MATAANO: TWINS
Ayaan and Idyl are Somalian twins who launched their first collection in November 2008 and it was an instant hit. Oprah Winfrey had them come on her show with the Olsen twins and seemed really impressed with what they were doing. They each had worked in fashion (Idyl at Jill Stuart and Ayaan at Betsey Johnson), and used that experience to learn the industry and, eventually, start their own line. Jamati.com was privileged to talk to these talented ladies and get their perspective on the fashion industry.
Jamati: Despite a recent launch, your collection has garnered prominent attention. How did Mataano manage to do this? Was it the marketing or word-of-mouth, or a little bit of both? » Read more…
Dji Dieng- An International Top Model Combating Malaria
ZeroMalaria is a non-profit organization that was created with a goal to fight malaria, a disease which kills millions of people everyday in Africa.
SAMBURU: There is “HOPE”
Beyonce Knowles, Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Stacy Keibler, Audrina Partridge and AnnaLynne McCord are some of the few celebrities who have been seen rocking the Samburu t-shirts all across LA.
Bernos – Steering Upward in the T-Shirt Market
Bernos stands for quality. Bernos stands for cultural pride. But what is Bernos? Bernos is becoming a cultural phenomenon in the Washington DC area. Their shirts have been seen on K’naan, featured on several local news outlets, and are poised to make a difference in a big way in the region. Their fans have been growing and their t-shirts can be spotted on any given day in the DC area. What made them such a phenomenon? Jamati.com caught up with them to find out.
Jamati: Bernos has come a long way from its humble beginnings. How did you all, as founding members come up with the idea to make t-shirts? » Read more…
Ataui Deng – The New Kid On The Block
Brace yourselves fashion world, there’s a hot new face in town. She is sizzling and she is related to a top model whose grace and elegance have made her a favorite on and off the runway. Stunning and elegant, it is hard to believe that she is only 17.
Deng signed with Trump Management in New York in 2008 and she walked the fall African Fashion Collective and Christian Siriano shows in New York. Many say that she is Alek Wek’s niece. There is a strong resemblance. She is definitely one to watch.
Behati Prinsloo – Namibia’s beauty
Behati Prinsloo is a Namibian supermodel and the spokeswoman for Victoria’s Secret sub-brand, Pink. Discovered at the age of 16 in Cape Town by Sarah Doukas, she has gone on to grace the pages of of Italy’s Muse magazine and the British Telegraph Magazine, Russian Vogue (February 2007), and American Velvet (June 2007). Her most recent cover was in RUSSH magazine.
She has been ranked 31st on the Top 50 Models Women and 14th on “The Top Sexiest Models” list by models.com and been in the Victoria’s Secret shows in 2007 and 2008. Some folks may recognize her as the rich girl in The Virgins’ video “Rich Girls“. Proud to be from Africa, she speaks fondly about it and is involved in charities that will benefit it.
Geez Clark: young, urban and fresh
Young Ghanaian fashion entrepreneur, Iceloomy Akwasi Danso is gradually growing his Geez Clark collection of urban apparels into a formidable fashion brand for the young and trendy African. Born in Ghana, Iceloomy grew up in Queens, NY where he picked up a lot of Africa-American cultures that influence his clothing line today. He has been coming up with most of the design ideas since he started the label in 2006, but actually has a design team of like-minded people who finalize these ideas.
Geez Clark Clothing is about contemporary hip-hop culture, mixing the urban aesthetics of the streets and the preppy culture of the African continent. The name originated from way back in high school when Iceloomy and friends settled on the Name Geez Clark for a party they threw. The name stuck and gradually became a trademark. “My collections are mostly urban apparel, cut clean from selected fine cottons, which gives the styles a different and awesome look. I have t-shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, hoodies, and jackets”, says Iceloomy who adds that the inspiration for his line are his customers. “They encourage me to bring out more crazy stuffs.” » Read more…
The First Ever African Fashion Week
The African Fashion International has released the long awaited announcement about the first ever African Fashion Week, an eight-day event scheduled to take place in South African from the 12th to the 19th of June 2009 at the Sandton Convention Center.
Sidney Sladen – Kollywood/Bollywood’s African Design Connection
Sidney Sladen is a well known fashion designer in Chennai, India who has made a big impact on the industry. He has designed for beauty pageants and for the Bollywood movies, Chandramukhi, Five Stars, and the Chanakya Chanakya song in Dhum, featuring a dashing Silambarasan, popularly known as Simbhu. He has a strong passion for fashion and is making an impact in Bollywood/Kollywood.
Born to a Kenyan father and Goan mother, Sidney Sladen a.k.a. Sidney Alusa was raised in Kenya and moved to India in his teens. His interest in designing started with the designs that he made for his sister’s dolls. Realizing that he had quite an affinity for it, he went to design school at Loyola and Instituto di Burgo in Milan. » Read more…
Korto Momolu’s Designs at the Amour Creole Launch Party
Korto Momolu has wonderful fluid designs and her style is very elegant, yet simple. Several people have been clamoring to see more of her style featured here, so we thought we would show you some of the clothes she showcased at the Amour Creole magazine launch party.
Amour Creole is a Haitian fashion and entertainment magazine focusing on Haitian lifestyle, culture, art and music. » Read more…
African Fashion Awards Slated for London
African fashion is quickly being recognized as style worth watching. The western world is taking notice and taking notes.
African Events Calendar
Upcoming Events
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June 22 - 24, 2010
2010 Africa Business Conference and Trade Fair
USA - North East
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July 10, 2010
Talent-ED
USA - North East
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March 22, 2010
A “Tribute to Mama Afrika: Miriam Makeba”
USA - North East
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July 14 - 17, 2010
Africa Fashion Week New York (AFWNY) in New York
USA - North East
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