Born in the United Kingdom, Nigeria-based Matopeda King, who has been at the forefront of fashion for 14 years, is using her atelier to empower women.



Matopeda Abiola King is currently experiencing &#8220;a full circle moment&#8221; with her fashion brand. As Creative Director for Matopeda Atelier, an international custom wedding dress design company, King has styled several high-profile celebrities in Nigeria and the United States (U.S.), establishing her brand as one of Nigeria’s notable fashion houses.



She says it is her care and attention to clients that have become her signature.



“I knew by [the age of] 30 or 31 that my calling was to work with women. A lot of the people I meet, our conversation isn’t just about the dresses, what I do is to build women up, I empower women. When a woman wears my dresses, they get the dream job, they feel confident, they feel like they can achieve anything,” says King.



When singer and actor Fantasia Barrino had the honor of paying homage to the late Tina Turner at the recently-concluded 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in the U.S., she did so in a customized Matopeda dress. The hand-beaded corseted body suit for her performance was reportedly created in just 48 hours. Beyoncé also sported a Matopeda floral dress while celebrating her fifth wedding anniversary in Hawaii.



Her penchant for “empowering” her clients actually came from overcoming her own personal struggles, including a difficult childhood and a bad relationship. Born in the United Kingdom in 1983, her family had to move to Nigeria where they lived for three years, and then return to London when King was 10 or 11, where they began life as immigrants seeking asylum.



“We couldn’t afford rent so we had to move about 20 times [when I was between] 12 to 27 because we couldn’t find accommodation. We had to go to the council. Always moving houses was consistent. I don’t have pictures from my childhood because we were always moving. We didn’t even have a fridge at some point,” recalls King.



She picked up the essence of style from her mom but her real “eureka moment” happened when a bad relationship left her looking like a shell of her former self.



“I was really slim and I realized I was really sad. I wasn’t aware I hadn’t been eating properly and my eyes had gone in. I remember crying a lot, but I just didn’t realize how bad things were. I said I had to do something else,” says King.



That was when the brand, Frock it, Rock it, was born.



“Before that, I was the one who always styled my friends and the one that everybody called for birthdays, interviews etc. If somebody got a job, they would give me their card to say ‘go shopping for me and build a workwear wardrobe for me’. I knew I was creative with clothes, but I just didn’t know what to do. I thought it was styling at first,” says King.



Over the years, her brand has evolved from making outfits that provide the perfect silhouette for black women to breaking the mould when it comes to wedding gowns.



“Matopeda is fast becoming one of the most important Nigerian fashion brands simply because of the level of attention her creations get. Nigeria has a lot of talented designers but very few can boast the calibre of clientele Matopeda has, and that is testament to how unique her outfits are,” says Amanoshi Dania, a Lagos-based designer.



“I used to turn them (customers) down because wedding dresses were always covered up, no neckline, no shoulders, no beading, no crystals. I didn’t want to do that; I always want my customers to be the best-dressed and that is what we stand for,” adds King.



“So, we started custom-making our fabrics and started [embellishing] our dresses with crystals and beads. We started to show shoulders, [a] lower neckline and crystals, and a lot of clients in America started to pay attention because no one was doing that in America.”



That was the beginning of the rebirth of her brand, which then became Matopeda Atelier.



King is at peace with herself and her calling. Her experience of navigating depression and overcoming emotional trauma, coupled with her strong faith, has birthed an intuitive designer who pays attention to every aspect of the process, including the wellbeing of the women wearing her clothes.

