adminChipo Mapondera Fashion
Knowledge and information are power but having to access to informative resources is not always easy. Traditionally ideas in fashion were passed down from the upper echelons to the masses through print media. Magazines told us how to look for the season, and gave us access to what was happening across the globe.
This top-down approach meant that the voices and perspectives regarding fashion were controlled by a highly exclusive, closed group of individuals, reigning from London, Paris and New York. What were regarded as the world’s fashion cities.
However, this largely ignored developments in other areas, or neatly fit them into a suitable Western ideal.
I do not need to enumerate greatly on what the rise of the Internet has meant, particularly in fashion where we now have access to ideas from as far as China, Brazil, Russia and India, the new emerging consumer powers.
On the continent, the Internet has empowered fledgling brands to share their unique perspectives, and has exposed consumers to ideas that they would otherwise have been in the dark about.
We are also now able to share our sartorial choices through street style blogs where everyday individuals express themselves, interpret trends in their own unique ways, and show they have style to boot.
I must confess to being an Internet addict. I simply love being able to transport myself into a new environment at the click of a button. When I am looking for information, needing retail therapy or simply searching for information, these are some of my go-to online fashion hubs.
Fast becoming one of my favourite retail spaces, Kisua (www.kisua.com) creates unique capsule collections in collaboration with designers from Cape to Cairo. This results in a versatile and wearable offering that easily integrates into the modern wardrobe.
Worldwide delivery (including Zimbabwe) and fair return policies are added bonuses that make online shopping that much easier. TheLiveChat service allows you to speak to a customer care consultant while you browse, ensuring that this virtual shopping experience does not lack in service. Also found on the site is Kisua’s digital magazine, for keeping up with the hottest (and most stylish) names from across Africa.
One of the Guardian UK’s top African blogs, Terence Sambo, or One Nigerian Boy (www.onenigerianboy.com) continues to increase his cult following with a mix of menswear, fashion news from Africa-via-London, and showcases of his own stylish ensembles.
Sambo certainly has his finger on the pulse of what is happening in fashion, both on the continent and abroad. His blog stands out for always zoning in on the African connection, whether it is British brand Ben Sherman’s latest campaigns featuring South African model Mac Phiri, or Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo’s latest collaboration with Kenyan designer Adele Dejak.
On the local front, Mellisa Mazingi’s award-winning blog www.zimfashionista.com is the most refined source of what’s hot and happening in local fashion. As the winner of the Blogger of the Year award at last year’s Zimbabwe Fashion Awards, the work that she has been putting into her site since 2010 is more than paying off.
The concept, which she started to promote Zimbabwe as “a home for inspirational fashion and style” has also developed into somewhat of a fledgling media empire with the launch of www.zimfolio.com an online store for magazines, where you can subscribe to titles including GQ, Glamour and SA Homeowner. Intelligent young Zimbabweans adding to the conversation around fashion and putting their unique stamp on it, is exactly what we need.
Twins Justice and Innocent Mukheli and their partner Vuyo Mpantsha are making serious sartorial waves with their blog I See A Different You (www.iseeadifferentyou.tumblr.com). It is no secret that the world’s eyes are on Africa, and this team has carefully curated a home-grown image that shuns the typical view of “struggling Africa” portraying a modern and fresh perspective of what young Africans have to offer.
This vision has been tapped by brands like South African retailer Markham’s and denim brand Diesel, who were inspired by the trio’s perspective and catapulted them into the global stratosphere with the launch of their Studio Africa project. I must add that the blog, which features their fashionable ensembles, a mix dapper vintage finds and cool street wear, is are commended repository of style inspiration for men.
Often it is quite disappointing to note that many local print titles are slower than their international counterparts to establish an appealing online presence. This cannot be said of Elle.co.za (www.elle.co.za), the digital space of South African Elle, which transfers the magazine’s fashion-forward approach into a sleek and engaging platform.
Having contributed to the site, I must attest to how far-reaching their view is. I wrote on the launch of high-level hot-spots like the Veuve Clicquot champagne bar in Johannesburg, as well as Johannesburg’s unique take on urban street culture through features on the Maboneng precinct and the street-wear fair Street Cred.
The diverse range of information undoubtedly results in a well-rounded content offering, with something for all fashion aficionados.
Sharing is caring, and on the e-commerce site Afrikea (www.afrikrea.com), this concept is enhanced to create a platform where African designers, artists and craftsmen can sell their wares, and consumers can not only buy but also offer feedback on what they like, by voting on favourite items and sharing them with friends.
All users can create their own pages on the site, helping you and others to keep track of what’s new, and most desirable. I find the integration of “sharing” on the site to be a novel idea, especially as Africans love to share and gain recommendations by word-of-mouth.
This list just skims the surface of the digital spectrum of African fashion, so I will certainly revisit it and give you updates on the new sites and resources continuously cropping up. For now, make more fashionable use of your time surfing in the Internet café.
Online Reporter