FASHION SPOTLIGHT : Ikiré Jones SS ’14 Collection

Ikiré Jones is a Menswear company that marries African aesthetics with Neapolitan tailoring.  Conceived in Nigeria, made in Brooklyn & Philadelphia, USA by Wale Oyejide one of Esquire Magazine‘s “Best Dressed Real Men in America”.

The Designer

Born and raised in Nigeria, and like many West Africans, traveled back and forth to the United States and other parts of the world while growing up.  Also an Afrobeat musician, an attorney and a menswear designer. No formal fashion training. Inspired by images of people who look at ease and comfortable with who they are.  He says in an OkayAfrica 2013 interview

“I am personally not aware of any brand that has combined high-end Italian construction and African elements, and presented them with the sort of inspired-narratives that I have” 

He collaborates with bespoke tailor Samuel Hubler.

Wale Oyejide. Photography by David Evan McDowell

In an era where caricatures parade the streets like Emperors in New Clothes, we pride ourselves on offering a new perspective through an old lens; a new dialect for an old tongue; an irreverent approach that twists the portrait askew while paying homage to the most classic of canvases—the suit.Our suiting is fully canvassed, and made to order upon request. Our accessories are thoroughly labored-over, both in their design conception and hand-rolled creation. Flying in the face of a prevailing custom where accessories are a meaningless after-thought, each of our squares/scarves tells a story which carries the wearer, and all who bear witness, to another place and time. – Ikire Jones 

Here are a few of the latest Ikiré Jones  SS 14 collection tagged  ‘The Untold Renaissance‘

Photography by David Evan McDowell

“I hesitate to speak as an authority on “African fashion.” I don’t consider what I do exclusively African, or made exclusively for an African audience. Though my work is inspired by my African heritage, there is no doubt that my garments are of Western origins. For me, the label is much less important than the content and quality of the art being made” – Wale Oyejide  of Ikiré Jones

For more info about Ikire Jones:

http://ikirejones.com/

http://ikirejones.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/IkireJones

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

A Fashionably Sockless Giveaway

Have you ever wondered, like me, how the feet of guys in native African wear or contemporary dapper/hip getup who appear not to wear socks; survive all the sweat, stink and perspiration without socks?.  Well, it has been brought to my attention that they might  just  be wearing Mocsocs.  You’ve seen one? or want one? Read on.

According to the website:

Mocsocs are the finest quality “half socks” or “antislip socks” that are geared towards the refined gentleman or lady that chooses to wear fine quality loafers, drivers, moccasins, boat shoes, saddle shoes, and even in recent fashion, tennis shoes and oxfords without socks. Mocsocs are socks that cover just the front half of the gentleman’s (or lady’s) foot providing comfort and protection, in a fashionable way.  – Mocsocs

Mocsocs are the best no-show socks brand in the fashion market that place a big emphasis on comfort and style. Specially designed to address the issue of perspiration while considering a no-socks look, value, style and function, these premium half socks and anti-slip socks come in 80% polyester/20% spandex and 100% cotton alternatives. Mocsocs are already a hit with celebrities and fashion trendsetters.

It looks interesting but I guess it does the job, the sockless, stylish look while avoiding the stink 🙂 . They are doing a Spring Giveaway for the week so if you wanna jump on it and sample it, just like/follow their social media and share the graphic on their facebook page or repost on instagram or retweet on twitter the  Mocsocs giveaway graphic  and hashtag #MocSocsGiveaway for a chance to be entered to win free Mocsocs merchandise and probably along with it, a $25 gift card . All the best.

