Africa:MLM gets a boost from fashion scheme

love to read good news from Africa

Lilian Mido, 35 is a mother of three and has been a multi-level marketer for close to a decade.

Ms Mido has seen ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of the marketing model simply referred to as MLM. In her first stop, she sold supplements, with promises of a good return.

She threw in all her might into selling the products, touring different parts of the country, but the returns were nothing to write home about.

Then she moved to another one with its headquarters based in East – Asia and offices here, it was a case of same script different cast. Just when she was about to throw in the towel a year ago, she learnt of Angel Fashion Accessories, a franchised MLM company from South Africa.

Angel has taken the multi-level marketing model a notch higher in the country. Unlike the approach where the marketers nag you half of the time, Angel has improvised a subtle but highly effective way.

Catherine Gakonyo, the local coordinator, explains, “I was in South Africa and I saw a lady wearing amazing  jewellery, naturally I inquired.

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South Africa:Flight of fancy fashion

nice idea i´d love to travel with them

In what may be an aviation and fashion first for South Africa, no-frills airline 1Time plans to take designer trends to new heights.

Fashion at FL330 — a fashion show 33000 feet above sea level — will also combine sexy models and champagne with much more than the tired “beef or chicken” menu.

Passengers on the chartered flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town on November 1 will be introduced to the Spring collection of label Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier, by models who will strut down the aircraft’s aisle.

Celebrity guests on the flight will include Paralympics star Oscar Pistorius, SABC3 presenter Liesel van der Westhuizen and DJ Lady Lea.

Tickets, going for R3 800 a seat, include an on-board menu of sushi, Chinese-style dishes and a baked tart topped with grilled mushrooms, pear and brie.

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South African Fashion Week Scoop part I: Story

news from the South African Fashion Week

Sanche Frolich of Story

Story, one of South Africa’s most innovative labels, has already become a must-see show on the Fashion Week roster despite its recent addition.

Designer Sanche Frolich had this to say of her new Spring/Summer collection ahead of the runway show:

“It’s a journey into luxury. Sheets of barely there chiffon and featherlight organza create a look as light as air. Graphic cuts and splashes of colour keep the mood contemporary. I’ve used sugary shades with natural tone fabrics and local craft details. It’s very eclectic. I’ve never done anything like it. It’s full-colour and very feminine.”

Sanche also chose to work with crafters from the DAC for the first time.

“They added a lot more finer detail. The garments are a lot more intricate and interesting. Instead of traditional African beading we introduced glass and wood. We also used painted fabrics.”

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60 Seconds with Nhlanhla Nciza, musician & fashion designer

news from South Africa

The best thing about SA Fashion Week is…

That they work as a platform for up-and-coming designers and help grow local brands. We’re not international, but we’re almost there.

The worst thing?

That there are certain rules, such as how many garments to show and you don’t get to invite as many people as you would like.

How far are you going to go on the catwalk when you take your bow?

You know what, if it’s not too long I’ll walk the whole way, otherwise it will be halfway. It will also help to take my designers, Ogone and Mashudu Matshidiso, with me.

My most surprising fan is…

Basetsana Kumalo. I’ve even asked her to model my showstopper gown.

How much input do you have in the NN Vintage designs?

I’d say 80 percent and I let the guys add on what I’ve briefed them about. I can’t sketch so they do that and if there’s something I don’t like, I change it. I’m particular about the materials we buy.

Will you ever be caught without shades?

Yes, there are times when I don’t wear them, like when there’s no sun. On stage I wear them throughout.

Seeing you’re in fashion and music, who makes more money, you or your husband?

It doesn’t matter. That’s all I can say, we’re husband and wife and we both work.

My best pair of heels are…

Phindi K’s. I love the quality. I don’t normally wear high heels, but hers are comfortable.

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Cape Town catwalks spotlight SA as fashion frontier

good article if you want to read more about the South African designers

From avant-garde couture to wispy romantic ready-to-wear, SouthAfrica’s growing viability as a new fashion frontier was paraded on the ramps at Cape Town’s Fashion Week this weekend.

Picture: darkieclothing.co.za

Veteran South African designers launched their spring/summer 2008 collection alongside young unknowns as the country aims to provide aspringboard for the growing array of fashion talent at the tip of Africa.Bursting with creativity, South African designers are working to show their skills can compete worldwide.

Themba Mngomezulu – the designer of South African label Darkie – first became interested in fashion when he helped his mother sellsecondhand clothes.

“We know what we want and who we are,” Mngomezulu said after showing his latest collection, youthful and urban in seasonal brights peppered with slogans and the ever present image of the Afro-comb to the soulful sounds of Ray Charles and Nina Simone.

“We have got the vision in this country. Internationally people have been using Africa as an inspiration for years. It is time for African designers to benefit,” says Evan Schiff, spokesman of Africa Fashion International, which runs the event.

“Traditionally the only stories coming out of Africa are of war, famine and despots. We are trying to put something else out there.

There are lots of beautiful things coming out of here,” he told AFP.

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Dedicated leader of fashion

I´m back from my holidays/vacation and it was truly refreshing So here we go:

For Moloi-Motsepe, life is a beautiful dance, writes Nomfundo Xulu

When meeting the humble Precious Makgosi Moloi-Motsepe for the first time, one would never guess that she is one of South Africa’s most envied women.

Not only is she married to mining magnate Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe, and a successful businesswoman in her own right, she is a force behind fashion.

Moloi-Motsepe says she has always loved fashion, but when her family bought a controlling stake in a company that hosts fashion weeks around the country she was forced to look at it from a completely different perspective.

She is now the chairman of African Fashion International, which organises fashion weeks in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

The elegant Moloi-Motsepe struts into the reception area of the Park Hyatt Hotel in the north of Johannesburg, chatting on a phone. She is clearly busy. Johannesburg Fashion Week has just drawn to a close and she is gearing up for the Cape Town affair.

“There is so much to be done before fashion week hits the Mother City next month, ” says the mother of three boys, a former medical doctor.

“A lot of effort goes into ensuring that the aim of fashion week is reached. The fashion weeks are possibly the best platform from which to promote and encourage South African designers.

“We try our best to ensure that the audience is filled with potential consumers, be it individuals or companies, fashion media that can further expose the talent we have, and aspiring designers, who can learn from the clothes that are showcased on the ramp. And, because the industry, though growing rapidly, still has quite a way to go in comparison with global [competitors] , I consider the fashion weeks essential,” she says.

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