Laduma Ngxokolo and The Influx Of Contemporary African Fashion.

Coincidently, staying on the topic of all things fashionable coming out of South Africa. By means of a 419 blog I posted which was liked and reposted by someone who loves of Ghana, I happened to tumble upon this hat designed by Laduma Ngxokolo, a dope South African textile designer. Laduma is embracing traditional African patterns, inspired by the Xhosa culture and transcribing them onto knit ware, creating his own contemporary culturally infused look.  His patterns are vibrant with color and dripping with an ethic flare and his process has him winning all sorts of awards and design competitions.   

It seems like African inspired patterns is slowly but surely being embrace by the fashionable mainstream and westernized worlds. Already we’ve seen an influx of mud cloth accessories and garments in department stores such as Urbran Outfitters.  Not to mention, musician such Jay-Z and Pusha T, Yasin Bey (Mos Def) embracing Afrocentric accra inspired high end street ware brand like Ale et Ange, pronounced ah-LAY ay ahnj, founded by some African Americans (First generation Africans in America). Hat below. 

Nonetheless, the continent of Africa and its designers, are making room for themselves in the fashion world, as they rightfully should. Traditional African attire has always been colorful, vibrant and unique. I have been so lucky to be born within a rich Nigerian culture, allowing me to be apart of textiles and patterns first hand. Now all I am waiting for is full western embrace, more contemporary infusion and longevity. I do not want this to be just the flavor of the month or season.

Check out this video of  Laduma Ngxokolo speaking, at last years Design Indaba 2011. You can also check out his website. 

I just appreciate how we can inspired and be inspired any and everything. Let our african history, roots, and culture, style be preserved and modernized to suit our fashionable taste. 

On another tip, I do wonder, strictly, as a freelance marketer, master in business holder, future retail apparel entrepreneur; are these knit selling well in South Africa. What other markets is he in. I'm sweating just viewing his knit ware lines.

My Own Jean Theory

As I get ready to watch tonight’s episode of the HBO’s series, "How to make it in America," I start to contemplate about fashionistas, hipsters, style, entrepreneurship and of course jeans. Especially, since I recently bought a pair of Diesels and Replays. I love Italian denim and I will admit, I can be somewhat of a jean snob but with a cheap conscious of course, which allows me to sniff out the sales. Anyway, I digress, How to make it in America; a story about two young gentlemen who risk it all to start their own jean company, inspires me to want to create my own brand of jeans just for the love of a good pair of denim with my name on it.

Since Levi Strauss & Co.'s gave birth to the jean in the mid 1800’s, jeans have transformed and transpired throughout the generations. No longer do cowboys and gold miners roam the Wild West carrying saddlebags and wearing dusty denim with patented copper rivets reinforcing the points of strain, touting a Colt 45 pistol, riding horse back. Those days are long gone. Now teens and young adults are wearing all types of rinses, washes, whiskers, distressed, slim, selvedge, baggy, relaxed, straight and skinny. Whether functional or fashionable the seamless design of the jean has evolved. Not surprisingly Levi Strauss & Co.'s original and the first jean, the 501’s denim jeans are stills a staple in the industry.

 Furthermore, they have plenty of competitors with a market that is flooded with every designer’s own brand of denim jeans from the bargain bin to haute couture. Out of that flood I have found a few favorites, one in particular is the denim brand Prps.

Prps was founded in 2002, in New York by Donwan Harrell, a former Nike designers and founder of the urban clothing line Akademiks. The jeans are manufactured in Japan. The denim is woven from African cotton on vintage 1960’s Levi’s looms. Since its inception in 2002, Prps have been a staple among the jean snobs who love luxury jeans from the fashionable elitist to athletes, actors and actresses.  The first pair of Prps jeans I ever bought was quite comfortable, stylish, and soft but had an expensive price tag. However, once again, I got it for cheap because I happen to be working for the urban clothing store, Up Against the Wall and their employee discount for a manager at the time was gracious. The starting price for a pair of Prps can be $180 and up but their jeans cost typically average around $400. 

Honestly, I like jeans that are strong in material, look fresh, fit well, have crazy rinses and have a nice cut. I kept my pair for a good six years until I gave them to my little cousin and he still wears them.  Prps’s denim; have nice cuts, fresh rinses and the denim is amazingly soft, must be that African cotton or something. Furthermore, I love Prps website, www.prpsgoods.com, their interface is rather dope. I feel like unwrapping personal messages to me that say, "Bruised, never broken…our jeans evolve with you". Believe it or not they almost feel like they do.