Explosions of African themed color and cutting-edge designs were the talk of the night at the celebration of the Day of the African Child, where AfroBella Natural Hair Studio took to The No1 Ladies Coffee House last weekend to give local designers a chance to display their designs.
Speaking to the marketing spokesperson, Monica Dube-Sekhwela, spoke about what June 16 means to AfroBella.
"The Day of the African Child is a day where youth stood up to speak out on the injustices they suffered concerning poor education, and other issues that concerned them. Even up today youth are still trying get their voices heard on issues that concern them. So this day is to commemorate those that lost their lives standing up for their rights and making sure their deaths are not in vain."
On a night dedicated to the African Child, the crowd came dressed in delicate African attire that showed their heritage and place of resonance, as well as designer clothes to contribute to the celebrations. Men were seen dressed in dashiki's, a highly stylized and rendered garment with an ornate V-shaped collar. Some of the ladies in the crowd came dressed to impressed in their Traditional djellabas, which are made of wool in different shapes and colors.
AfroBella Brand Ambassador, Fifi Mathambo went on to state that it’s crucial to encourage young talents on their work and guide them where necessary.
“ It is important to support the designers and models showcasing on this platform, especially on such an important day to us as young people,” Mathambo said.
Local designers were approached by AfroBella in order to collaborate with each other to celebrate the day of the African Child. In doing this, there allowed to be diversity amongst the designs that would be portrayed, as each designer had their own style and their own inspirations. Phenyo Oaitse, Tshepo Manne, Lindiwe Keitshokile, Kaone Moremong and Oteng wamoTaki Lepere were among the list of talents given a great opportunity to show people their designs and embrace the African Child.
Catching up with one of the prominent young designers Phenyo Oaitse, she set down with The Fashion Meet Up team and talked about some of her designs and the inspiration behind it.
1.What inspired some of the designs that were displayed?
The name of my collection is 'AfriTorial' which is a combination of African editorial. I used a whole lot of African colors in a modern western way. With most of my designs, I'm inspired by elegance and boldness and designers such as Balmain and David Tlale.
2. Can you talk a little about your clothing line and brand?
March Couture is all about boldness, elegance and sophistication. I've been designing ladies wear since early 2015 and in early March, I launched my third collection ' AfriTorial,' as a way of celebrating my twenty-first birthday.
The young and talented Phenyo Oaitse went on to give us the scoop on her next collection, telling us to be on the look out for something exciting that is coming later this year.
Another established designer that we set and talked with is Lindiwe Keitshokile with her brand name ' Tswana Hustler.' Lindiwe has showcased some of her designs around the city and has added a lot of growth and exposure to fashion in the country. After the AfroBella fashion show, The Fashion Meet Up team set with Lindiwe and talked all things fashion.
3.What made you decide to showcase some of your designs at the AfroBella Day of the African Child 2017?
I was there to celebrate the African child and fight for their rights. The youth actually have a voice, rights and gifts and talents that need nurturing so basically it is the freedom that the youth have that this day reminds me of.
2. What is the initial message behind your designs?
My designs were inspired by the hopes, dreams, talents and gifts that African youth have which are signified by the break of dawn and the shining sun as well as fire, hence the reds, oranges and tan used in most of my collection from the show. It showed the passion that the youth have for life and our dreams.
3. What do you have to say about your brand Tswana Hustler?
My clothing line, 'Tswana Hustler' and the name comes from seeing the youth of Botswana working hard at being business people/entrepreneur, through the numerous projects that they do. It's a luxury brand for women mostly, especially looking at the long flowy dresses. They are sexy, playful and mostly avant-garde.
Lindiwe signed off her interview by stating her gratitude towards AfroBella.
"The AfroBella show was super awesome and I can't wait to see what other shows they have up their sleeve,"
Marketing spokesperson Monica Dube-Sekhwela continued to talk about the prospects about another AfroBella show coming to Botswana. This is what she had to say. " There will be another big event. We are still planning for next year, just watch the space. June 16 next year is a definite one and you can expect to see us again with our hair and fashion show and some workshops that touch on issues that concern youth and Day of the African Child."
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