Matopeda King; image suppliedz

From Designing For Beyoncé To Brides In Lagos, This Fashionista Is On A Mission

Imagine a pinup calendar that revisits history through color, and woven in a manner that depicts your past and future in an amusing way. Confused?
Well that is what the future looks like for South African performing artist Athi-Patra Ruga, known for his flamboyant performances and tapestries that challenge social norms.
Growing up in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Ruga knew at a young age he would become an artist, taking lessons, after school, at Belgravia Art Centre. He then received a scholarship to the Gordon Flack Davidson Academy of Design in Johannesburg.
“I had always known my body would be a site for telling stories. I feel the drive to tell stories, [I] overcame my fears – about it never been done before,” he says.
When he cut his teeth in art, he dabbled in fashion designing, incorporating fashion and art into one.
“Fashion has the power to dictate our movements physically and socially, to [a] great consequence. I have never seen it as a huge leap as both those mediums are concerned with the body,” says Ruga.
His current body of work is Queens in Exile, addressing issues of belonging and identity. However, it is his piece on the queens of Azania that put him on the cultural map.
“I feel it sparked something in the audience that [binds] our generation together. Witnessing the betrayal to the constitution I was raised with and also rainbowism, a utopian construct, played out in the country that is economically the most unequal in the world,” says Ruga.
Ruga was the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year in 2015 and has done work for luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. Believing the world is alive with possibilities, he held on to the hope he would one day travel the world.
“I had always dreamt of going to the south of France and now for the past five years, my husband and I have been going to Toulon for the Hyères festival,” says Ruga.
The Eastern Cape has produced some of South Africa’s great political leaders, from Nelson Mandela to Steve Biko, so it is little wonder Ruga’s work has strong historical references.
“History has the ability to arm us as a dispossessed youth, with knowledge that our forefathers went through the same things we are going through and we need that knowledge to arm us to find sophisticated ways of mobilizing for economic and cultural currency,” says Ruga.
He desensitizes “uncomfortable” topics using vibrant colors. His work is represented by the WHATIFTHEWORLD gallery in Cape Town, and in Paris, by InSitu Fabienne Leclerc.
There is also a lot of story-telling in his work which comes from his father being a journalist.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-36739 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/©_RENE_HABERMACHER_ATHI_PATRA_RUGA_PORTRAIT.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/©_RENE_HABERMACHER_ATHI_PATRA_RUGA_PORTRAIT.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/©_RENE_HABERMACHER_ATHI_PATRA_RUGA_PORTRAIT-300x400.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/©_RENE_HABERMACHER_ATHI_PATRA_RUGA_PORTRAIT-600x800.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/©_RENE_HABERMACHER_ATHI_PATRA_RUGA_PORTRAIT-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/©_RENE_HABERMACHER_ATHI_PATRA_RUGA_PORTRAIT-768x1024.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" />
“I come from a family of people who enjoyed telling stories and I gravitate to that tradition of storytelling in my art,” says Ruga.
His industry is faced with numerous challenges, but Ruga chose early on in his career to not focus on the negative.
“I’m honestly not concerned with focusing on challenges, that’s not how I got here. It is the attitude that defines how I will overcome that is ultimate. Our education system is something we all need to face and improve as that leads one to art and in return empathy for others,” he says.
Ruga encourages upcoming artists to venture into different spheres such as photography, art and designing as they are lucrative.
He says there are more than enough role models across the continent one could look up to such as Nicholas Hlobo, a South African contemporary artist who creates sculptures and explores ethnicity, masculinity, and sexual identity. He too looks up to him.
Despite the global exposure and success at home, Ruga is convinced the best is yet to come.
“I always feel my big break hasn’t happened yet,” he says. That will be a story for another time.