Beautifully Dreaming.. Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

 

 

HONOUR AMONG ALL – A Brief Review of A Novella by @VivianKayAuthor

I’ve never really picked up a publication that is tagged “Christian Fiction”; motivational, inspirational books? Yes, but not fiction. So I approached “Honour Among All – A Novella” cautiously and with skepticism. The fact that it’s a short story, a novella, helped too 🙂  but oh! was I impressed and impacted? Yes I was.  “Honour Among All by Vivian Kay” nicely puts together a great story line about the raw details  of everyday living among Christian believers. Topics that exist but are not out-rightly discussed among Christians or the average moralist for that matter. The story is real, deep, inspirational while breaking the walls of hypocrisy. After reading the novella, my thoughts were “This may be fiction, but these stuff happen out there, people (we all) are dealing with life issues and surely need God more than ever” I will not give it all out. Check on it. Here’s a synopsis:

After many years of happiness, Moni Badmus’s marriage is crumbling and she doesn’t know what to do. Desperate to save her home, she goes along with her husband’s suggestion on how to spice up their conventional sex life. Ladi Badmus gets exactly what he wants. But his thirst for excitement remains unsatiated. The couple find themselves drawn deep into a secret world until the risks they both embrace, exacts a steep price. In this emotionally charged tale of temptation, sacrifice and redemption, we see how love and faith erodes with promises not kept and how in the midst of man-made chaos, God’s compassion stands sure.

It’s available on Amazon Kindle here and it’s only $3.49, also available on Barnes & Noble Nook here  It’s worth the buy and highly recommended. Give a friend it might just save their relationship.

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About the Author

Vivian Kay is a debut Christian author living in Canada’s banana belt. When she is not writing or daydreaming about writing, she’s cooking, playing scrabble or snuggling up with a good book.Penning Tales About Imperfect Characters Meeting A Perfect God http://viviankay.wordpress.com/

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

P.S – Speaking of Christian Books, if you are in the US, stay tuned to watch Olu and Kay Taiwo discuss their new book – Vision Guided Life – on The Word Network “One on One with Damon Davis”  on April 20 (See graphic below, book Review coming soon on the blog)

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD #LAGOSLULLABYE FROM @SIJIMUSIC

My AfroSoulful  -“brother from another mother“, (he just doesn’t know it  yet or maybe he does 😀 ) – just released a new ditty so organic and so cool to soothe our souls from all the heat of the moment.

Click on Photo for more info about Siji

He says:

I’d always loved Scorsese’s Taxi Driver particularly the scene in which the protagonist, Travis Bickle drives his cab around the mean and seedy streets of New York city’s Times Square.

Taking a cue from this timeless classic, I sought to take in and showcase the grittier side of Lagos in line with the songs candid lyrics. My kinsman and co-producer, Ade Bantu was on hand to capture me singing my heart away in the cramped backseat of our gypsy cab as it snaked its way past police check points, busy market streets, grinding traffic, admiring fans and petty traders, all of which make up this colorful and manic metropolis.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Las Gidi (Lagos) in all it’s rugged and funky technicolor glory. Kindly enjoy and remember to share this with all your friends globally.

‘Siji

I’ve always loved his sound and style and followed his project ‘Elder’s Corner’ for a while now. So it is with positive energy that I share his latest offering, a free download. Enjoy Lagos LullabyE. Click on the pic to get yours.

And here is the visual, feed your eyes (and ears) I love the capture and genuine incorporation of images from everyday Lagos

Beautifully Dreaming.. Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

FASHION SPOTLIGHT : Babatunde Designs (Gareth Cowden)

Somebody say ‘Pan African’ Fashion! and ‘Babatunde’ will appear. No Babatunde is not a person in this situation .. :D, it’s the name of a fashion collection founded by  Gareth Cowden in 2009.Gareth Cowden, born in Springs but grew up in Randburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.  . Although all his fashion items are made locally, Gareth has grown his brand not only in SA but all over the world with the likes of Solange Knowles wearing his designs. The line consists of varied fashion items including bow and skinny ties, clutches, umbrellas, laptop/iPad sleeves, 5 panel caps, hair bows, ladies cravats and more.

How interesting to be from South Africa and name his collection, a Yoruba (Nigerian) name – ‘Babatunde’ – Gareth says of the origin of his brand name in an OkayAfrica 2011 interview:

Babatunde is a Yoruba name. The direct translation in English means: ” The father comes back” or ” the father returns.” I loved the name and meaning as I feel that we need more fathers in Africa. Africa needs men to behave like men and take more responsibility for their families, Africa’s growth and also themselves.

