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Saturday, December 7 2024

If you love fashion, you love it no matter where it comes from, and Africa is no different. 

Africa has a long rich history of culture, brimming with opportunities. The lands are as rich and rooted in as much diversity as their people.

fashion
Model wearing a look from South African Based brand, Laanirani. Photo courtesy of Armando Genyero.

AFRICAN FASHION MIXES TRADITION WITH MODERNITY

Its fashion is so unique you cannot quantify it. It’s freeing and bears no labels.

It mixes tradition with modernity; its fashion is the epitome of sustainability just like how the people live: being creative and innovative, turning sacks into outfits made for kings and queens, raffia into bags, cowrie shells into gowns and turmeric into paint. Everything is luxurious and handmade while simultaneously preserving the land around them.

African fashion gives hope and is rooted in community, showing the people’s capabilities and transforming perceptions so ignorantly made about its people. 

African fashion gives hope and is rooted in community.

A FOUNTAIN OF CREATIVITY

fashion
 Model wearing a neckpiece from artisanal Luxury jewelry brand from Burundi Margaux Wong. Photo courtesy of Armando Genyero.

Fifty-four countries yet ignored and left out in the global world. How could this be and for so long?  A continent that has inspired great minds (read Picasso) in terms of creativity, yet African creativity is questioned. Is it good enough, is it worth the money?

African culture cannot be manufactured somewhere else. African creativity is inspirational and has informed a world that has not yet fully seen and witnessed that creativity.

You see, the stories of Africa have for so long been told through the lens of another. The time for that is over. Africans are now telling their own stories. 

A FASHION SHOW AND MUCH MORE

In June, the company Let Me Show You Different (LMSYD) hosted its first African Designers show that celebrated African creativity and gave African creatives an opportunity on the global platform.

Africans are now telling their own stories.

 Model wearing a look from Kenyan Brand Sevaria. Photo courtesy of Armando Genyero.

The show featured five different African designers: Adele Dejak, an Anglo-Nigerian designer based in Kenya; Kiko Romeo from Kenya; Sevaria from Kenya; the Label Saba from Kenya; Margaux Wong from Burundi; and Laanirani from South Africa.

The event celebrated by indulging in the cuisines of South Africa provided to us by Taste of Soweto and enjoying Senegalese food from Chef David of Pikine Grill. There was music from Mbira and marimbas being played by Obert and his Zimbabwean family.

Guests played the djembe taught by Francis, a Ghanaian. And Africans danced as if they were back home, all in unison! 

LMSYD created an event that was not African-inspired but African-led. It showcased Africans as the authors of their story, sharing their beautiful fashion with this special gathering and spreading their culture.

Much more than a fashion show, this event showcased African identity and creativity.

fashion
Sustainable designer Shamyra Moodley from South Africa getting a model runway ready. Photo courtesy of Armando Genyero.
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About Author

Koya Nyangi

Koya Nyangi was born and raised in Kenya and lives in the United States. She describes herself as a full-fledged African who is very proud of her heritage. She is also the CEO and Founder of Let Me Show You Different.

If you have a conversation with Koya, she will always tell you something cool happening in Africa (like how Chef Baci from Nigeria put Nigerian food on the map as she won the Guinness World Record). She will also tell you something that will fascinate you because you may never hear it otherwise since African stories often go untold.

As Koya immerses herself in different cultures, she realizes she also has a strong need to share her culture. She wants to talk about African creatives and advocate for their work as well as talk about how Africans are innovating in tech, fashion, literature, art, design and music.

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