Beatrice Newman is the creative director of the brand KORLIEKE.  A London based designer that UFFP met last season in Paris while attending Labo Ethnik. UFFP was media partner of the edition 2013 of Labo Ethnik Fashion Weekend.

 

It was the first time for Beatrice Newman in the French capital, getting a first glimpse of the French fashion trends. A great pleasure for us to meet her as well, brilliant, talented, shy and so down to earth. The woman behind the brand Korlieke is worth knowing. We also got the chance to understand the values of the brand as well as admiring the exquisite work on the catwalk. Beatrice is a beautiful artist, very discreet but strongly aware of the message she is willing to spread through her designs “ I create for an international clientele  and my work is not African related, yet I’m deeply proud of my Ghanaian roots, I’m for a long lasting ethical fashion ” she explained to us.

A story by Feriel Berraies Guigny

What does KORLIEKE stand for? It stands for Queen of eagles and it is indeed an ethical brand. KORLIEKE is lavish and when you wear it, you were a piece that means glamour and long lasting. It’s not fashion you use and then throw away. It’s something you open up and discover and find again and again beautiful.

What is your favorite designer by the way? My favorite designer is Azeddine Alaia from Tunisia and I love his policy. The fashion World actually bows down to him, he does not feel obliged to create collections every seasons.

So when you buy KORLIEKE you get a long lasting piece of work? Yes it is long lasting and ethical because we manufacture by hand. We go back to valuing all the hand labor behind it.

 

I work lace and it is quite a challenge, a lot of people come to me and tell me oh it is not African, because I don’t do African prints. When I create, I don’t think at my origins, I just do I know best. I absolutely rebel against that, because a lot of people thing that black designers do wax work mainly.

It is also a mix and a blending of both cultures? Yes it goes back to my old heritage, English culture and my African culture. Knit wear crochet and techniques that are not necessarily used today because of the consummation of time. We give it a rebirth into something more contemporary.

Any causes that you actually would like to endorse? I’m currently working as a teacher but I’ve been doing some charity work at many occasions, I believe that Fashion can stand for so much more.

When I Tell United Fashion for Peace what does it trigger in you? I think fashion stands for everything. It does link so many people from different backgrounds’ together. There is a charity in Ghana I’m working within the moment, and basically we use football clubs to help young children in schools. To me linking that with fashion, raising money for fashion shows that helps them to develop and get well, is just amazing!

 

Do you believe that Art designs and culture can be a tool for woman empowerment? I understand where women of the East and the South are coming from. I believe we must not separate genders or create differences no matter what we do. It must be a United front, it’s mainly about showing men that we can be capable of doing things. And we should do things without boundaries.

As when it comes to culture for peace, your editorial line as UFFP : it is exactly what I do, I may be black and African, I just want to emphasize the fact that they are many ways to interpret ate a culture. It is so many ways to work in fashion as well and to use techniques that are no longer being used and that can be used differently today !

Womanity?  For me it  means strong but feminine as well !

Thank you Beatrice

 

 

 

THULA SINDI “ my customers are women of consequence not fashionistas “ !

A collection inspired by a global woman. Thula Sindi is very known in the African continent and he participated in many prestigious catwalks in South Africa,  Nigeria and also in the Arise Fashion Show in New York.

By Feriel Berraies Guigny

UFFP met the south African designer during his short stay in Paris where he participated for the first  time at the Labo Ethnik Fashion Weekend. It was the opportunity for us to get to know a little better the creative director behind the brand as well  as understanding his vision of fashion and for African women. African designers are kind of always focused on a “niche” and Thula Sindi considers  that since we live in a global world its about time that African fashion adapts itself to it. No cheap or tacky designers, sobriety, elegance and sophistication is the motto of the brand.

We really enjoying conversing with Thula who offered us a really honest and objective vision of the state of African fashion in his region, and what to correct and improve in order to have it more adaptable to the global markets.

Interview with UFFP

 

Niching African designers is not an option according to you? African women  wear anything as long as it is beautiful.

Tell us about your collection? It’s a melting pot, it has touches of India, Africa and also dutch prints because a lot of the pieces has prints and dies they are dutch. Very easy to wear and contemporary.

You focus on ready to wear mainly ? Yes for me ready to wear is more of a  science, you need to think so clearly about the fabrics, who manufactures it , you have to think about the content, the proportions. Its more challenging and more fun to me than fancy couture garment. Everything we do we produce on mass ( 300 to 800 MASS)

What are your influences ? from  season to season I catch what’s in but mainly I’m inspired by Women themselves. I like to create clothing, I like to make patterns and to touch different fabrics. And each season I always use one thing I don’t like. And then find a way to make it beautiful for myself. I don’t like leather at all but I manage to use it in the collection still.

You influence your customers this way? Yes I teach my customers to like anything that I do. Most of them are not very experimental but I do it, I do it in a way for them to be able to wear it.

