Cyprus-based Zimbabwean designer Pambayi Kapenzi continues to scale to greater heights since the launch of his label in August 2015. The brand, called “Legacy” and now internationally recognised, has a collection from haute-couture to ready-to-wear.

The label is seen on hoodies, T-shirts and bottoms and is causing a stir in countries like Canada, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Cyprus among others and is based on African print.

In an online interview recently, affectionately known as K-Pay, said he chose the name “Legacy” because of an identification crisis.

“My plan is to make ‘Legacy’ the biggest African label in the world. "I came up with the name ‘Legacy’ because I wanted to create something that will last forever and this can be achieved by making clothes of a high quality and which are different. I have always been fascinated with the thought of designing my own clothes. I was sick and tired of going into shops and looking for things to match my style so I decided to design my own,” he said.

K-Pay, a third year student at Cyprus International University studying advertising and public relations, said so far the challenges he faces is demand due Zimbabwean celebrities abroad.

“I am happy that the label is growing by the day. Demand is high for a clothing label coming up so it really strains. I am working on opening a shop back home this year 2016. So far people can only buy online. ‘Legacy’ has been featured in numerous blogs by bloggers in Tanzania, Cyprus, South Africa, Canada and Australia,” he said.

Asked who his role model was he said he was inspired by societal settings. “My role model is my mother although sometimes I am inspired by societal settings to come up with a design. She is my pillar of strength. I have learnt not to give up from her. I also like Kanye West because he is daring, loves to be different and does not stick to one lane,” he said.

“I started ‘Legacy’ clothing in August 2015, designing my own clothes. My friends later asked me who I was wearing and this gave me the desire to venture into the business. I started making T-shirts and soon the demand got too high that I moved on to making a winter collection which has been highly successful in different parts of the globe,” he said.

He said the main reason he was making it big was the uniqueness of his style. “Fashion is an in-born thing and to me it is just like drinking water. My sense of style has made me go so far. I am happy that the designing industry is growing but most designers lack depth. They should do research on styles and be creative so that they don’t imitate others. Looking closely, clothes are the same but they need that unique touch to create a brand,” he said.

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The organizing committee for the 2016 Miss Africa EMU is out with an online form to help those that want to contest for the coveted crown. This was initiated to make it easier for anyone to register, whether from home, church, market, etc :)

Kindly follow the link below and submit your details and other requirements for the crown.

Miss Africa EMU 2016 Beauty Pageant Entry Form

For more inquiries, please contact Rossy on 0533 849 6109.

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Even if we’re completely satisfied with the way we look in the mirror, a truly bad picture can make us miserable for days, even if we think we know how to pose for pictures. Chances are, even the most confident, self-possessed woman has occasionally fallen victim to the scourge known as the unflattering photo.

The good news is this: Unless you’re being shot by a photographer with professional lighting and sets, odds are you’re not going to look stunning in every shot. Why is this good? Because it means that those dinky iPhone photos, the images of you hastily taken by party photographers at an event, or half-assed street style photos snapped during Fashion Week mean nothing when it comes to how you really look.


After all, a really good picture is less about reality, and more about knowing how to position yourself for the camera. Yes positioning is the Key.

Watch the video below to understand better.

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This is a great opportunity for talented students or even those not talented to learn the art and craft of making clothes a.k.a Tailoring.

Themed: "LEARN TAILORING IN ONE MONTH"

This is an initiative of a concerned African student in conjunction with the International Students Office of the Near East University [NEU].

More details below:

Commencement Date/Duration:
5th January - 30th January

Time:
11.00am - 01.00pm

Venue:
International Office Room
NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY - TRNC

MORE INFO? Call or Text: +90 548 891 1126

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Earlier this December lecturers and students gathered to witness an African fashion show in the CIU Faculty of Fine Arts. The ice was broken by a series of speeches from the high end officials of the institute. The Acting Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Prof. Dr. Nezih Ayıran, was instrumental in motivating the students as he spoke about his own experience on the road to become a designer. He mentioned a remarkable statement that was made by his first lecturer that triggered his interest in the subject. Assist. Prof. Dr. Cemil Atakara followed suit with a talk quoting the famous words by Le Corbusier: “a building is a machine that we live in.’’

When I took to time to analyse the various speakers that graced us with their words I realise how versatile one can be as a designer. From the inspiring words that motivate an architect right down to the historical lesson of veteran artists, the function lingered though with a touch of education. Humour was not ignored and occasionally roars of laughter were heard in the audience.

Jubril Atanda and his co-host seemed to be the centrepiece as they ushered on and off the professors that wanted to impart knowledge. They also took time to commemorate the achievements of honour and high honour pupils. These were privileged to shake the hands of the professors and get a picture taken for memories sake.

