Danfo Yellow Collection

 

The Danfo Collection is new Fashion line from an up and coming designer Deborah Jesunami. This multi-talented designer who is the Creative Director at Illustrative Fashion Studio is also a Fashion Illustrator and Designer.

Her new collection inspired by bright yellow color of Lagos Danfo buses
is dominant in this particular line.

According to her"...There are things that makes Lagos a bright and unique city and one of them is the yellow buses popularly called Paragon or Danfo,These buses characters says a lot about what Lagos holds dear like her drive, tenacity, Panache, Excellence, Class, and if I may add her

resilience,These on-the-go qualities of the Danfo inspires/birth this urban African collection. The Danfo Yellow collection is definitely a street style for every woman..."

This time around I decided to design a collection from illustration portfolio titled
DANFO YELLOW COLLECTION

Photo Credit

Design Label & Designer : @illustrativefashion / @deborah_jesunami

Photography : @dmobphotography

Makeup & Hair : @adornbyayaoba

Models : @imforevertobi & @kingijeeonuma

Studio : @ahamibeleme

AYISSI NGA Joseph-Marie aka JJ DU STYLE is a fashion designer who creates very chic street wear. The French/Cameroonian designer whose father was a tailor, has decided to follow the footsteps of pioneer Cameroonian fashion designers such as Imane Ayissi and Martial Topolo by creating his own clothing line called 'WAZAL' which was launched in 2005.  In 2006, he launched his first designs which are worn by some celebrities such as SINGUILA, Alpeco, WAYNE BECKFORD, ROMARIC Koffi and Lalcko. His brand "WAZAL" is a blend of  “WAZA”, the name of a natural park in the extreme north of Cameroon and the letter “L” which stands for Lion, the Cameroonian symbol. The natural park symbolizes respect, while the lion symbolizes power. Article Courtesy of TalkmediaAfrica

Milk Studios' online editorial, Milk Made, has been built as a platform to showcase the work of Milk's creative community that covers the fields of Fashion,Music, Modeling and Photography. They are based in New York and Los Angeles.

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Millen Happiness Magese

According to her website "....Millen Happiness Magese is a world-renown fashion model and humble humanitarian.  When she’s not rocking the runways in Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa, the former Miss Tanzania can often be found lending her time, talents, and high energy to making a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate through her significant contributions to charities such as the Tanzania Education Trust, African Rainforest Conservancy, and the MacDella Cooper Foundation.

As a model, Ms. Magese is currently signed with Ford Models in NY, NY and Ice Model Management in Johannesburg, South Africa. Pick up any fashion magazine over the last several years and you are likely to see her as she has collaborated with many of the world’s top designers and brands including Ralph Lauren, Karen Millen, Alphadi, African Mosiaque, David Tlale, Gavin Rajah, Sun Goddess, Stoned Cherrie, Thula Sindi , Malcolm Kluk , Suzan hen, Heni, Clive, Laquan Smith, Tarun Talhian, Priscilla, Deola Segoe, Tiffany Amber, Korto Momulu just to name few. She has appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Ladybrielle, JCK (Ny), Uzuri, Bang, and Sawubona magazines and has been the subject of editorial features in Essence, True Love, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Opra, Marie Clare, Style, Glamour, and Wanted.
In addition to her work in print, Ms. Magese has appeared on CNN and acted in Television commercials for big brands such as Coke Light, JC Le Roux, Allan Grey, Guinness Milk Stout, Edgars, and Vodacom. Her appearance on “Deal or No Deal” sealed her popularity around Africa.
Ms. Magese’s work has brought her all over the world including: Milan, Hong Kong, Germany, Norway, China, New York, Paris, Spain, India, and most of the African continent. But for all of her professional talent and resulting accomplishments, helping others has always been what Millen Happiness Magese loves to do the most. This is strikingly evident throughout her career as she has involved herself deeply with various charities all over the world.
“Giving back is one of my favorite things to do because it comes straight from my heart and I feel fulfilled when am able to help others who are less fortunate than myself. Although I normally don’t talk about it, I think it’s more important to show it in action and not in words,” states the soft-spoken Ms. Magese.
Whether in the front of the camera, behind the camera or next to the camera, Ms. Magese proves that true beauty comes from the inside and has much more to do with serving others than being in the limelight. While all the attention is flattering, Ms. Magese believes the runway should be used as a platform to do good in the world.
To this end, Ms. Magese has begun to work in earnest towards establishing her own charity modeled after that of her many mentors. Millen Magese’s mission is to provide assistance to charitable organizations whose work is specifically focused in Tanzania especially causes that benefit women, children, and primary education. Her long-term plan is to build schools for children in rural areas as she believes a good education is a key to life.
In the short term, Ms. Magese will express her love for Tanzanian and African fashion by holding an event at the Tanzania International Fashion Expose to market Tanzania’s tourist attractions, designers and models both inside and outside Africa. Proceeds from the event will be fully dedicated to the   charities she works with. It is also her intention to put on the same events in New York and South Africa, all to support her mission in Tanzania..."