Here is the recently released 2014 collection with fabrics sourced from Ghana and Benin. Of the new collection Cowden states,

 “We’ve sourced materials and prints that have the energy, dignity and playfulness of the people who made them.” “It’s why we exist, to express our love for Africa in something the whole world can appreciate. We are original because Africa is original, we just translate it into a language the modern world can understand and enjoy. We believe Africa is worth protecting – we do it by celebrating what’s beautiful about it. We stand for strong family values and all that is truly African.

A few of my favs from the Babatunde 2014 LookBook – fun, fresh and edgy.

Full collection here . From a previous collection is a beach umbrella, caps and handbags line , and here’s a few in my favorite colors

For more information on the brand, please visit the
Website at  www.babatunde.co.za

 If anything, I would hope that Babatunde can change the world’s opinion that Africa is a rural, traditional and backward continent. Hopefully we can show people around the globe that Africa is a progressive, creative, and contemporary design force and encourage the world to support Africa through buying African products rather than egotistical debt relief programmes. Or is that too harsh? – Gareth Cowden to OkayAfrica

Beautifully Dreaming.. Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

Presenting Africa’s 1st Private Online University

Expanding the benefits of e-learning & hybrid learning to the continent, here’s proudly presenting Africa’s Premium Private Online University founded by Gossy Ukanwoke of  Beni American University

Beni American University is an institution of higher learning that strongly believes that access to a global high quality education should not be limited by resources, finances, location or infrastructure. They believe that every African student should be well educated. The history of the institution stems from the core belief that education and the access to higher education is the human right of every youth and most especially in a growing economy that needs to tap into the very stronghold of its human capital capacity – the educated youths.

Motto : ”Access to Global Learning”

Beni American University is Africa’s first low cost international academic institution dedicated to the advancement and access of higher education to everyone. The high-quality, low-cost global educational model embraces the worldwide presence of the Internet and dropping technology costs to bring university-level studies within reach of millions of Nigerians. With the support of respected academics, humanitarians and other visionaries, Beni American University student body represents a new wave in global education. –  Facebook Page

A little bit about Gossy Ukanwoke

Gossy is a 26 year old  forward thinker and a bright entrepreneur. He has been referred to as  “Africa’s Top Technology Entrepreneur”.  His background is in Business and Technology. He had a Bachelors in Management Information Systems at Girne American University, North Cyprus. He grew up and had his early education in Nigeria. He is the  founder of Students Circle Network and he stepped down from the active management and operation of the network to focus on the creation of this new online university. He was also a  finalist at the Future Africa Awards 2012 in the Innovation in Education Category. He says in an Atlanta BlackStar Interview:  “Knowing the importance of education and seeing the need in West Africa was the main inspiration. There were other drops of serendipities which all summed up that education will be it for me” .

BAU Research & Development is reinventing learning in Sub-Saharan Africa through its leading projects – Proposed Beni American University, BAU Online and Students Circle Network by introducing new learning models geared towards entrepreneurial development and employability – See more at: http://beniamerican.org/#sthash.i8VzdlSK.dpuf

Gossy Ukanwoke – President  & Founder of Beni University

Here is his interview on NdaniTV

and another –> CNN African Start-Up interview captioned  ‘Nigeria’s Mark Zuckerburg’ builds own school.

Beni American is Africa’s premium Distance Learning Institution. Transforming students, pushing the bounds of knowledge, and providing world class education – More info at  http://beniamerican.org/ . Feel free to share this post to all you know will benefit from this.

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

Fashion Week – The African Versions

What is the purpose of Fashion week anyway? Is it a showcase of eye-candy fashion that the average person can not afford to adorn themselves with? or is it a ritual gathering of upper bourgeois tastemakers of fashion? Here’s a little history behind the purpose of the event.

