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5 CELEBRITIES THAT PROMOTE AFRICAN FASHION
5 celebrities that Promote African Fashion- Shammah
When it comes to pushing boundaries in African fashion, these celebrities have their Afrocentric statement pieces on lockdown. Firstly we have Yemi Alade. This Nigerian musician known as Mama Africa rocks African wears especially Ankara.
Sauti Sol is one boy band that doesn’t wear the same style and loves to creates several African design inspirations when they step out. Lupita Nyong’o loves to flaunt African headwraps on the red carpet seen especially during the Queen of Katwe movie promotions. Chimamanda Adiche is a universal speaker who is always spotted wearing African attire at her awards and TV appearances. Finally we have Jidenna who loves to wear a variety of Ankara prints especially since his music video “Classic Man”.
When it comes to pushing boundaries in African fashion design and arts, these celebrities undeniably have their Afrocentric statement pieces on lockdown. Regardless of their field and nature of work, these superstars have a longstanding, unshakeable presence that tells you they are black and proud, any time and any day. From a first glance, it seems that in this life and in their next life, they would choose to be black. Below, is our best pick for the top five celebrities that steadily promote African fashion;
Yemi Alade: Yemi, also known as ‘Mama Africa’ is celebrated for her beautiful voice but more often, for her colorful display of African fashion. In 2016, she became both brand ambassadors for Africa Fashion Week Nigeria and Africa Fashion Week London. From her entrance into the music industry, she rocks African wear especially Ankara. There is no better place to get inspiration from than her styles on the internet. She made a glam entrance on the 2016 BET Awards red carpet where she wore a Zuhair Murad’s piece from the 2016 Resort collection. It was reported to cost her about $6,900. She currently has a fashion label “ House of Tangerine’. In her latest 2020 music video, Shekere, she draws inspiration from different African tribes to piece the outfits she wore. The outfit is formerly from the Maasai tribe, an ethnic group in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
Sauti Sol: Their style is one that speaks for itself. The boy band does not collectively decide on what to wear on any occasion however, this creates a variety of trends, design, and styling inspirations for their fans and viewers. will walk into a room and you will know who they are Their fellow Kenyans may not be as open-minded to their style but the band doesn’t care so far as they are able to express themselves. Amongst all their bold statement pieces, the boys wore an exceptional African casual fit for the 2015 Coke Studio Africa performance with Yemi Alade. The pictures made it to an exhibition in Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, UK. They often use their Instagram as an art museum to showcase their outfit, rebutting controversies from haters and rubbing it in their faces.
Lupita Nyog’o: The Kenyan-born actress, Lupita Nyong’o may be popular for her acting dexterity, but her fashion sense is something to behold. She has been flaunting African fashion and headwraps on the red carpet especially during her promotion of Queen of Katwe, in which she featured. In various fashion magazines, her wardrobe is rated among the best in Hollywood. The African fashion queen is a 2014 Oscar award winner and is prevalent in incorporating styles and designs that celebrate her Kenyan roots. Lupita, in a beautiful picture with some local Ghanaian ladies, rocked the African Rastafarian dreads hairstyle when she toured Ghana. The picture, of course, stole the heart of many and circulated online.
Chimamanda Adiche: Almost every time, the universal speaker is spotted wearing African attire; from delivering a speech, to taking an award or just casually sitting at home. The famous writer of African feminism books supports a purposeful dressing intonation to promote Nigerian fashion products in the belief that it would increase the value of the currency when seen on us Africans. On Financial Times, she has shared her story of style titled “My Fashion Nationalism”. She launched her 2017 ‘Wear Nigerian Project’ on Instagram with the intention to support the fashion industry, from the tailors to manufacturers, retailers, and African fashion brands. Chimamanda wears attires and accessories made from local print fabrics, to sustain talented designers and small businesses. She is all about telling a story about fashion and empowering the African economy. When she posts on the gram wearing African, she tags the African designer and draws traffic with catchy hashtags like #madeinSouthAfrica or #wearAfrican.
Jidenna: Since his music video “Classic Man”, where he wore breathtaking West African Ankara prints, Jidenna is known to be an African prince promoting a Nigerian rebirth and supporting black culture. He once said that his prayer is for every black celebrity on the red carpet to wear only black designers. During the 2019 New York Fashion Week, his creative director and stylist dressed him with outfits from an African American designer, Kenneth Nicholson. He has had collaborations with Laduma Ngxokolo, a renowned South African designer, creator of Maxhosa Africa knitwear. Although Jidenna claims to not know a lot about fashion, he is graced to have the best stylist and designer. Not to mention his handsome body structure that fits every outfit, Jidenna is perfect in African pieces.
01 Jun 2021