Amede Classics

According to her website "...Amede is a stylish label owned by Amede Nzeribe, a lawyer turned designer, who is fast becoming one of the leading lights of the vibrant Nigerian Fashion scene. Her clothing has been featured in top-rated publications, such as True Love West Africa, Genevieve Magazine, The Guardian Newspaper and on television such as Big Brother Nigeria (MNET), The Scoop (NTA) and 100% Naija (Channel O).. Her unique ability to weave together stunning combinations of colours and fabrics is perhaps inherited from her late mother, the legendary Flora Nwapa, Africa’s first female novelist, whose writing weaved together poignant themes and authentically Nigerian characters. Amede’s clothes command attention because they seem to achieve the impossible – beautifully constructed clothing in comfortable fabrics and styles. Her clothes are unmistakably African, with flowing shapes and rich colours, but they are coupled with a modern twist. She adds frills, unusual buttons, beads and sequins, funky high-cut collars, a variety of sleeves and other surprising touches. The end result is a rare combination of timeless and edgy.

Part of the magic of Amede’s clothing is that she designs almost all her own fabrics, so that you are often wearing a true original. The majority of her designs are one-offs and when she does reproduce, it is limited to very small quantities. Amede’s inspiration is literally the world around her – the nature, the patterns in a piece of jewelery or a rug, the colours of a painting. She designs with a wide variety of fabrics, from chiffon to cotton, linen to brocade, jersey, silk and satin. Amede also works with commercially available ankara, however she uses it so creatively or in unusual combinations with other fabrics, that the cloth becomes almost un-recognizable..."

Mustafa Hassanali

According to his website "...Designer Mustafa Hassanali, a celebrated name in Tanzania pursues fashion as a religion. His personable and affable demeanour in parallel with his bohemian work of art has made him amidst the premier and popular designers in Tanzania..."

Nena Kal Hunter

Nena Kal Hunter is an amazing hat designer. According to her website "...she was born in Enugu, Nigeria, to a lawyer father- Barrister Kalu K Ogba and a musician mother – Mrs Chinwe Kalu Ogba. She attended nursery school at Aunty Linda’s Nursery school, Enugu and primary at Alvan Ikoku College of Education primary school in Owerri. She also attend secondary at St Mary Magdalene’s Anglican Girls Seminary in Umuahia. Nena always knew she wanted to become a fashion designer of some sort at a very young age. Her father encouraged her. He invested loads in subscriptions of fashion and interior design magazines and filled up the home library with up to date issues. Nena had been sketching clothes since the age of three and had also been sewing clothes by hand, cutting up all of her mother’s fabrics in a bid to create gorgeous clothes..." "...Nena studied footwear design for just one semester at De Montfort University but changed her course because she felt her tutor – Steve was racist and wouldn’t pay her any attention. She later changed to train as a Contour fashion designer in the same university which incorporates (lingerie, corsetry, evening and bridal wear, sportswear, childrens wear, swimwear, club wear etc) between 1996 and 1999. Nena graduated with a second class upper degree, a 2:1 which she obviously was never happy about because she was working hard for a first class degree, but this, she had to accept with time. At University, Nena was an outstanding student. She was highly commended by top people in the industry and received several standing ovations during course presentations especially bridal wear design and bra construction for larger breasted women with smaller backs..."

Eredappa Hart

According to her website "...Eredappa Hart, is a Nigerian born designer who has mastered theart of combining classic European lines with traditional AfricanAnkara fabrics and luminescent beadwork to create a stunningcollection that has become the talk of the fashion world.

Eredappa studied Business in England but upon her return toNigeria in 1994 she rediscovered her love of fashion. Beginning withdesigning unique footwear and handbags, her accessories were soldin France and Italy. But it was the emergence of the Eredappa label in 2006, specializing in womenswear clothing that made the fashionworld sit up and take notice.

