by using the boundless avenue of music to share the culture. She has sung and re-released some of her biggest hits in foreign languages, namely Na Gode in Swahili and Kissing and Johnny in French! Whilst this is an intelligent attempt by the musician to use her cross-appeal to drive home the message of unity, she admitted that her foreign fans still prefer the original versions sung in Pidgin, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. She claimed that ''people like what they don't understand'', further cementing the idea that cultural barriers (especially in creative industries like fashion and music) are merely artificial.

Social media makes accessible content we would otherwise have limited access to. As a result, we have become incredibly impressionable and fashion conscious, inspired by everyone and everything. People are breaking away from the rigidity of what they believe is expected of them and opting to construct new identities daily, based on popular culture and fluctuating trends. As fantastic as this is with regards broadening mind sets, we mustn't forget the implicit responsibility to preserve, re-invent and communicate our own culture to the wider community. Whether it's through indulging in a creative outlet, or by supporting important events like Africa Fashion Week, we are finally in a position to really connect Africa to the world through arts. To take a puff puff from Yemi Alade's plate, there is absolutely no reason why we all can't incorporate African fashion into our every day fashion routine. After all, sometimes ''egusi and okra soup dey sweet together''!

#yemi alade #style #fashion #african fashion #nigerian fashion #writing #editorial

Whilst we are on the Subject

Inspired by Lost in a Big White Lie By Nancie.

Photographed by Jacqueline Ntephe on Samsung S6

#black #black and white #art #creative #photography #dume dume #samsung s6

Unscathed

Success can only be defined in relative terms. That being said, my aspirations are modest. I only want economic stability and enough disposable income to enjoy the finer things in life like Chinese take away. However, since entering the world of fashion, I've allowed social media to edit my image of what a ''successful'' fashion entrepreneur looks like. Eager to join the cult and validate my career choice, I was desperate to fly when the truth of the matter was I hadn't grown wings.

Recently, I took on a major project on a scale I had never managed before. I was excited but focused, ready to prove that I could do it. However as time went on, my efforts slowly crumbled before me until all that was left was stress, stress and more stress. I soon realised that hard work and good intentions are not always enough. The simple fact was I had bitten off more than I could chew.

Entrepreneurs like myself are under a tremendous amount of pressure to ''make it'' and make it fast! We are the unconventional dreamers, the risk takers. We put our entire being into our craft and commit to it in the most admirable way. Whilst this is entirely necessary, it can also be our hamartia. Boundaries are principal and it is more important to lay a solid brick than to build an unstable house. Now that the project is complete, I can say it was a success simply because the clients were happy with the end result. Unable to ignore the glaring silver lining of the experience, I have learnt three incredibly important things which I believe every entrepreneur should implement in the management of their business.

1. Dissect your client until you understand exactly what they want

Imagine you are contracted to create a bespoke dress. Designing the dress with its basic colour, structure and dimensions is not enough: what kind of lining does your client want?; what colour do they want it in?; what fabric do they want it in?; should the tailoring afford a modest or revealing fit? etc. Attention to detail is absolutely key.

2. Stay in your lane

We want to believe we can do it all. But sometimes we need to be able to say when something is too much and when we need extra help. For example, projects which are inherently expensive should not be attempted on a small budget as this may result in cutting corners which will most likely compromise your standards. Similarly, if your strengths lie in a certain area and not another, you need to know when to outsource or simply say no. In short, be realistic!

3. Who is paying?

Sounds obvious but ambiguity in this area could leave you trying to please 101 people who aren't even the client who instructed you in the first place! Have a clear agreement on who will pay for what and when and this will avoid any unnecessary surprises along the way.

I have no doubt that there will be many more bumps in the road. But as long as one stays focused and grows from their mistakes success is sure to follow suit. Well, according to my definition.

#success #lessons #entrepreneur #fashion #writing