05.09.13 [W1]

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the new Africa Style Daily (ASD). The four year old fashion site which began as a single blog with a linear template has now expanded to a network of fourteen separate niche sites. Together these Africa-focused outlets , which focus exclusively on topics ranging from food to film, are christened Africa Daily Groupe (ADG).

The content may be varied, but all twelve sites are unified by one vision: celebrating the lesser reported topics in African community and culture. As journalists, my team and I appreciate that Africa is not one never ending political corruption story. Nor is it a perennial charity profile. It’s a continent poor in parts, yes, but rich in culture, fashion, beauty, technology, destinations, music and so much more.

 ADG, and its network of twelve news sites, pays homage to to the Continent’s robust range via well-crafted stories. With a dynamic team of reporters and editors, our staff crafts well researched pieces for our Wire, Questionnaire, Portfolio, Profile and Review sections. You will find these categories in every ADG site.

This has been a labor of love, so I genuinely hope that as you read each story featured in our network, you feel it permeating.  It’s a love for our readers, a love for traditional reporting, a love for storytelling – and most importantly a love for Africa, the continent that inspired and inspires us all.

Special thanks to Lynecia Burgess, the founding Managing Editor for Africa Style Daily who helped launch the site in 2009 and Kadia Blagrove, the current Managing Editor who was so instrumental in this relaunch. Additional thanks to IA Design Loft, Danny Shaw,  Agnes Blay, Gertrude Ajavon, Zeba Blay, and the entire team of reporters for Africa Daily Groupe. Most importantly, my humblest thanks to you: our reader.

 Welcome to Africa Daily Groupe (ADG).

Sincerely.

Zandile Blay

Founder/EIC

Africa Daily Groupe

twitter: @zandile  email: blog@zandileblay.com  site: zandileblay.com

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WORDS: Melanie Castell

[WORLDWIDE] These style mavens are always setting the trends in the fashion scene. Whether heading to a fashion show or about town, these stylish editors, bloggers, visionaries and all around creative’s are constantly setting the tone for fashion lovers across the globe.  Get to know these mavens; their style and a first hand look as why they’re fashion leaders.

(Image Source: StreetPeeper.com)

Chioma Nnadi

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession: Editor at American Vogue

Why We Love Her: Her style is so effortlessly cool.

(Image Source: AfriPopMag.com)

Funeka Ngwevela

Provenance: Sterkspruit, a small town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa

Profession: Stylist

Why We Love Her: Her signature funky style is award worthy — literally! She recently won the Best Street Style award at the South African Style Awards.

Follow Her on Twitter: @QuirkyStylista

(Image Source: GQ.com)

Jenke Ahmed Tailly

Provenance: West Africa 

Profession: Stylist and Beyonce Knowles’ creative director

Why We Love Him: He’s the man behind Queen Bey’s magic!

(Image Source: AfricanPrintInFashion.com)

Joshua Kissi

Provenance: Ghana

Profession: One half of the dynamic duo known as Street Etiquette

Why We Love Him:  He  is known for flawlessly combining classic trends with urban flavor for an impeccable look.

Follow Him on Twitter: @StreetEtiquette 

(Image Source: DailyCandy.tumblr.com)

Joy Adaeze

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession: Style Blogger and stylist

Why We Love Her: With her signature colorful turbans and poppy fashion sense, she truly brings “joy” to every fashion week.

Follow Her on Twitter: @JoyAdaeze

(Image Source: LeeOliveira.com)

Julia Sarr-Jamois

Provenance: London; Sengalese and French descent

Profession: Fashion editor of Wonderland magazine

Why We Love Her: Big hair, long model legs, stunning style — what’s there not to love?

Follow Her on Twitter: @SarrJamois

(Image Source: StreetPeeper.com)

Mobolaji Dawodu

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession: Style Editor-at-Large at The Fader.

Why We Love Him: There’s just something about that mysterious long beard and fedora paired with his always wild printed attire.

Follow Him on Twitter: @IamMobolaji

(Image Source: Living.MSN.com)

Nikki Ogunnaike

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession: Online Style Editor at Glamour.com

Why We Love Her: Her “hair icon” is our first lady Michelle Obama and notorious bad gal Rihanna — what a juxtaposition!

Follow Her on Twitter: @NikkiOgun

(Image Source: IntoTheGloss.com)

Oroma Elewa

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession:  DJ

Why We Love Her: Not only is she a style icon, fashion muse, and editor, Oroma also an influential player in linking African music to global fashion.

 Follow Her on Twitter: @oromaelewa

(Image Source: CocoAndCreme.com)

Tolula Adeyemi

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession: Model and actress

Why We Love Her:  Even when she’s off-duty, Tolula is still photoshoot ready.