Athi

Challenging Social Norms Through Body Art

If you can’t find one in the metal, take a look at a picture of a 2003 Lamborghini Gallardo. Well over a decade later, it will still take your breath away with its daring design. It’s a moving tribute to Belgian designer, Luc Donckerwolke, who was in his thirties at the time.
While you’re at it go back to the Turin Motor Show in 1965 and the launch of the Miura – the car that made Lamborghini legendary. It didn’t have an engine yet, but that chassis was simply way ahead of its time.
It was proudly displayed by the founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, himself. The former tractor mechanic was subtly giving Enzo Ferrari the middle finger.
Ferruccio’s story, no doubt fabricated over the years, is the clichéd movie script of rags to riches. He is posted to the island of Rhodes during World War II and becomes a wizard at repairing cars, trucks and motorbikes with extremely limited resources.
Returning home, he finds a desperate need for tractors on the farms around Modena and builds one a month using derelict military vehicles. Ferruccio becomes a prosperous businessman and sports car enthusiast. But he has a slight clutch problem with his Ferrari 250 GT and pulls into Enzo’s factory nearby.
<div id="attachment_4468" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4468" class="size-medium wp-image-4468" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/shutterstock_492559927-Christopher-Lyzcen-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />Lamborghini Hurácan, interior view</div>
According to legend (which I believe entirely), Enzo dismisses the tractor trader and the bruised Mr Lambo sets out to build his own car with a V12 engine. Just a few years later the 350 GT is born to public acclaim.
But despite shocking the world with the revolutionary Countach in the early seventies, the wicked witch of bankruptcy was hovering around the next corner. A huge tractor order went sour, there were problems with the workforce and Fiat took over the car factory.
And that was just the start of juggling with this rather glamorous hot potato. Lamborghini was passed from a wealthy Canadian to ambitious Swiss brothers – then to the Chrysler Corporation and, in 1994, to the well-heeled Suharto family from Indonesia.
Finally, after a complex series of negotiations, Audi AG became the sole owners of Automobili Lamborghini on August 4, 1998. Similar to many of the previous takeovers, renewed energy and a cash injection resulted in a stunning new model – the flagship Murcielago. Yes, they do find exotic names – mostly after fighting bulls!
So, how are they doing financially this time around? Just great judging by 2015 figures. Global supercar sales soared 28% to 3,245 units. Turnover from $707 million to $980 million. And all future projects are financed out of cash-flow.
“In 2015 we achieved business growth for the fifth year in a row and historic heights with key figures,” says President and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann.
“We have also made wide-reaching strategic decisions that will facilitate the company’s mid and long-term success in global luxury automobile markets.”
It was really the Gallardo, the top selling Lambo with 14,022 rolling off the production line, that set the wheels in motion to boost the company. It even got the Jeremy Clarkson seal of approval.
“So while the Ferrari howls and a McLaren hums, the Lambo bellows. And while the racers were styled by aerodynamicists, the Lambo was designed to make people say ‘wow’. On your deathbed, you’ll remember a drive you took in it. And you’ll go through the Pearly Gates smiling.”
Radical stuff.  But you may get the idea that there was just a touch of pressure in bringing out the replacement after 11 years.
And the fighting spirit of the late Ferruccio has been embodied in the new Huracán.
There is a simple formula for the new generation of sports cars. Smaller Engine + Turbo + New Tech = Better Performance + Better Consumption + Reduced Emissions.
The Huracán ignores it. The mid-mounted naturally-aspirated V10 engine remains, along with stratified fuel injection. Or if you would like the formal Italian description: Iniezione Diretta Stratificata or IDS.
That may not mean much until you have pushed the ignition button and get thrown back into the low and firm sports seats (in a choice of 13 color combinations), which amazingly can accommodate a lanky 1.98-meter frame.
It’s the performance you would expect from a supercar with a basic price tag of $368,000. The Ferrari 488 GTB will do it, so will the McLaren 570S. They all hover around the 3-second mark, although the owners may argue about the defining decimal point.
According to Lamborghini’s South African Brand Manager, David Tarry-Smith, there is more emotion and character in driving a Huracán – which may seem like flimsy factors to motivate a substantial buying decision, even if it is the only four-wheel drive in this segment.
But the more brutal ride does seem to have caught the imagination of the red-blooded male. “Worldwide only three percent of our Lamborghini owners are women,” says Tarry-Smith.
And that statistic, according to an article in Reuters Lifestyle, could be costly for all high-performance carmakers. With the number of financially independent women on the rise, a potentially big market is being neglected.
“Any woman can drive those cars,” says 76-year-old Sonja Heiniger, the Swiss owner of an internet services firm.
She goes against the odds, owning four Lamborghinis and hitting the race track in a Porsche! Her latest acquisition is a $375,000 Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale special edition in “Rosso Mars” red.
Right now, that doesn’t seem to be impacting sales of the Huracán. More than 4,500 have already been shipped from the Bolognese headquarters with the chassis being assembled by Audi in Germany. In fact, the new R8 also shares a similar power train.
You will also find that the parent company has been a guiding light with the superbly refined instrumentation. A virtual dashboard in a single screen with all functions integrated.
The design is ruled by hexagons (apparently inspired by the carbon atom) and the shape is found everywhere from the air vents to the red cover of the stop/start button.
But it’s the shape of the new contender that will have all eyes trained on you from the outside. It retains the Gallardo DNA but with cleaner, precise and more modern lines. All designed to “fend the air and tame the road.”
The South African allocation for this year is a mere 30 units and all have been signed up. But, with a deposit of around $37,000, you can hop on the list for next year. The wait will be around six months.
If you are a family man who fancies the raging bull emblem, all is not lost. Porsche proved that a sporty SUV can be a top seller and the Lamborghini Urus is around the corner. It will be turbo-charged with a hybrid option and there is the objective of being the fastest SUV on the planet – although it may not go too far off-road!
Winkelmann is aiming at selling 3,000 units a year – which would almost double Lamborghini sales.
The little town of Sant’Agata in northern Italy, with a population of 7,283, is destined for a shake-up.

Made To Make You Say “WOW”