Next came the long-awaited fashion show. Business was first, then pleasure was allowed. Music was played that had a hint of ‘I am African’. Ladies and gentleman from different nationalities and ethnic groups began to approach the stage one by one. They showed off their traditional dresses and some went further to demonstrate cultural greetings. This in some way increased the liveliness of the people as they cheered on their associates with enthusiasm.


At the end of it all they bowed their heads and concluded the function by a dance better known as the 1-2 Step. Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Morocco were all represented. I remembered the words of George McGovern: “The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one’s country deep enough to call her to a higher plain.”

The students also made an effort to hand up their best works in the info centre. It currently looks like an exhibition area as many innovative building plans have found their way there. The space is also occupied with working models and colourful pictures.

*Originally written by Felix Tasimba Madziwanyika for CIU Ajans Learn more »

Beckham reveals she begins each day by checking on her four children and with a 6 a.m. workout. She also unveils a sly sense of humor. Her most surprising trait? “Comedy gold,” she deadpans.

She definitely knows how to laugh at her former career as a member of the Spice Girls. Asked what one film she could star in, she reminds her interviewer she already had her wish fulfilled.

“I starred in ‘Spice World,’ the movie, and I am still waiting for my Outstanding Achievement Award,” she explains.

Beckham addresses everything from the best next-door neighbor ever, to advice she would give her 13-year-old self in the latest Vogue video. She also dishes on what she loves about her husband and why she never, ever smiles.

Among the morsels revealed: 

*She has a pet, Coco Chanel, “the bulldog who lives in L.A.”
*Don’t make her pick between Harry or William. She won’t.
*Heels or flats? Both. Same answer when asked, diamonds or pearls?
*She used to be able to juggle.
*If she could bring one thing to England from the United States, it would be a fanny pack. (Validation for Matthew McConaughey!)
*Her perfect date? A night in with her husband.
*She “absolutely” believes in love at first sight. And at first sight, what made her fall in love with her husband, David Beckham? “Duh!”

*She lives fashion at work and at home: “Mr. Valentino lives next door to me and it doesn't get much better than that."
*Except for when she got to sing with a musical legend: “I’ve dueted with Sir Elton John and it doesn't get much better than that.”
*She would give reassuring advice to her 13-year-old self: “Your skin’s going to clear up and it’s all going to be fine.”

Beckham was also asked the one question she absolutely hates: Why don't you smile?

“I’m smiling on the inside," she explained. "I feel that I have a responsibility to the fashion community.”

Watch video below:

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Style House Files has presented designers at the International Fashion Showcase since the British Council and British Fashion Council launched the initiative in 2012. This year, in collaboration with Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and co sponsored by Fayrouz Nigeria, British Council and Haute Fashion Africa, Lagos Fashion & Design Week presented designers Grey, Iamisigo, Kenneth Ize, Orange Culture and Temitayo Nathan at an exhibition themed “Meta 5″, curated by Yegwa Ukpo, who won Best Curator Award for Style House Files on Awards Night.

The exhibition was an experiment in time that admires both the naturally – subtle and wildly – obvious progressions in the trajectory of a designer’s fashion artistry.

It is the designer’s distinct, innate personal characteristics that creates an opportunity to bear witness to the fruition of their art. Too often, the journey of design can be a blur, but this showcase attempts to focus, contemplate and reflect on the oft-overlooked design qualities of these fashion artisans. The exhibition concept is designed by A White Space Creative Agency.

Speaking on the Award, the LFDW Fashion Focus Creative Director, Wadami Amolegbe stated “At Style House Files, we take pride in our expertise for collaborating with the finest talent in Nigeria. We’re very proud to have assigned Yegwa Ukpo as Curator for 5: Metamorphis exhibition.. who worked closely with Lagos Fashion & Design Week’s Awards & Fashion Focus Alumni. Yegwa’s uncanny ability to reinterpret fashion beyond its seemingly obvious to a diverse audience, captured the attention of the Judges at International Fashion Showcase 2015 and earned him the coveted prize of “Best Curator IFS 2015″.

The “Meta 5″ installation is first in a series of year long initiatives organised by Lagos Fashion & Design Week, targeted at nurturing, promoting and developing talents from the African Continent.

Source: Haute Fashion Africa Learn more »

On Beauty Beats, we'll be showing you the secrets of the make-up, hair and other beauty ideas you've been searching for.  On this weeks edition of beauty beats we have a few tips for the men with beards. Nnamdi Awa-Kalu shows us how to keep and maintain a beard by giving tips on how he grooms his.
Enjoy! 