Follow Her on Twitter: @TolulaAdeyemi

(Image Source: Heritage1960.com)

Ugo Mozie

Provenance: Nigeria

Profession: Stylist to the Stars, including Chris Brown.

Why We Love Him: This young and hip style icon is the definition of a trend setter.

Follow Him on Twitter: @UgoMozie

(Image Source: Zimbio.com)

Memsor Kamarake

Provenance: Sierra Leone

Profession: Stylist for the Wendy Williams Show, former Fashion Director at Vibe Magazine.

Why We Love Him: He keeps talk show host Wendy Williams looking fabulous every day!

Follow Him on Twitter: @Memsor

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Melanie Castell, is a multimedia journalist and culture & style enthusiast. Follow her on Twitter @mel_castell.

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WORDS: Kadia Blagrove

[NEW YORK, NY] Africa Style Daily is always on the lookout for new talent, innovators and influencers; so of course, Jennifer Nnamani caught our eye. The Nigerian-born New Yorker is a young mover and shaker with a mission to make a difference. After years of lending her styling and modeling talents to small fashion projects and major events like Africa Fashion Week, Nnamani decided to make a name for herself by launching a creative company called Beau Monde Society.

“All 2012, I did not catch a break, I was always styling or coordinating. It wasn’t until September 2012, that everything clicked. I thought to myself, ‘get a company name and find a team that believes in your vision.’ I wanted to work with people who viewed fashion as an art form, and not just something based on money or celebrity. Fashion is a reflection of your ideal self.  I encourage people to always use fashion as a way to brand themselves. You are a walking billboard. Define mantra you live.”  - Jennifer Nnamani

Beau Monde Society is French for “beautiful world.” Nnamani says she wanted to find a name that symbolized her vision and who she was. Her company mantra is “challenge the status quo,” a proverb she has learned to live by throughout her life. “Growing up, people used to call me weird. But now I appreciate my complexity,” Nnamani said.

Beau Monde Society held its official launch event on April 11, 2012, a few weeks before the company’s subsidiary sustainable fashion sector, Fashion Envie, put on an Earth Day inspired fashion show. The launch event was themed after Old Hollywood glamour, an era Nnamani says is her greatest inspiration.  “I remember growing up in Nigeria and my mom and dad watched a lot of old school classic films,” the young entrepreneur said.

Despite the fact Nnamani is just in her “roaring 20s,” she has a great love for all things classic, which has molded her own style and brand. Held at New York City’s Le Souk Harem, the event was filled with bloggers, designers, makeup artists, stylists, and other members of the fashion crowd. Cupcakes were decorated after Old Hollywood screen sirens and cocktails were named after iconic films.

The small creative company specializes in public relations, event production and coordination, and styling. With Nnamani recently receiving her masters in International Business, the stellar achiever is set to change the world one stylish event at a time.

Enjoy the images of Beau Monde Society’s launch and Fashion Envie’s Earth Day show below (all images courtesy of Beau Monde Society):

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Stay up with date with Jennifer Nnamani by following her on Twitter @KamEleonDIVA. Stay up to date with Beau Monde Society by liking on Facebook, following on Twitter @BMSCitizens, and checking out their website.

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Kadia Blagrove is the Managing Editor of Africa Daily Groupe and a creative writer for all things culture. Follow her on Twitter @KazzleDazz.  

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WORDS: Zandile Blay

[NEW YORK, NY] The last few months have seen a growing interest in the topic of retail and Africa. From the International Herald Tribune’s annual Luxury Conference in October 2012 to Columbia University’s Ten Year Anniversary earlier this year, discussion around the Continent’s rapidly growing fashion industry is on the rise. Last year, the Fashion Institute of Technology joined the discourse with their highly anticipated panel, Talking Trade @ FIT: Africa, The Next Emerging Marketplace. The prominent New York City school attracted a stellar group of panelists including Roberta Annan, Chair of the Government Liaison Committee of Fashion 4 Development; Adiat Disu, President of Adirée ^TM and Founder & Director of Africa Fashion Week; Lexy Mojo Eyes, Founder of Nigeria Fashion Week and President and CEO of Legendary Gold Limited; and  Janice Sullivan, CEO of EDUN Americas.  How were they able to amass such a stellar workshop and guests? We sat down with founders Janiece Greene and Christine Pomeranz to discuss…

AFRICA STYLE DAILY: We were – pleasantly – taken aback to hear about FIT’s focus on Africa for the prestigious Talking Trade@FIT program series. Tell us a little bit about what moved you both to produce this?