The Collective Rwanda (RW) Week of Fashion wrapped up its inaugural edition with a successful press launch, several ‘business of fashion’ seminars and a sparkling evening of runway shows that saw the latest collections from local designers showcased to an array of esteemed guests, including Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, and her daughter Ange Kagame.
In attendance too was an excited, style-savvy crowd.
In what was a highly-anticipated debut, the fashion event took place at the five-star Kigali Serena Hotel, hosted by Collective RW (a creative collaboration founded in 2015 by the city’s local designers Sonia Mugabo, Teta Isibo, Matthew Rugamba, Linda Mukangoga and Candy Basomingera) in partnership with Journal Rw and national airline RwandAir.
With the aim to promote ‘Made In Rwanda’ fashion and encourage collaboration within the African fashion industry, the week of fashion saw no shortage of contemporary, bold, and colorful collections from all the featured designers, against the backdrop of ‘teamwork makes the dream work’. FORBES WOMAN AFRICA was present too; here’s a report of the highlights:
<h2>Haute Baso</h2>
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Having ventured into the world of fashion precisely because it offers the freedom to transform ideas into pieces that can be shared with an audience, the designers at Haute Baso presented a collection inspired by a book about Rwanda’s military history called Resilience of a Nation. Showcasing women’s wear with simple yet contemporary silhouettes, the resultant collection featured classic military print jackets and tees mixed with stylish, easy ready-to-wear pieces.
Haute Baso’s mission is to translate the passion for art and design into a vehicle for positive change, so highlighting local artisans while promoting job creation particularly for youth and women is important.
“We know that to empower a woman is to empower her community,” says designer Linda Mukangoga. Her belief in the potential of showcasing Rwanda in a global market through fashion and at the same time empowering artisans in the community is what drives this quiet, determined and passionate designer.
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<h2>Sonia Mugabo</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-32146 aligncenter" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Sonia-Mugabo-DSC_2732-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Sonia-Mugabo-DSC_2732-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Sonia-Mugabo-DSC_2732-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Sonia-Mugabo-DSC_2732-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Sonia-Mugabo-DSC_2732.jpg 683w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
“If ever there is a market where the fashion world still has potential, it is Africa. I believe it is the right time to change the African narrative and I feel as though it is our creative responsibility to do so,’’ says designer Sonia Mugabo. Following her heart despite being advised to do fashion ‘on the side’, she delivered a SS17 collection featuring bold colors mixed with delightful floral prints and layered ruffles in silhouettes inspired by a refined femininity.
Best known for playing with the perfect mix of vintage and modern design, the brand creates pieces that reflect a documentation of ever-evolving experiences and style.
It represents a collection of memories, of places, people and moments brought to life by #madeinrwanda.
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<h2>Inzuki Designs</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-32142 aligncenter" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Haute-Baso-DSC_3276-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Haute-Baso-DSC_3276-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Haute-Baso-DSC_3276-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Haute-Baso-DSC_3276-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Haute-Baso-DSC_3276.jpg 683w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
Inzuki Designs is best known for its specialized brand of accessories that are globally appealing, African-inspired and Rwandan-made. Presenting bold, mostly-beaded statement pieces on the runway most suitable to a modern-day contemporary style, every product sees authentic design translated into a vibrant and fashionable accessory.
“I team up with numerous local artisans to transcend traditional Rwandan design and seek to customize it into comtemporay design,” says founder and designer Teta Isibo.
In what was unprecedented for a Kigali show, she believes the fashion week went a long way in showing the potential of ‘Made in Rwanda’.
“We are hoping to grow this movement, get more Rwandan fashion designers on board and forge ahead together to take Rwanda fashion global,” she says.
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<h2>House of Tayo</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-32144 aligncenter" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Inzuki-Designs-designer-DSC_3066-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Inzuki-Designs-designer-DSC_3066-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Inzuki-Designs-designer-DSC_3066-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Inzuki-Designs-designer-DSC_3066-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Inzuki-Designs-designer-DSC_3066.jpg 683w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
Designer Matthew Rugamba took his turn showcasing his menswear collection combining touches of bold African patterns and textures on shirts and jackets.
Key items included a new mix of African-inspired print shirts, pocket squares and scarves, with slim fitting pants.
Feeling both relieved and happy after the show, the designer said he believes togetherness will create a difference in Rwanda’s fashion industry, and that being a part of this platform means there is a growing opportunity to share experiences and widen networks, whilst growing together.
The Collective RW Week of Fashion looks set to keep contributing to an already growing conversation about African fashion and talent in Africa and around the world.

Inzuki-Designs-DSC_2909

Clothes Encounters  In Kigali

His exquisitely-cut suit is a perfect match for his suave manners. His tie and a bright handkerchief round off the look. This is Antonio Ambrosio; fashion is his game and Instagram made his name. His ability to put together stylish outfits landed him the opportunity to work with international brands. He makes a living through posting his photos on Instagram, a world away from a childhood in the grip of war.
Instagram is a social network that allows users to share their pictures and videos.
“I was just posting pictures of what I wear on a regular basis to work on Instagram and then I got a number of fashion blogs that were sending me messages on Instagram asking for my permission to use my pictures on their blogs, then OTAA AUSTRALIA discovered me,” says Ambrosio.
OTAA Australia sells a wide range of bow ties, ties, and more.
Hailing from Luanda, Angola, Ambrosio moved to South Africa in 1998 to escape his country’s brutal civil war. A decision he will always thank his parents for instead of struggling for survival in the conflict.
“I was too young at the time to fully understand the seriousness of the circumstances in Angola during the time we moved to South Africa,” he says.
Coming from a family of eight children, Ambrosio went to visit his home four years after the war ended in 2006.
“It was then where I learned a great deal about my country. The civil war destroyed Angola&#8217;s infrastructure and severely damaged the nation&#8217;s public administration and economic establishments,” he says.
Although his country deteriorated, Ambrosio’s career blossomed.
His interest in fashion design grew after his first job as a sales assistant at Hackett London in 2011.
“I devoted many hours meticulously studying traditional Italian and English bespoke artistry. I later taught myself basic production skills; combined with my intimate passion for fine art that has carried me from a young age.”
The 25-year-old has recently been approached by New York Red Bulls footballer, Felipe Martins, to dress him. But his daily bread comes from Instagram. With more than 27,000 followers, Ambrosio makes more than $50 a post, depending on the company he’s working with.
Ambrosio has worked with many other international brands, mostly start-up companies from New York, Sydney and London, as well as South Africa’s established luxury watch company, Picot &amp; Moss.
“I had a number of companies that approached me and sent me their stuff and I’d blog for them in return for money,” he says.
As he continued to post photos of himself wearing his suits, demand grew.
“People started asking where I got my suits, everywhere I went people were interested then I thought you know I could actually start a business from this, so basically I did.”
According to a recent study, Instagram has grown from 1.1 million users in 2014 to more than 2.68 million users in 2016.
Instagram is also the preferred social network for major brands. At present, 42% of major brands are using it, with Mr Price and Mercedes claiming the most success
Johannesburg media analyst, Arthur Goldstuck, says Instagram is growing fast.
“You have a lot of media personalities who have also used Instagram successfully to enrich themselves of influences and as a result of that they get a lot of request to do endorsements by big brands,” says Goldstuck.
Ambrosio works with eight people. He designs up to 10 suits a month and makes more than $700 a time. He even changed his Instagram page from a personal page to a company page. He only posts the suits he designs and the items from the companies he works with.
“Instagram is such a visual platform, when it comes to advertising it’s really the best platform you can use,” he says.
“This is going to become even bigger over the next five years,” says Goldstuck.
Nominated as one of GQ’s best dressed men in 2015, Ambrosio sees dollar signs when he wakes up, gets dressed and chooses just the right accessories before going on Instagram