Debuting at the "This Day" FashionShow, Nigeria, the buzz spread and her customer base grew. Shewent on to showcase her collections at Pret-A-Porter, Paris, the"True Love" Fashion Awards, South Africa, and "Arise Magazine"
Fashion Week in Nigeria, 2011. This recent showing earned her thecoveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi

According to the LDA website "...Lanre Da Silva Ajayi (LDA) is the founder of eponymous self-named design label. In seven years her passion for fashion has gotten stronger making the label a fashion favourite among the media, celebrities and fashion lovers.
LDA the brand first arrived in the fashion scene in 2005 with iconic 1940’s couture signature designs - a result of what has evolved into a much more modern and cutting-edge brand and a full-blown fashion house. The label’s collection includes couture, prêt a porter, and accessories such as hairpieces and statement jewellery.

Regardless of the label’s strong historical design roots, LDA’s creatively combines pattern, print, exquisite and even traditional fabrics to produce day wear, evening wear, gowns and cocktail dresses that bridge time and make the label successful within and outside Nigeria.

LDA produces six major collections every year and has showcased locally in Nigeria and internationally including the Thisday Africa Rising Festival, London (October 2008), ARISE Africa Fashion Festival, South Africa (June 2009) and the New York Couture Fashion Week (September 2009), Arise Magazine Fashion Week, Lagos (March 2011) and the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring 2012 Made in Africa by Arise magazine, (September 2011).

She has also created four different collections for international Dutch wax print giant, Vlisco-Urban Beat, Gallery of Poems, Reflet de Lumie`re and TresorBrillant.

An LDA woman is the personification of sophistication, femininity, brilliance and boldness, which are the inspiration for each of her collections. Lanre states “Couture, colour and boldness with an edgy twist are the signature of my designs”.”.

In 2009, the first flagship boutique was launched in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. The label is also stocked at Temple Muse in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. Other retail stockists will be coming soon to various major cities across Africa, United Kingdom and the United States.

LDA has been featured in various African and international media including Vogue Black, ARISE Magazine, Daily Mail, Essence.com, Fashion Bomb.com, Zimbio.com, WWD.com, ITN News, NTN24.com, ABCNews.com, ITN News, Reuters UK and Centric/BET.

Lanre’s academic qualifications include a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Coventry University and a Masters degree in Finance from University of Leicester.

For her contributions to the Nigerian and African fashion industry, Lanre has received numerous accolades and awards for excellence.

She is married with two children..."

African Fashion Week New York

CNN says "...Thirty designers, three days and one all-important catwalk -- welcome to Africa Fashion Week in New York.

Now in its second year, the show, is already an established event. Between July 11 and July 17, fashion elites from across the African continent converged on New York to showcase their distinctive styles and talents.
"Many of these designers, of course, they're big in Africa," said founder Adiat Disu. "But people need to hear and see what is going on in Africa without having to travel there..."

Tanaya Henry

This hardworking multi talented Lady from Minneapolis has not only worked with MICROSOFT, L'OREAL, CATHERINE MALANDRINO etc but has also appeared in Jamies foxx's ft Drake "Fall for Your Type" video.Tanaya's website also has an elaborate portfolio of her works We would like to know more about her.

MATAANO

According to their website ".....Born to Somali parents and raised in both their native country and Washington DC, identical twins Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim are anything but ordinary. Having fled Somalia at the age of nine to escape the country’s civil war, both Idyl and Ayaan completed their college education at University of Michigan and Boston University, respectively, before making the bold move to Manhattan where they aimed to stand out from the rest in the world of fashion and design. Experiencing the industry from the ground up through careful study and practice, they slowly crafted their talent, weaving their cultural influence throughout each meticulously designed piece in their studio with only distant dreams of launching a collection..."

"...In 2008, the Mohallim sisters took their first step together, launching a new brand, Mataano (meaning “twins” in Somali) and furnishing a platform to express their vision and bring forth their creations to the marketplace. Mataano’s premier Spring 2009 collection launched in New York City on November 1, 2008 featuring a boutique preview of ten dresses, many of which received notice in the industry. Oprah Winfrey, the queen of daytime television, invited both siblings onto a recent show via Skype featuring the Olsen twins and young millionaire moguls. Paralleling their success with the Olsen sisters, Oprah lauded the duo for their inspiring story and much deserved success, and gave them the national credibility that will undoubtedly launch Mataano as an emerging brand with a rich cultural heritage...."

Photos courtesy of Mataano

Jo & Joe

Joel and Jolene Lim are super sibling duo based in Hong Kong as well as Singapore, are one of the rising talents in Fashion Photography, styling and Art Direction in the region.They have worked with high profile clients which include Audi, Elle, Samsung etc.