CHRISTINE POMERANZ:  I had initially been discussing the proposed lecture with Myles Matthews, President of the Global Trade and Technology Center, with whom I serve in the New York District Export Council, and Janiece Greene, Social Impact Strategist, with whom I collaborated in organizing the panel discussion on Creating Sustainable Futures: Empowering Women through the International Fashion Industry as part of the Department of International Trade and Marketing’s (ITM) Talking Trade @ FIT guest lecture series.

We had seen large investments being made by China and other countries into the region and its growing middle class.  For example, the 30 May, 2012 issue of Business of Fashion Daily published a global briefing, Could Africa be the Next Frontier for Fashion Retail?, indicated that, according to a report by the African Development Bank, there is already a growing middle class of 310 million in the continent and quoted the Economist Intelligence Unit as forecasting the combined expected spending capacity of its top eighteen countries at $1.3 trillion by 2030.

 Janiece and I were subsequently inspired by the May 2012 cover story of L’Uomo Vogue Italia.

JANIECE GREENE: Africa’s explosive growth and The Rebranding of Africa L’Uomo Vogue issue were incredible sources of inspiration, and helped to confirm what we already suspected:  that there is an enormous amount of wealth, innovation, and undiscovered talent in Africa.  The investment status of countries like South Africa, the continent’s largest economy, and Nigeria, whose economic growth recently catapulted it from a frontier to an emerging market, also influenced the decision to focus on trade in Africa.  This type of growth is becoming increasingly more attractive to investors, which translates into opportunities to make the kind of infrastructure improvements (e.g., roads, energy) that have a profound impact on the fashion industry’s ability to successfully do business on the continent.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals on poverty, gender equality and women’s empowerment also played a key role in the decision to focus on trade in Africa.   In other words, how can the fashion industry be a tool for building economies, enhancing trade, developing markets, and creating jobs?  As a development and microfinance professional, I am always interested in identifying ways that business can expand economic opportunities for the world’s most marginalized and disadvantaged populations, a majority of whom are women and youth.   Having worked with low-income populations all over the continent of Africa—from Tunisia to Kenya and everywhere in between—it is clear that regardless of the differences in culture, language, or ethnicity that what the poor need most are businesses that thrive and can reach scale.

The apparel industry, which has historically operated in newly industrialized nations, typically is the first sector to carve out export-led growth, foreign investment, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and to help close the gender gap in the supply chain.  Therein lies the connection to the fashion industry, and why it was important to include panelists whose organizations have a social concept.  Janice Sullivan, CEO of EDUN Americas, said it best:  ‘Unlike many fashion brands it was not founded on a product, but an ideal’ that fashion could be a powerful force for making a positive difference in Africa.

ASD: It was a remarkable panel of people.  Was it a challenge wrangling such big names in the industry?

POMERANZ:  We have been supported by Myles Matthews; ITM’s advisory board; Valerie Steele, Director of the Museum at FIT; Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief of L’Uomo Vogue Italia and Goodwill Ambassador for Fashion 4 Development; Evie Evangelou, Co-founder and Global Chair, Fashion 4 Development; and Prof. Deanna Clark, who teaches in the ITM program and is a board member of New York Africa Fashion Week.

I also collaborated with Adiat Disu, one of the speakers, whose company, Adiree Public Relations, collaborated with ITM in producing for FIT’s Pre-College Program a panel discussion on African designers and beauty specialists during New York Africa Fashion Week on 11 July.

ASD: What were some challenges in executing the program?

POMERAMZ:  As you correctly pointed out, because our speakers are big names in the industry, they have a heavy travel schedule that has made it challenging to synchronize the plans.

Nevertheless, all of the participants and supporters were so enthusiastic about the chance to educate the FIT community and public about the exciting new opportunities in Africa as a producer of high quality environmentally and socially responsible designs and potential consumer of goods manufactured around the world that they prioritized their contribution to this event.

ASD: That said, was the interest you received overwhelming?

POMERANZ:  It has been tremendous.  In addition to the supporters already mentioned above, FIT President’s Diversity Council gave its stamp of support for the event and will help to promote the event.  Teachers from other departments and disciplines brought their classes, and people from the industry were keen to attend as well.

GREENE:  Private sector growth in Africa is booming, and its forecasted population and economic growth means that every sector that is focused on growth is keen on doing business with Africa these days.  This was great news for us because in doing a panel like this we knew we would receive a great deal of interest from across sectors and disciplines.  Social impact investors, media, banking, fashion industry executives, social enterprises, development professionals—the interest ran the gamut, and we received a lot of positive feedback.

ASD: What was the most surprising thing you learned about the African market from the selection?

POMERANZ:  We learned how much farther advanced Africa is in terms of its contribution to international sustainable design.