One Click, 50 Bucks

The words “the medium is the message” coined by Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan seem apt for Nigerian designer Mai Atafo. He truly is the best medium and model of his work.
When we meet him, the always-immaculate Atafo is dressed in a clean cut black suit, white shirt, yellow tie and socks. His minimalist, unpretentious – and rather understated like the man himself – eponymous shop is located in the heart of Victoria Island, Nigeria. He strides in to meet two new clients in search of the perfect bespoke suit. They have come to the right place.
Pieces of clothing featuring traditional Nigerian design mingle with modern eclectic prints on the racks in the open-plan shop floor. The Mai Atafo brand is known for its Savile Row masterpieces. To the uninitiated, Savile Row is a street in central London known for its bespoke tailoring, and Atafo is a Savile Row Training Academy-certified tailor, of both men’s and women’s suits.
After listening to the new clients and their brief, he asks: “Why do you want this style?” An understanding of what the client is looking for sets the premise for the ensuing four weeks that will go into producing a unique, bespoke suit, typically costing anywhere upwards of N200,000 ($1,000). This level of perfection and attention to detail has earned Atafo an enviable reputation amongst his peers in Nigeria’s fashion industry, and beyond.
Fashion had not always been Atafo’s calling. When he was younger, music was his first love. He was told that as a two-year-old, he only walked when he heard music, and resumed his crawling position when it stopped.
“Until I was 10 years old, all I ever wanted was a guitar, but unfortunately my parents never got it for me otherwise I would be making hits instead,” says Atafo.
His dream of becoming “the next Michael Jackson” was not on the tarot cards though. The sixth of seven siblings, he thankfully also grew up with a keen eye for fashion.
“To me it was more important to look good than to eat,” he says.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30959" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Mai8-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mai8-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mai8-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mai8.jpg 387w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30958" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Mai7-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mai7-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mai7-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mai7.jpg 387w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30956" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/MaiA2-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MaiA2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MaiA2-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MaiA2.jpg 387w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
After acquiring a degree in Agricultural Economics and a master’s degree in Information Systems in the United Kingdom (UK), Atafo decided to stay on in the West. After five years, he decided it was not for him.
“I decided one day that I am more than a statistic, I am more than yet another African looking to make it in the UK, so I took a chance and decided to relocate back home.”
He secured his first job in the research department at British American Tobacco where he stayed for four years after which a stint at Guinness Nigeria PLC followed as an Innovation Manager and then later as brand manager. While at Guinness, Atafo decided to start his fashion career on the side.
And what was Atafo’s trigger?
“My sleeve length is 27 inches which is quite long because the average length is 25 inches, as a result, I struggled to get clothes that fit.”
So he decided to get his own clothes tailored; a practice from secondary school. There was another impetus. A friend was getting married and the groom’s men decided to upstage the bridesmaids. Atafo designed a range of African print-inspired waist coats and matching trousers in lilac and purple that were an instant hit and after replicating the style for five subsequent weddings, Atafo decided to go with his heart and enter fashion, full-throttle.
“I saved money that was equivalent to my one year salary and decided to take the chance. I said to myself, if in one year it doesn’t work, the worst that can happen is I will be a brand manager again.”
That was never to be – he has only worked for himself since.
Five years on, his brand is the recipient of top accolades in the highly-competitive Nigerian fashion industry. Developing the brand was not without challenges though, especially in light of the perception that it is more acceptable to pay higher prices for bespoke pieces made in the West than for those produced locally.
Even though Atafo holds the certificate from London’s elite bespoke tailoring school, he says he still encounters variables of this perception.
“I remember once a customer came to me with a $4,000 Tom Ford suit from the ready-to-wear range. However, the suit was ill-fitting and I was going to charge less than $1,000 to have it tailored and yet the customer complained that the price was way too much.”
Atafo believes it is still a long way before luxury African brands are fully acknowledged. However, he is in no hurry to open up shops abroad. Far from the contrary, Atafo is a proudly Nigerian brand, the name ‘Mai Atafo Inspired’ is born from what influences him the most – his strong Nigerian heritage. He is on a mission to create the first African bespoke brand for the international market, and be a cut above the rest.

