Designers in AFRICA @ Arise Mag “Lagos Fashion Week”

©ourtesy of By Tim Hume, for CNN

Designers (CNN) in New York, London, Paris and Milan have been the traditional compass points of world fashion, Lagos has typically not even figured on the fashion event map. But according to Penny McDonald, organizer of the Arise Magazine Fashion Week held in Nigeria’s largest city last week, that is unlikely to be the case for much longer. She said the event, which drew 77 designers and big names including supermodel Alek Wek, British couturier Ozwald Boateng and up-and-coming model Dudley O’Shaughnessy, had gone a long way to establishing Lagos as Africa’s fashion capital, a city with international style credentials. “It’s raised the bar,” said McDonald, international managing director for Arise, a title which describes itself as Africa’s global style and culture magazine. “Everyone knows it’s New York, London, Paris and Milan — and we see this as the fifth destination now. We’re hoping to make Lagos a fashion destination, part of the fashion season.” – - Read: Dedicated followers of fashion: Congo’s designer dandies Read more…

Versailles 1973 Black Supermodels

Introduced ©By Audrey J. Bernard

 

Bold, Beautiful and Black models are reunited at the special luncheon at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Amina Warsuma, Norma Jean Darden, Pat Cleveland, fashion designer Stephen Burrows, Charlene Dash, Alva Chinn, China Machado, Billie Blair, and Bethann Hardison. (Not pictured: Barbara Jackson, Jennifer Brice, Ramona Saunders ((deceased)) (Photo by Mike Coppola / Wireimage)

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Back in 1973, The Palace of Versailles played host to a fundraiser orchestrated by American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert and Palace of Versailles curator Gerald Van der Kemp to raise money to restore the aging structure to provide exposure for American fashion.The time was right to introduce and celebrate some of the hottest Black Models of the Day like the ones so featured. French Fashion Designers as well as Italian Designers have long featured minority models for their shows. Myself and several other Models, walked the Runways of Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy 1969 for Valentino’s ‘Black on Black’ Fashion Show, with creations by Silvano Malta. It was an ALL Black cast of Models with Everyone wearing Designs that were in the Color Black. It was Wonderful. These Shows showcased the Beauty of All People to the Industry as well as The Public. It paved the way for today’s successful Black Models and other Minorities as well who work constantly without having to worry about being typecast. People like Naomi Campbell, Iman, Tyra Banks, Alek Wek and so many more, have these Women, like the Versailles bunch, to thank for helping to make the job of Modeling a little easier and friendly. It’s the same way Josephine Baker made show business more receptive for many other minorities of the times. Even before the models mentioned above walked the Runways, French Designers like Christian Dior, Jean Patou, Ungaro, Pierre Cardin and a few more, hired Women of Color to walk in their Catwalk shows. Now, it is very much mainstream for fashion shows to be filled with  Models of different cultures. In the 70s, particularly, Henri Bendel featured Stephen Burrows clothes, exclusively. He remains innovative to Fashion as Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, Ann Klein, Tracy Reese, Nicole Miller, Donna Karan, Bill Blass, Prabal Gurung are today. All of these fashion designers represent American Fashion, worldwide. French fashion designers somewhat rely of America for setting the trends. France Fashion Catwalk shows in Paris, many times, reflect many American Signature styles. New York Fashion Week is an example of Haute Couture and American Sportswear for the masses. Like Europe’s Pret-a-porter, American clothes is marketed with the intention of clothes being affordable. Fashion events like Fashion Week New York City, FW London, FW Paris, FW Milan and others is a prime example of the American Fashion industry‘s impact on the rest of the World. – - Find out more

Stephen Burrows - Met model celebration - ABC news from NewsMark PR on Vimeo.

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