GREENE:  It was interesting to hear that regardless of the size of a company’s balance sheet doing business in Africa is complex.  This was not so much a surprise as it was a confirmation.  There are no economies of scale in Africa, which makes it more expensive to produce on the continent.  When you factor in the issues associated with infrastructure development, it is easy to see how doing business in Africa can at times be challenging.  A great example of this actually occurred during our panel.   Roberta Annan from Fashion 4 Development was presenting remotely from Ghana, and during her presentation there were a couple of technical blips with the internet connection.  Roberta and the other panelists took it all in stride, and later joked that this was the quintessential illustration of what it can be like to do business in Africa.  In essence, it is not easy, and it takes a good amount of patient capital, perseverance, and I would add a good sense of humor to succeed.

ASD: Overall, what do you think was the main take away for the event for both students interested in this emerging market to businesses who want to penetrate the continent?

POMERANZ:  Africa is much farther along in its design and contribution to the global fashion business.  Not only is it emerging, it has already arrived and has also become a force in the luxury sector.

In addition, as evidenced by Nigerian Fashion Week founder, Lexy Mojo-Eyes’s effort to fly from Nigeria to New York primarily to participate in this panel, the cooperation of the industry among  the United States and other developed countries with the African designers, producers, and sellers is more important than ever to take this development to the next level.

GREENE: The continent is an undeniable force in shaping global commerce, and this is the right time to do business in Africa.  As Christine noted earlier, consumer consumption is the engine of African development, and it is no accident that we had participants from Nigeria and Ghana on the panel as these are among the fastest-growing markets in Africa, both of in terms of GDP and consumer spending.   Yet, an important thing to remember is that Africa is a continent made up of 54 countries, all with unique heritages, cultures, preferences, and needs.  When thinking about developing a fashion business in Africa, it is critical to have a deep understanding of the market not only in terms of consumer demand but also trade.  Infrastructure development, transportation of goods and services, access to water and energy—all of these elements are necessary to running a sound fashion business, but are often overlooked during the early stages of development.

Another key takeaway is that although doing business in Africa takes an incredible amount of commitment, perseverance, business acumen, and capital investment (this is particularly true for those that are interested in creating socially-conscious businesses), the economic growth potential for the continent signals that there is tremendous opportunity for fashion businesses to thrive.   The presence of established, middle market players like Levi’s and The Gap alongside social enterprises and niche luxury brands, such as Maiyet and Laurenceairline, further reinforces the fact that there is no set model for success and that there is room for new players, new ideas, and new partnerships.

ASD: What’s the way forward now? How does FIT plan to leverage and address the interest in this topic in the future?  

POMERANZ:  Among the charges of FIT President’s Diversity Council is to help fulfill “FIT’s mission to prepare students with the kind of global perspective they will need for success.”  The Diversity Council encourages and supports events that promote the awareness and adaption to the ever changing international environment.

As mentioned above, we hosted a panel discussion on Creating Sustainable Futures: Empowering Women through the International Fashion Industry in February, 2012 and followed this up with an article published in the June 2012 issue of Focus on Fashion Retail magazine.  During New York Africa Fashion Week last summer, we sponsored a Luxury African Fashion panel discussion.  This event is a follow-up to those discussions and we anticipate that there will be more such events.  In addition, with Africa expected to play a major role in world growth and development, teachers are anticipated to continue integrating it into their classes.

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Christine Pomeranz is an International Trade and Marketing professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology; read more about here on FIT’s website.  Janiece B. Greene is a Microfinance and Social Impact Strategist/ International Development Executive; follow her on LinkedIn. 

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 Zandile Blay is the founder and editorial director of Africa Daily Groupe. Follow her on Twitter @Zandile.

Lookbook Credits:
Photography:Zemaye, Exwhyzee Photography
Model: Nneka Edozien
Makeup- Lois Isen

Models in Duaba Serwa. The label is one of a handful participating in WF4D ‘Giving Back Bazaar.’Models in Duaba Serwa. The label is one of a handful participating in WF4D ‘Giving Back Bazaar.’

Seoul, Korea – The United Nations’ World Fashion For Development (WF4D) has debuted its list of designers to be featured at its annual “Giving Back Bazaar.” The two day event which takes place March 18th – 19th at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul, South Korea will feature both a private gala dinner in addition to a daytime bazaar featuring the wares of the designers. Proceeds for the event go towards the multi-national initiatives of World Fashion For Development, an organization aimed at helping the United Nations reach it’s ‘Millennium Challenge’ goals using fashion as a platform. Labels which have been tapped for this event include South Africa’s Babatunde, Nigeria’s Banke Kuku and Clan, Ghana’s Koshie O. and Duaba Serwa. See the full list of designers, and the The R’ajwa Company‘s (the Publicity Partner for the event) bio on each after the jump.  Learn more about the event on Facebook.