MaiA5

The Bespoke Tailor Who Wanted To Be Michael Jackson

David Adjaye, the renowned architect born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents, has been busy. He is leading the design team behind the Smithsonian’s $500-million National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. He is also the frontrunner to design Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago. These two buildings will be the most high-profile pieces of more than a decade of work.
Although Adjaye’s work, which focuses heavily on historical cultures, is spread all over the world, it can now be appreciated, by many. He recently released his latest book, David Adjaye: Form, Heft, Material, which was published to complement his exhibition at the Haus der Kunst museum in Munich. In September, it was extended to Chicago.
“It is the most comprehensive survey of my work to date. The concept of the book was to offer an insight into current projects within the context of the trajectory of my work over the past 15 years, and framed within a broad social, cultural and historical discourse,” says Adjaye.
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The discourse to which Adjaye refers has informed his multiculturalist work across every continent, and has led to projects that have placed Adjaye as one of the most distinguished architects in the world.
Adjaye’s work has shifted to public architecture.
“I think that design can provide a critical inquiry into social responsibility and civic consciousness.”
Despite this shift, Adjaye maintains a certain audacity to his work; the kind of trait that can only make a building indelible to the most discerning eye. His work surpasses the mediocrity of simply fulfilling the mere function of shelter. Adjaye is more of an artist than an architect. His work is often as much of a visual sculpture as a constructional design.
“I have always sought to cross creative platforms, collaborating with artists and designers from different disciplines and focusing on the creative discourse surrounding the act of making things. It is the dialogue – the cultural intersection – which excites me.”
Adjaye has also been embraced by the world of politics. He was commissioned by Obama to lead the design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Such a responsibility has not been taken lightly. Adjaye describes it as “a career defining project.” The monument, in Washington D.C.’s National Mall, has been built to commemorate the momentous milestones in African American history.
“It is an incredibly exciting project and it has been a real honor to be involved in the creation of this monumental building,” he says.
Like most of the museums the architect has designed, the National Museum will be as iconic as the exhibitions inside it. It is  to open to the public in early 2016. The timing of the building’s inaugural opening could not be more perfect; Obama’s term is coming to a close, and racial antipathy continues to plague the country.
“My hope is that the museum will transcend the uneasy fact of racial tension through an open exploration of history, culture and society – thereby addressing profound aspects of the human condition and the positive value inherent in creating a forum for multiple interpretations of America’s history and demography, however uncomfortable those may be.”
Adjaye has a different hope for Africa – a continent often riddled with political instability that threatens to derail progress made in the private and public sector.
“Politics can hinder development. The four-year electoral window is often at odds with urban and infrastructure projects which can require a decade of political commitment. Nevertheless, [I] am excited about all of my work in Africa.”
A few of the projects that Adjaye has been working on across the continent include; a luxury concept store in Lagos called Alara, a school campus and residential project in Accra, building the headquarters of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Dakar, residential projects in Johannesburg, and a hospital in Rwanda.
Over the last few years, Adjaye has collaborated with Propertuity to develop one of the Johannesburg CBD’s many timeworn buildings in the Maboneng Precinct – Hallmark House. The area is undergoing urban changes, with many buildings being redeveloped and perhaps gentrified.
“The project is a dramatic transformation of a former commercial building into apartments and cultural facilities in Johannesburg’s CBD. Its proximity to the already vibrant Maboneng district will mean that it will extend this extraordinary new city quarter.”
The inspiration behind Hallmark House’s transformation has been driven by the same principles Adjaye places on all of his work. His designs are often a reflection of social, historical and environmental context. In the case of his work in Maboneng, the design of the residential building was inspired by what Adjaye lauds as “an icon of the Joburg city skyline”. The 66-meter-high structure, initially designed in the 1970s by Greg Cohen, was built to house a burgeoning diamond polishing company.
Adjaye is a firm believer that the story of a city is written in its buildings. Johannesburg reflects the complex challenges of its past.
“Johannesburg, sadly, is one of the few cities in the world that has a specific spatial architecture that is born from division,” he says.
Such a landscape does not wean Adjaye away from the potential possibilities awaiting this historically rich part of Johannesburg, but rather encourages an admiration of the city.
“Johannesburg is the most cosmopolitan city I have visited in Africa. You see in its buildings a story of a tragic past but also a city that is being very intentional about confronting its history and seeking ways to move forward.”
Adjaye dismisses the idea that his work has a clear and definitive aesthetic.
“I am part of a generation of architects which has moved away from the idea of a signature.”
He does, however, pull much of his inspiration from the continent.
“I draw from Africa, but I also draw from many other things. That’s what architects do – we are planetary creatures.”
Adjaye adds that all of his projects have been memorable.
“Each one is part of a curve, a critical piece of a narrative that is still unfolding.”
This is a story that will bring many more milestones for the successful architect on a mission in Africa.