Watch video below:

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Credits

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Wearing your denim inside your boots is a stylish move, but it started out as a practical one. 19th-century frontiersmen and cowboys would tuck their pants into their boots to keep them free of debris and prevent them from snagging on brush when they rode their horses. We don’t have those same needs today, but you can still channel the rough-and-tumble grit of our Wild West forefathers. The trick is in finding the right proportions. 

First, the jeans. They should be slim, but not skintight. You should be able to grab about an inch and a half of fabric or less just below the knee. That way, they’ll fit inside your boots and stay there comfortably, so your straight and relaxed fit denim won’t work here. Also, the leg opening of the jeans should be narrow so it won’t come loose. Avoid any boot cut or flared jeans (in general, but especially for tucking into boots.)

Next, you should have boots that rise above your ankle and have room inside for the jeans. The more rugged and beat up the boots, the better. You’ll look like a tool if you try to tuck into a pair of shiny Chelsea or ankle boots. When lacing, stop a few lace holes from the top, wrap the laces around the back of your boot, then bring them around front again and tie them. That will create a rakish and authentic look.

After you’ve laced up, slightly tug on the jeans so they crease a little just above the top of the boots. The most important part of this look? Wear it with confidence. The second you start doubting your choice, you’ll come across as contrived. Now, go do our cowboy ancestors proud.

Credit: Men's Style Magazine October 2014

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Starvation, child labor, sexual abuse and grueling hours for almost no pay. Working conditions no one should experience are too often the hallmarks of a runway model's career.

With Paris Fashion eWeek in full swing, images of beauty, glamour and jet-setting lifestyles are dominating the fashion landscape. But for the average working model, the fashion industry can mean a much darker reality. Beyond the low pay — the average annual wage for a runway model is $26,600 per year, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics — the industry is littered with stories of abuse and degradation.

In 2012 Sara Ziff, a model and former face of Tommy Hilfiger, founded The Model Alliance, an organization dedicated to improving working conditions for models in what is essentially an unregulated industry. The philosophy, as outlined in its Models’ Bill of Rights, is to empower models and demand fair treatment from both agencies and clients.

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“As a model, you’re meant to have a face and not an opinion,” says Yomi Abiola, a model and the founder of Stand Up for Fashion (STUFF). “Models who want to stand up and voice their opinion jeopardize their ability to work.”

Beyond child labor, The Model Alliance tackles eating disorders and sexual abuse. In that same survey conducted by The Model Alliance, 64% reported being asked to lose weight by their agency.

“We still hear from models who say that their agencies encourage or even require them to be dangerously thin," says Ziff.

As for sexual harassment, 30% of models in that survey reported inappropriate touching on the job, with 28% reporting being pressured to have sex with someone at work.

In the end it’s about convincing people to view models as humans and not simply as objects of fantasy. “Not as dehumanized images,” Ziff states on The Model Alliance website, “but as workers who deserve the same rights and protections as anyone else.”

[Source]

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Are you as confused about the weather these days as we are? The mornings and evenings are so frigid that you can literally feel the hair growing on your freshly shaved legs (ugh) while sunny afternoons have you wondering “is it still summer?” It’s enough to make anyone want to call it quits and move elsewhere. If you're already live in a better place with great weather, then good for you. We want your lives.

Okay, so indecisive weather is totally messing with our outfits. How do you dress when the temperature fluctuates from low to high within a short space of time? You wear socks with sandals, that’s how.

Stop scoffing. We’re not kidding. Sure, the socks-and-sandals look is generally attributed to unfashionable tourists and soccer coaches, but like anything that's so ugly it’s pretty, it has become a trend. This is real life people! We can’t make this stuff up!

Wearing socks with sandals can be totally chic if you pair it the right way, as countless designers have convinced us in recent runway shows. If Mary Kate and Ashley can do it, then gosh darn it, so can we!

Check out some pic suggestions below:

1. Sporty Spice

Sporty Low Heel Sandals

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2. Hey, Hippies

Arizona in Oiled Leather

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3. Class It Up

"Pekny" Heels

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4. Neon Nights

Harvest Time leather flatform sandals

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5. Streetstyle Superstar

"Nonstp" shoes"

What are your thoughts? Will you be sporting this transitional trend?

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Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss has won the coveted Miss World 2014 title, beating more than 120 other contestants at a glittering ceremony held at ExCel London Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Miss World 2014 was handed her crown by the reigning Miss World 2013, Megan Young of the Philippines, and cheered on by second and third runners-up, Miss Hungary Edina Kulcsár and Miss United States Elizabeth Safrit.

According to the Miss World Official website, the 22 year-old is fourth year medical student, and enjoys playing the sports golf, netball and cycling, and reading inspirational and educational books.

The top five finalists at this year's Miss World beauty pageant were contestants from England, United States, Hungary, Australia and South Africa.

