Tag Archives: Africa

Innovative fashion brewed in the African pot: Kenema & Co

Posted on by under Entertainment, Fashion

STILL MAKING AFRICA PROUD

My fashionability, led me to discovering Tamu Thomas of Kenema &Co. Kenema & Co, which makes ‘magic’ out of a wide range of African Prints. K&C, started production in April, 2010, and finally got into the market fuzz in May.

The name ‘Kenema’, is a District in Sierra Leone that was really ravaged by the war from 1991 – 2002. Kenema is an area that is well know for its gold and diamond mines and abundance of palm trees.  If you were to visit Kenema today you would see that the people are poor but you would not necessary guess that they were war torn a less than ten years ago.  The people are very resilient and just get on with it.  In an interview with StyleBistro, Tamu said she hoped “Kenema & Co represents the area, resilient like the people, high quality and desired like Gold and Diamond and something that can used by all like the palm trees”

As I read more and more about Kenema& Co, and the brain behind it, I realized that, Tamu, really buys the idea of ‘universality’. According to her, most African prints are usually ‘housed’ under ‘Couture’, which limits its usage for some specific events and occasions (more like a runway thing, according to her). Tamu believes that, African Prints should be more than just a fashion but rather, a style that can be used always, by anyone.

Kenema & Co, are based in Sierra Leone (where Tamu’s parents come from, although Tamu is based in Nigeria). Tamu and her partner, seem to be of the same ‘free-spirited and free-minded’ kind, as they left for Sierra Leone, somewhere in April 2010, to ‘solidify’ their ideas. She describes the experience in her blog

Tamu and her Partner, Alize


She advices: “think about style over fashion, style is for everyone and fashion isn’t.  Look at your body shape and skin tone when purchasing clothes.  Learn to dress for you.” Her online store is open for business http://kenemaco.bigcartel.com/

Words you live by….

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again – simple really but it’s so true.  Also don’t be blinded by dreams of becoming rich you need to believe in what you are doing, if you don’t believe nobody else will.

She sure sounds spicy to me ;)

THE FASHION REVOLUTION IS ON…!

Image Courtsey: Kenema& Co

 

 

C’MON…! USE THE PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC TOILETS

Posted on by under Entertainment, Social Issues

THE REASON BEHIND THE REASON

I understand professions vary to a wide extent. I could have guessed, but it never crossed my thoughts; until yesterday, I always saw ‘things as they are’. But now, I’m forced not only to look at the latent reasons, but also to look at those latent reasons that every other person would either not see, or would brush off as unnecessary. Looking around my environment, I think I’ve identified a case study:

front view of the Accra Mall (night view)

front view of the Accra Mall (night view)

THE ACCRA MALL

The thrill surrounding the Accra Mall, as one of the country’s finest, is fading away slowly. Not because there are stronger competitors sprouting up, but rather, most people are getting used to the ‘not-so-dynamic’ nature of the mall and ‘the same-everyday-stuff-I -can-get-anywhere’ theory. Latent meanings?

These are things we know, which that Miss Accra Mall simply ignores ;-)

  1. It’s a hook-up place for boys and girls, and oh, any professional prostitute (nope, sorry, sexual-alternative) would be wise enough to stretch his or her customer base.
  2. It’s that one place that Miss A and Mr. B could show how foreign they can get…it’s another country inside Ghana. Still wondering?? Clothes…dressing! That’s what I mean
  3. And sometimes, u can’t blame the everyday Ghanaian. This land can get real hot and with a little time to spare, why not walk through the mall and be air-conditioned?
  4. I would be so doomed to forget what brought up this whole discussion… ‘professional public toilet’ yep yep…it’s all yours to gain…at the mall ;-)

the web-a-holic-wanna-be couldn’t resist blogging about this…just a little deviation won’t hurt ;-)