The Brain of Africa more of an artist  than an architect

One moment you’re looking at a glossy billboard on the side of the road and the next you’re carrying it in the form of a chic bag.
Moipone Ntseke and Lise Kuhle, owners of StarBorn Creative Designs in Johannesburg, are in their own way transforming the way we view the world by reinventing unlikely objects – in this case, discarded billboards – and creating utility items out of scrap.
“As an entrepreneur, you’re an opportunist but a very good opportunist. Where the need arises for you to provide a product and where there’s a loophole, you enter. The green market was growing, it still is growing, and I wanted to penetrate it,” says Ntseke.
Founded in 2011, the company designs and manufactures laptop bags, iPad covers and sling bags using PVC from recycled billboards, then swathed in shweshwe, a printed dyed cotton fabric widely used in traditional South African clothing.
They also source used soles and create shoes from the bits. Ntseke knows her target market and ensures the bags they make match the shoes. The shoes are then sold in bags made out of discarded cushion covers. For Ntseke and Kuhle, everything has a use.
“The last thing companies want to do is see [their billboards] when they’re done. So they dump it, they dump it to us,” says Ntseke.
The duo also fashions African-inspired jewelry, which have appeared on South African television shows Generations and Muvhango.
The designs are sold to companies for corporate events and can often be found at Johannesburg’s local markets.
Ntseke and Kuhle work with Out of the Box Skills, a skills and training NGO in Germiston, in the east rand of Gauteng, a province in South Africa. The community functions like an ecosystem, helping each other as skills are learned and passed on. Members of the community are taught to sew and screen-print. The billboards are washed, cut and sewn.
“I had the design [ideas] but I didn’t have the skills and if there’s already a cooperative or organization with skills, why not empower them?” says Ntseke.
Ntseke grew up in a two-room shack outside her maternal grandmother’s house in Soweto, a predominantly black township. Her inspiration for her business was simple.
“I started with something I like so we began with jewelry. I learned a three-day [jewelry making] course in eight minutes. I think it was a record,” she says.
Ntseke then partnered with Kuhle, the brain behind the billboard bags. One can argue that their handmade creations are selling themselves.

Moipone-Ntseke-Lisa-Kuhle-065

From Billboard To Wardrobe

Anselm Tabansi left a cushy job as an associate lawyer at a prestigious Nigerian firm to follow another path. He was heeding a call and is now a staple in Nigeria’s design and hospitality industry.
“I am a lawyer by profession, so this is not a familiar academic terrain for me. I worked for a law firm specializing in industrial and intellectual property and did that for about four years. I woke up one morning and decided it was not the path for me,” says Tabansi.
An Anselm Tabansi designed space leave a lasting impression on design aficionados. His is a story of passion and intent.
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His creativity reaches back to his academic years in England where an interest for architecture blossomed. While it wasn’t pursued, Tabansi subsequently found himself trading in interior accessories, supplying interior designers and shops at the start of his design career. Wrought iron was the aesthetic trend in England at the time. Tabansi, believing this trend would thrive in Nigeria, made a decision to test the market at home. Following some research, he took the plunge, opening a small-scale production workshop in Lagos. He started with one welder and soon added a painter.
It was a bumpy start, with the new company, Svengali Designs, struggling to gain any prominence. He needed to create some buzz and began producing samples for friends and furniture shops to gauge their interest. Tabansi’s new venture soon proved to be a great decision. Within a year, there was a surge in demand for wrought iron furniture in Nigeria, catapulting Tabansi’s business.
“I started producing wrought iron furniture, wrought iron for balconies, railings, stairs, and gates. It was in high demand at that time but a couple of years later, the trend began to shift away from wrought iron. It had become a fad. I knew we would start to lose a significant amount of clients. The trend was shifting to wood-based furniture. Aluminum and stainless steel for railings, followed closely. We made the necessary shift and we have never looked back,” says Tabansi.
This shift would transform Tabansi’s company from one that produced a single product to a multi-faceted one.
Nigeria’s creative industry has enjoyed rapid growth as homegrown designers were given a more enabling environment. A few challenges still exist however, power and policy being at the forefront.
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“The need to generate our own power is mandatory. This makes production very expensive as we were constantly burning diesel. The raw materials we use for our production are also heavily taxed on duty. This poses a huge challenge and we hope the incoming government addresses this.”
From conference tables to living room furniture, Svengali Designs has carved out a large slice in the market with production for hospitality projects taking off in 1996 and a growing customer base that cuts across key sectors.
Interior design is a key service the company offers. With a mix of locally produced and imported merchandise, clients come from far and wide. The factory has 160 employees.
A joint venture with Turkish company, Poliform, led to Svengali-Poliform, a production arm for stainless steel and aluminum railings. This has a 43-man workforce.
Looking to grow even further, Tabansi ventured into the hospitality business. Nigeria’s hospitality industry is saturated with international brands. Identifying a gap in the homegrown hospitality management industry saw the birth of Fahrenheit Hospitality.
“I am focusing on the boutique segment of the hospitality industry. Through my various past operations, I have assumed full control of over every aspect of delivering on this kind of project. Design, construction, outfitting, supplies and management is all handled within the group. We have not just reduced our costs but also ensured the quality of our design is adhered to.”
“Every final piece is a reflection of my style and taste.”
As he also plays the role of Creative Director, Tabansi supervises all steps of the production process. He says that the quality assurance at Svengali Designs gives his company an edge.
“Over the years, people have come to associate us with quality. It is my joy to hear that pieces that were purchased from us over 15 years ago are still in top form.”
Under the Fahrenheit Hospitality brand, there are plans to roll out a series of boutique hotels.
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As opposed to starting the furniture business years ago, where organic growth was needed, the hospitality brand is a capital intensive project.
“We are currently trying to attract investment with vested interest in our projects,” says Tabansi.
Despite the infrastructural bottlenecks, Tabansi‘s decision to remain a Nigeria-based producer is a conscious one.
Likening his personal style to a simple sophistication, Tabansi urges budding designers to follow their passion.
“I discovered my passion in design. Defining a space, deconstructing it and redefining it. From this, I get so much joy and constantly strive to outdo myself.”
Tabansi tries to cater for a wide spectrum of clients. He, however, says that quality comes with cost.
“Our pieces are affordable and we keep our products within the reach of many.”
Tabansi has exciting plans for the future of Africa’s design and hospitality scene. He aims to be on the frontlines, pushing the envelope.

