Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Vogue Africa



Photographer Mario Epanya's proposal to create a Vogue Africa edition has been officially declined by Condé Nast. Epanya had been campaigning for several months and even created mock-ups of possible magazine covers, but unfortunately it was not enough to convince Condé Nast to open an African outpost.  In response to this, several bloggers have commented that the decision has racist undertones. This seems like a strong accusation considering that Vogue Italia published  The Black Issue in 2008 and has subsequently devoted a section of their site to black stylemakers called Vogue Black.
The decision not to greenlight Vogue Africa might have more to do with the fact that Africa is a continent rife with political strife and low consumer spending power. China, with a population greater than all of Africa, did not launch its own edition of Vogue until 2005. Although it would be wonderful to see a new edition of Vogue that focuses on Africa, we should not assume that Condé Nast is not considering this as a future possibility. Also, unless visits to Vogue Black and similar sites increase, it it is difficult to make a case for the success of a large-scale glossy devoted solely to African fashion. It is definitely time to see more diversity of not just color, but also culture in fashion magazines and as readers and creators of fashion content, we do not have to wait for Vogue Africa in order to make that a reality.


See more of the proposed Vogue Africa covers here


All images: Mario Epanya

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Eco Chic: Towards Sustainable Fashion




This is exhibit is currently at Scandinavia House in New York City.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Recycled Jewelry by Anita Quansah


London-based Anita Quansah is a textile designer that reworks recycled cloths into beautifully intricate fabrics which are used in haute couture collections, as well as her own clothing designs. She also utilizes this same sense of sustainable creativity when designing necklaces, incorporating found beads, chains and fabrics in innovative ways. In fact, her necklaces are  more like wearable art than jewelry and proof that clever upcycling can yield amazing results.

Tegan necklace

“anita
Tiah necklace

Calisto necklace

Arete necklace

Jewelry photos from Anita Quansah's Flickr

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010

Fashion from the Streets of Johannesburg


All Eyes on Africa


It's hard to say if the World Cup in South Africa is having an influence on fashion, but designers are definitely looking to Africa for inspiration.


Missoni Resort '11 style.com
Zulu Royalty from eshowe.com







thakoon resort 2011 african inspiration
Thakoon Resort '11
jean paul gaultier fall 2010 african inspiration
Jean-Paul Gaultier Fall '10 style.com