Photos courtesy of JO & JOE

Campala Photography

According to his website Campalaphotography"... Alex Ade Ogundiran is a Celebrity beauty and Fashion Photographer making waves in the world of Fashion. This successful former model-turned has worked with the best of the best and is passionate about redefining BEAUTY with one click of the camera. He has recently worked together with Nicole Fox, current winner of America's Next Top Model and face for Covergirl cosmetics.
Photos courtesy of Campalaphotography

Swahili Fashion Week

According to their web page "...An eclectic mix of Swahili culture ensconced with chic style; Swahili Fashion week is the dawn of a new era. Initiating a dynamic and promising platform for the fashion industry in Tanzania, the Swahili Fashion Week is a coming together of talented designers from across the country under one stand to showcase their unique and truly African creations. This is not only a potential point for existing designers but also an opportune moment for upcoming aspiring designers in the country..."

A|X:TV

A|X:TV, is an online video platform by Armani Exchange, which will target the A|X Generation.It also gives people interested in fashion an inside look at the hottest people, looks, and lifestyle of the behind-the-scenes of fashion with the new A|X:TV from Armani Exchange.

"...A|X:TV also brings up close and personal interviews with the worlds hottest DJs, giving exclusive glimpses into never-before-seen footage from the DJs point-of-view..."

Poodle Pusher

Bella Naija writes about a fashion stylist company called Poodle Pusher started by Ogo and Chi Chi.BN says "...Capitalizing on what came naturally to them both, they set up Poodle Pusher in November 2008; a wardrobe and fashion stylist company that allows them to explore their interest and be creatively self- expressive. Surprisingly, fashion seems to be a realm where a bit of distinction lies with these two; and it is in this distinction, their many similarities, shared experiences and ideals that their business continues to thrive!.."

Chanel Iman

According to Wikipedia "...Chanel Iman Robinson (born November 30, 1989), better known as Chanel Iman, is an American fashion model.Robinson was born in Atlanta, Georgia to China Robinson of African American(father) and Korean heritage. She grew up in Culver City, California and attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles currently she is home schooled.

...Iman walked down the runway for the first time in the Fall/Winter 2006 season for high-end brands like Custo Barcelona and DKNY; since then she has modelled for many top designers, including Dolce & Gabbana, Issey Miyake, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Dsquared, Hermès, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui, Diane von Fürstenberg, Vera Wang, Jean Paul Gaultier and Stella McCartney. In her short career, she has appeared in advertising campaigns for Bottega Veneta, GAP, Victoria's Secret Pink, and United Colors of Benetton..."

She appeared with models Du Juan and Coco Rocha in the Spring 2007 issue of TIME Style&Design. In the May 2007 issue of US Vogue she was featured on the cover with fellow models Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Agyness Deyn, Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Hilary Rhoda, and Lily Donaldson as the new crop of supermodels. Chanel also appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue alongside fellow American teenage models Ali Michael and Karlie Kloss in 2008.


In October 2007, Chanel appeared with her mother on an episode of the Tyra Banks Show. Chanel is also close friends with model Dani Evans.


Photos by Marcio Madeira, Don Ashby and Olivier Claisse courtesy of Style.com

Mimi Blix

With her fabulous name and exotic looks, Mimi Blix who is of Ugandan and Norwegian roots is not only a top fashion model but also a talented singer/guitarist/drummer for a rock band.

Now at the age of 18 she is said to be very focused on her career. She is currently doing lots of photo shoots around the world. Formerly a ballet dancer she was discovered by a photographer in Oslo. We are interested to know more about her.


Mimi Blix Slide show

Photos courtesy of The fashion Spot

Selita Ebanks

Wikipedia writes "..Selita Ebanks was born on February 15, 1983 in George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. She is of Caymanian, Jamaican, Irish and Indian descent..."

"...At 17 years old, while walking through the turnstiles at Six Flags Great Adventures, Ebanks was scouted by an agent from Elite Model Management. Ebanks had worked with some of the world's most noted photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Steven Klein, Carter Smith and Mikael Jansson, and for some of the most quintessential American fashion campaigns, including Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi's and Tommy Hilfiger.

Ebanks is currently working as a model for Victoria's Secret. She had previously done work for their Ipex Bra line, before being signed.

She and fellow up-and-coming model Izabel Goulart made their major début in the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She is now officially one of the Victoria's Secret Angels.

Ebanks views Tyra Banks as a mentor. In 2005, Tyra Banks said she was proud of Ebanks to be representing for black women at Victoria's Secret...."

Photos courtesy of Actress Archives