A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or “houses” to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know what’s “in” and what’s “out” for the season. – Source Wiki (More history here )

The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the four fashion capitals of the world: Milan, Paris, New York, and London.  Some other important fashion weeks in the world are held in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Barcelona, Mexico City, Boston, Buenos Aires, Cleveland, Copenhagen, Dubai, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Lisbon Madrid, Manila, Rome, São Paulo, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Sydney, Tbilisi, Seoul, Tokyo, Toronto and Hong Kong. Well, now we have African versions  and South Africa is leading the way, thanks to African Fashion International

African Fashion International (AFI) is the leading Fashion authority on the African continent and is committed to the promotion and development of the best South African design talent. They organize various fashion events and recently organized the popular Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg 2014; South Africa’s premier annual autumn/winter fashion show, held on 20 to 22 March with over 34 of the country’s top designers lined up to present collections in  15 shows at the Sandton Convention Center. Check out the designers here 

Here are a few of my personal favorites: All photo credits to
Simon Deiner / SDR Photo, shot on location SCC, Joburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Designer: Avant Apparel

Designer: Laduma

Designer: Fabiani

Designer: Tuelo Nguyuza

David Tlale’s The Intern –Designer : Nokwanda Ngcobo

Designer : Viyella

David Tlale’s The Intern Designer : Ayanda Mthembu

David Tlale’s The Intern Designer: Duke

View the highlights of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week JOBURG

Other African Fashion Week events worthy of mention –

AFRICA FASHION WEEK LONDON (AFWL)

also Organizers of  Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, Africa Fashion Week Amsterdam, Africa Fashion Week Brussels and Nigeria’s Next Top Designer

AFWL 2014 will be taking place on the  7th – 9th of August , it is tagged the Renaissance  edition as it will experience a strong convergence of true contemporary African Creativity in fashion. According to AFWL’s CEO and Founder, Ronke Ademiluyi, “AFWL is working with partners in various countries in Africa and the theme for this year’s event is “Showcasing Modern African style”. More at http://africafashionweeklondon.com/

AFWL’s CEO and Founder, Ronke Ademiluyi

ADIREE

Adiat Disu is the Founder & CEO of Adiree, Organizers-  Africa Fashion Week New York founded on the concept of hosting international Africa Fashion Weeks (in fashion capitals) , focused on promoting brands from Africa on a global scale. In 2009, the concept began with the birth of Africa Fashion Week in New York, the premier capital for Fashion, Entertainment, and Lifestyle brands. The next one will be on September 4-6, 2014. See http://www.Adiree.com or http://www.africafashionweekny.com for more info.

Adiat Disu, Founder & CEO of Adiree

Beautifully Dreaming…Positively Doing

xoxo

Tosinger

From Russia With Love?

The beauty of the  African people, the culture, the  aesthetically appealing artistry and artifacts  has always been a source of exotic wonder and inspiration for further creativity for other parts of the world, even if with an incorporation – a merge of other elements (from other cultures) . Russia is on the spotlight today, I know there is  crisis going on right now and hope issues get sorted soon. However, I came across a carefully crafted piece of African inspired artwork done with the ‘Headwrap  or Gele‘ as the focal point. Very beautiful and creative  shoot, with the use of well placed  patterns, colors, form, texture done for the Russian Architectural Digest  (not fashion or visual arts), interior design ad campaign for their textile department. The visual art kind of reminded me of Kehinde Wiley and Yinka Shonibare ‘s work , naturalistic and renaissance in appearance while incorporating African elements.

Ironically,  Russia was nos 2 on the list of worst countries for blacks to visit according to a January 2014 Atlanta BlackStar article. (Read for details). I am not sure of the authenticity of this claim since I have not visited Russia to share any first hand experiences. According to the piece:

Black visitors will also have to be extra careful when they venture outside of Moscow into the rest of Russia. In a chilling warning, the Russia expert of  New Republic, Julie Ioffe, said, “There’s quite a bit of violence against people considered to be Black” in Russia, raising new fears about the safety of Olympic athletes, visitors and media attending the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Ioffe warned that nowhere in Russia is safe for a person of color to visit, outside of Moscow’s city center. – @ATLBlackStar

After all is said and done, there is no doubt that the continent and her people are a source of attraction for aesthetic and cultural inspiration . Here’s the  AD Magazine Russia  photos below- Taking Headwraps and Fabrics to a Whole New Level  for their ad campaign for designer fabrics/textile division. Enjoy!