The other contestants who made it to the top 10 were:

4. Australia: Courtney Thorpe, a marketing student
5. England: Carina Tyrrell, a med student at the prestigious University of Cambridge.
6. Guyana: Rafieya Husain, a business administration student
7. Brazil: Julia Gama, a chemical engineering student
8. Kenya: Idah Nguma, a marketing executive
9. Mexico: Daniela Álvarez Reyes, Miss Mundo Mexico
10. India: Koyal Rana, NGO and director of the Moksha Foundation

People's Choice winner: Thailand: Nonthawan Nonthawan Thongleng, a singer, TV host and model
The ceremony also featured a tribute to Indian actress Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994.

More pics below:

Strauss is the first Miss World titleholder from South Africa in 40 years and the first to win the competition in more than 55 years. In 1974, Miss United Kingdom Helen Elizabeth Morgan from Wales won the pageant and had to relinquish her crown days after it was discovered that she has a child, which defied competition rules. Miss South Africa at the time, Anneline Kriel, later took her place. The first and last time a competitor from her and Strauss' country was crowned at the annual competition was in 1958, with winner Penelope Anne Coelen.

Credit: eOnline UK

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THE BUDGET BABE: Winter Collection for the chic girl with style [FASHION]

COMPLETE FASHION: The Fashion center for the budget girl with style...Read More

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We've all been there: you’re having a blast with your best friends out on a Saturday night, laughing about something that weird guy at the bar just said, and realizing, with painful horror, that your feet feel like someone has pierced your skin with a thousand needles. Wearing heels out is both the right and the plight of any University female student—they look so, so good in pictures, but by the time 2 AM rolls around (or, let’s be honest, 11:30 PM), your feet feel like scrunched and burned piles flesh recently doused in acid, lol.

But hey! it doesn’t have to be that way. These heels are both beautiful and comfortable – meaning that you can wear them out way past 2 AM and into the wee hours of the morning, dominating the dance floor until you pass out from exhaustion, not poor circulation.

1. The Cork Wedge

Embrace the last days of this Indian summer at an outdoor bar or backyard party in these wedge sandals. Because the toes are on a platform, and the wedge extends to the heel, any pressure on your foot will be distributed evenly, making the event of a sore ankle less likely. The strategically placed ankle and toe straps will keep your kickers in place and supported from sun down to sun up.

2. The Hardest-Working Bootie

Again with the wedge, these booties make the transition into fall effortlessly. They’ll keep your toes away from that guy who's stomping on everyone’s feet at the frat party and make your outfit look extra hot. As an added bonus, a shoe this classic is pretty much occasionless, meaning you can wear it anywhere, any time, at any point in the year.

3. The '90s Sandal

The '90s are back, people! Celebrate the decade of your birth by bringing out a pair of totally on-trend sandals with a stacked heel. They go with basically everything (if you want to be super “of-the-moment,” you’ve gotta wear ‘em with socks) and are ridiculously comfortable. Get ready to boogie, lady—bonus points if you request Backstreet Boys from the DJ.

4. The Fancy Shmancy Heel

Amp up your heel game with these sweet-yet-sexy ankle strap heels. The slight platform will protect your toes from getting sore, and the ankle strap will keep your foot in place throughout a big night out. Don’t they just look like something they’d wear on Dancing With the Stars? Yeah, we think so, too.

5. The “It” Shoe

This stacked heel shoe is the shoe of the season, mostly because it’s oh-so-comfy. The chunky heel will keep you balanced and feeling sturdy, and the soft leather upper will feel like slippers—seriously! Wear ‘em with almost anything; jeans, skirts, dresses and more are all fair game. Then, head out to dance until you can’t dance no mo’.

*Culled from Her Story

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Loza Maléombho has been described as “African street chic fashion.” The label is a high street fashion brand founded in 2009 and based in New York City. While suggesting contemporary clothing to a fashion forward and international woman it is a mixture of modern and trendy silhouettes with an ethnic and tribal edge in textile. Loza Maléombho as a brand stands for the idea that Fashion could make a radical change in the West African job market and believes that health and education provide for better economic development. Therefore, not only will a percentage of benefit provide for schools and hospitals in W. African countries, it will also create jobs by installing local factories and workshops for the production.

Brazilian born and of Ivorian and Central African origins, Loza Maléombho was raised in Abidjan, Côte-d’Ivoire (W. Africa.) At age 14 and still ignorant of Fashion design as a profession, she found interest in designing dresses for her mother aunts and sisters and put together fashion competitions for her cousins. It wasn’t until 2000, that she moved to the United States. In 2006 she graduated from the University of the Arts of Philadelphia then moved to New York city with a mission to gain fashion experience – Now she is launching her label.

Here is a sneak peek of the designer’s latest lookbook:

http://www.lozamaleombho.com/

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