 

Each season you shoot a lookbook? Yes indeed called the women of consequence. And I don’t use models but my own customers. Last season we shot customers that were dealing with cancer. So each season, I focus on a theme. Although I consider that each woman is a woman not matter what. I hate to label.

Describe the Thula Sindi woman? Sophisticated, simple, sure of herself. Too many things on you makes you cheap. Special items makes the sophistication you don’t need to overdo it.

South Africa is avant garde in fashion? Regardless of the region, you have to have a good eye on things and on the way to dress up. Elegance is about sobriety, classy and discerning. A lot of my customers don’t have innate style, still they count on me, they know how judicious with details I can be.

Fashion is about trust? Yes It is important your clientele trusts you! I try to be as woman friendly as possible, but you must ask questions, be observant, without imposing!

A family story? Yes I have lots of sisters and they come to me and  ask me; I get feedbacks even when i don’ t want it ( smiles)

Ethical fashion does it speak to you? It’s not even a question, you know for me I feel so sad to even of a brand that would not be! For me, my entire business is manufactured in JOHANNESBURG. Everything produced Is local, and I pay people very well. I cannot make my money out of people misery. Still people don’t learn, and yet the fashion industry is very important for developing countries, therefore we need to break up with these bad habits. A lot of these habits are maintained in Turkey, China, Vietnam, India and Ethiopia and people still accept to work with little wages. Big manufactures in search of easy profit keep moving from a place to another for cheaper. We need to stop these people and these corporate

We need to stop this race to the bottom ? yes indeed, you hire people from the same prize that buying a pizza? How can that be?!

And the planet is paying also? Yes we have a serious problem with pollution, dumping.

 

Designers have also sense of entitlement that someone should help them all the time? We came from a police state to a nanny state where we are fed. Designers must stop having these expectations, nobody owes them a business. When we do a fashion event, we  have also to bear in mind that the event has to be produced and financed. This whole blaming game is ridiculous, they are all digging for their own purposes.

What would you like to say to UFFP readers? We must support and educate small designers and enterprises. We need to pave the way, and we need to change the shame that is involved with manufacturing clothing. We really need to change that. It almost has become synonymous with child labor, it is negative and it hangs around. We need to support talent, transparency and ethics in fashion designs. It is really viable but we must also bear in mind that the designer has the duty to educate customers. Sometimes they do not know and you must not blame them.

 

JACOB KIMMIE” my  fashion is a  political statement” !

Jacob Kimmie is a conceptual artist and designer wishing to break some rules in the fashion industry. His brand is more like a political tool, a fashion statement he uses to try to change the mentalities in fashion consumerism and industry. He never hesitates to “shock or provoke” popular opinions. His last collection was about porn industry, with a color focus on black and white and some skin tones.

The return to sobriety and basics of designs, is his real motto and obsession.

We met this avant garde designer from South Africa (a brilliant melting pot between Asia, Africa and UK) during his first appearance in Paris at the Labo Ethnik Fashion Weekend. UFFP media partner of the last edition was thrilled to converse with him.

Jacob Kimmie is, based in the UK  and is also a fashion lecturer.

 

A story by Feriel Berraies Guigny

Interview with UFFP

What is your vision of fashion? My brand is trying to change the way men and women see fashion. I’m not into glamour or the whole business with it. I’m obsessed with the basics of fashion.

You redefine the industry ? its all about how women should dress. My fashion for the moment is the opposite of what is called trendy. It does not fall for technique.

You like somehow to provoke? Yes I like fashion to be radical but in a very beautiful way.

What are your favorites when it comes to color and fabric? I’m known to work in black and white. This season it’s the first time that add colors but even that is basically skin tone.

What about the prints it’s quite unusual? Yes the prints in this collection are about pornography. My work is actually very political. I’m also a lecturer in fashion and it is about contextual studies for fashion, Art and Designs in the UK.

Your approach tries to change the vision of clothes? Yes I’m trying to change and break some habits. People see clothes like something very polite, people are like sheep  they follow the flow. They need to belong to something.

Especially women no ? women in particular yes.

How do you position yourself with ethical designs? Most of the fabrics I use are artisanal fabrics , I do everything myself in my studio. But it is  true that empowering people while creating is very important to me. About two years  ago, I used to work with empowerment groups in South Africa. Helping people starting up their own businesses. But I did my ethical approach focusing really on the human stories. It’s about when women all come together and share jobs as a way of empowering themselves in South Africa. It’s something I’m very passionate about it is the way I started working myself. An I intend to continue like that.

A long term dedication? Yes it does not make sense to go there for just one season, you must do it on the long term, working with artisans, beeds etc. It’s an attitude we must cultivate and keep and we should not think only the west can provide good artisans, why can’t the World go to Africa?!