PHOTO CREDITS

Photographer Olga Volkova Tuponogova-
Stylist: Natalia Obukhov
Model: Keshia Asiedu
Producer: Maria Kuznetsova
Makeup artist: Polina Karpov / MaestroArtExtraordinary
Assistant Photographer: Konstantin Egon
Assistant Stylist: Katerina Konyushenko

Beautifully Dreaming, Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger

Because I’m HAPPY

The funky, upbeat, very popular song ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams is not an ordinary song. The way it is still spreading like wild fire, the joy it brings, the numerous covers of it, the video remake from different parts of the globe, the effect on  its audience are all  so magical.  There is really nothing so complex and overtly musically/technically creative about the song, but the simplicity, the energy and the spirit of it is so infectious, it’s wonderful and yes very inspirational ( reminiscent of “Don’t worry, Be happy” by Bobby McFerrin ) And please it is absolutely not necessary to make a Gospel version (as I already came across some), the message is clear, any remix is just a showcase of the remixer’s talent, it doesn’t add to or remove from the effect of the original. (Am I the only who flinches at Gospel remixes of mainstream popular songs?)

“Happy” is a song performed by American singer and producer Pharrell Williams, from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album. It also serves as the lead single from Williams’ second studio album, G I R L (2014). The song was written and produced by Williams. It was released on November 21, 2013 alongside a long-form music video presented via the website 24hoursofhappy.com. 

“Happy” has been highly successful, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and charts in 19 other countries. It has sold one million copies in the United Kingdom, and has reached the summit on three separate occasions, both records in their own right. Source – Wiki

So it is no surprise when an African comedian and dancer, Clifford Owusu of Ghanian origin-  who I’ve been following for a while on his YouTube channel known for his whimsical impressions of Africans living in the diaspora – decided to collate his viewers’ videos for his own ‘Happy’ edition. See below (and there’s my son making a debut at 0.29 🙂 gotta love it)

Enjoy and be happy.

Beautifully Dreaming … Positively Doing…. Because I’m Happy 😀

xoxo

Tosinger

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT : Richard Bona

Hello Friends,

Here’s some great music to wind down your week. I present to you a genius of his craft, vocalist and guitar maestro extraordinaire -> Richard Bona.  A friendly banter we had back in 2013 proves that he is just as real as his talent. Are you ready for some of his  jazzy earsplosions? 🙂 not just yet, here’s some 411 on him.

“Like many African songwriters, he sings lessons and parables. The language of his music is less specific; it draws on pop and jazz from across Africa, the Americas and Europe. His songs assume a virtuosity so complete that it only has to whisper.” – The New York Times

Richard Bona (born October 28, 1967 in Minta, Cameroon) is a jazz bassist and musician. His actual African name, as he said during a live performance with Bobby McFerrin in Montreal, is Bona Pinder Yayumayalolo. Bona was born into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a young age. His grandfather was a griot – a West African singer of praise and storyteller – and percussionist, and his mother was a singer. At 4 years old, Bona started to play the balafon. At the age of 5, he began performing at his village church. Not being wealthy, Bona made many of his own instruments: including flutes and guitars (with cords strung over an old motorcycle tank).

His talent was quickly noticed, and he was often invited to perform at festivals and ceremonies. Bona began learning to play the guitar at age 11, and in 1980 aged just 13, he assembled his first ensemble for a French jazz club in Douala.The owner befriended him and helped him discover jazz music, in particular that of Jaco Pastorius, which inspired Bona to switch his focus to the electric bass. More at Source – Wiki

Enjoy this front row 1 hour straight Jazz Experience.

Here’s one of my favorites ~ ‘Eyala’

Richard Bona, thanks for sharing your gift, as you inspire your audience and other African Artists  on the globe and in the diaspora to continue to bear the musical torch of AfroFusion music. For more about Richard Bona’s music, discography and tours, visit http://www.bonamusic.com

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing..

xoxo

Tosinger