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This year I had the opportunity to attend the Fourth edition of the Africa Fashion Week in London. I did not know much of what to expect at first.
But let me tell you this: It was wonderful to experience so many African entrepreneurs showcasing their creations. The the models were beautiful and the designers definitely made an impact.
Lets keep pushing and encouraging black culture and talent forward!
What A Day! Africa Fashion Week London 2014
What A Day! Africa Fashion Week London 2014
Where were you on the 9th of August 2014? Well if you were not at the Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL), then you were most certainly in the wrong place. With its 4th consecutive year running this year, AFWL took place at the well known Olympia London location. The two days event was nothing short of success and professionalism to the fullest.
Created by Ronke Ademiluyiback in 2011, it initially…
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My bubs (in the shimmery blue top) became a designer and debuted her clothes at the African Fashion Week London and it was beautiful. Fyyfe By Carmen Ekpo. AFWL 2014
Day2 At @afwlandafwn With La Famille Captured By; @emerzycorbin 👌🙏. #afwl #afwl2014 #africantextiles #africaninspiredfashion #levels #levelism #ndedb #soboye #cvp (at London Olympia)
Africa Fashion Week London 2014: The Highlights, The Good and the Not-So-Good.
Africa Fashion Week London 2014 was a melting pot of fashionistas with a penchant for vibrant colours and bold fabrics. Everywhere you looked women were interpreting print in their own unique way and giving the leggy models a run for their money. This demanding crowd yearned for a fresh interpretation of the familiar patterns and prints; the designers who stood out were those who were able to bring something different to the catwalk.
(Picture Credit: Kayode Fashola Photography)
In my eyes, the catwalk collection that rose above the rest was Njema Helena. Her sophisticated pieces encapsulated the spirit of the modern African woman. With its clean lines, bold colour and attention to detail, Njema Helena's collection would be a worth addition to any wardrobe. Not only is the collection attractive from a commercial retail point of view, it is versatile and instantly wearable. I would happily wear each and every item in this collection and it is the sort of collection that can take you from work to a wedding.
Hot on the heels of Njema Helena was Sylvia Owori. The Ugandan designer's collection resonated with the crowd. All around the FROW were little bursts of 'aaah' and 'uuuu' not to mention the enthusiastic 'J-E-S-U-S' from the West African gentleman seated behind me. This collection underlined Sylvia's reputation as a fashion veteran. A collection with two or three robust ideas is always a winner in my book and Sylvia Owori's slashes of primary colour ensconced in a delicate but hardy fabric won me over.
RAAAH London made a valiant attempt with her collection. There was still some distance for her travel her collection varied from the outstanding to the misplaced. In a nutshell, Rahima Mohammed is well on her way to finding her voice, but she is not quite there yet. That said, her collection was instantly wearable; at least three of her pieces could go straight from the catwalk to the wardrobe. She also had my favourite dress- on the last day of AFWL2014 I left dreaming of the breezy teal dress...
Off the catwalk there were notable winners for me. I was entranced by Charity Kiarie, the brains behind Boutique Mahali. The Kenyan designer has such a clear vision for her brand; she knows who her clients and muses are, she is unafraid to venture in a different direction (for example she retired one of her jumpsuits because it was too popular and she wanted to shift her clientele into new territory- impressive!). One of her assistants modelled the reversible waterfall jacket (below)- unique details such as these catch the eye in an ocean of same-y prints and fabrics.
Other winners in my book were Gnostic Jungle. The moment I posted a picture of their print trainers, I had my (cool) friends from overseas rushing to their website to work out how they could get their hands on those shoes! Also interesting was Annaliese Dayes collection of funky socks or 'frills'. In the winter, a pair of studded socks would add an interesting twist to a pair of heels.
When it comes to the 'Most Valuable Award' of the day, there is one clear winner. Kiyana Wraps was buzzing with feminine energy as women of every shape, colour, age queued to receive tutorials on how to tie their statement head-wraps. Their dynamic skills brought to the fore their living, breathing artistic skills. Everywhere you looked there were pieces of art on women's heads.
In many ways, Kiyana Wraps plugged the gap for what I thought was a major omission at AFWL 2014. I will start with the sweet and sugary before I go for the jugular.
I cannot fault the catwalk shows, which were fantastic and ran to schedule. There were screens with the name of the designer (although they could have gone further with hashtags and twitter/instagram handles- wasted opportunity in my eyes), the catwalk allowed as many people as possible to have a good view and the lighting was great. A lot more could have been done to make the venue look beautiful and to make the venue more 'three-dimensional' rather than stalls, chairs, space and a catwalk.
Also, the sessions between the catwalks were poorly planned. There was a missed opportunity for workshops and seminars that would keep the crowds occupied in between shows and save the crowd from the agony of hanging about after having looked at the stalls five times over. I am bursting with examples of what we could have had between shows:
Natural Hair Workshops: AFWL 2014 was a playground for the natural hair movement. A workshop on hair-care, natural products one can make at home etc would have been fantastic. Yes, Motions was present but they are a business and are there to make money. What was needed was a serious of objective workshops that women could participate in and use that opportunity to learn new hair and beauty tricks.
Speed Networking: A huge number of the attendees have business interests and are well positioned. A properly run speed-networking event between shows would harness some of the energy that was buzzing throughout the show and would bring people together and foster those networks and add value to the price of the ticket.
Styling Workshops: I would happily sign up to give one next year if I was asked to do this. The audience who attend events such as these are interested in all forms of fashion... what to wear to work? How to integrate bold African prints in conservative work environments etc... Again another missed opportunity to work with an eager crowd
Skincare Workshops: Hands up to those of you who would attend an objective, not-trying-to-sell-you-anything skin-care workshop between catwalks.... Bloggers would be a great source of such information as they sample a huge range of products and can disseminate their knowledge before a willing audience.
Grumbles not withstanding, AFWL 2014 was a great event and I look forward to an improved version of the same next year. The clothes are excellent, the catwalk shows are great, all that is needed are the finishing touches to place this event firmly on the fashion map.
Ps: Look out for catwalk videos throughout the week...