The Iron Will That Propelled An Entrepreneur To The Top Table

It was a hard road to business for Bheki Kunene who grew up poor in the streets of Gugulethu, on the fringes of South Africa’s wealthy tourist city of Cape Town. He was selling peanuts at just 15 years old and then graduated to fruit and vegetables.
When he finished high school, Kunene had to pay his own way to college. There was a new baby in his family which ate up the money needed for fees. Scholarships were his only way to get a higher education and he got one at the Ruth Prowse School of Art in 2006.
“I got a scholarship to study graphic design which paid for everything provided I get above 75% for all subjects,” says Kunene.
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As part of the course, he had to do a six-month internship at a graphic design company. Instead, he put up R600 ($57) and a computer with two other classmates to start their own business called Mind Trix Media, specializing in web development and design, printing, marketing and developing mobile applications.
His classmates soon left but Kunene quickly landed his first big client – AAA Shuttles. He had to create a website and develop other projects for the tourism company, all on his own. His deadlines for the projects were very tight and he worked tirelessly to prove himself. Ismail Louw, the owner of AAA Shuttles, paid a 50% deposit for a website.
All was going well. But a knock on the door two weeks into the business turned his life upside down.
It was a summer’s morning on a Saturday in December 2010 and Kunene was printing t-shirts. Two detectives walked in. Kunene assumed that they were friends of the local pastor and they were just coming in for a small chat.
“They started asking me questions of where I was the previous night. Then they told me to take off my rings, belt, shoelaces and I knew something was not right,” Kunene says.
To his horror, the detectives arrested Kunene for murder.
“When I got to the police station, they told me they’d torture me like no-one would believe. Each morning it was another torture,” he remembers.
“The more I cried, screaming that I knew nothing about a murder, the police would continue to torture me, claiming that all criminals cried and said that they knew nothing until they were tortured into confessing. But I was telling them the truth.”
The police would punch him in the ribs and stomach. Once they tired of that, they would cuff his hands behind his back and force him to his knees while standing on the cuffs which pulled and squeezed on Kunene’s wrists.
After spending about five days in a tiny cell, the police released him.
“They told me they found the real culprit who had dreadlocks and they thought I had cut my dreadlocks the night before. I cut my dreadlocks a few years ago,” he says.
Kunene immediately went home and was worried about his first big client. He called Louw explaining his ordeal.
Luckily for Kunene, Louw was sympathetic and he kept the contract. It took about three weeks for Kunene to recover from the torment.
Business soon picked up. Word of mouth helped him gain more clients, partnerships and even make his first million rand. Soon, the awards started rolling in. Kunene made it into the top 10 national finalists of the South African Breweries Kick Start Business Competition. This is where he learned how to run a business and met Virgin’s Richard Branson and other motivational entrepreneurs.
“I learned some of the most basic foundation things from these guys. They kind of taught me the frugal lifestyle. They said ‘keep it silent my friend, live below your means and just study,’” Kunene says.
“Each day, I read for an hour and each time I walk down the road I’ve got audio books in my head and I’m learning more each day I’m reading. And I do some of the things these guys taught me.”
One of the best bits of advice Kunene took from the speakers was for him to go see a psychologist immediately after he made his first million because he grew up poor.
“You’d be like the tender guys, up one moment and the next they’re down,” the businessmen told him.
“You have to do it differently if you want to be like us. First thing, go get yourself counseled, understand what you are in now. Next step, learn about investment. Read more and read more,” Kunene remembers.
One question he asked Branson and co was what wealthy people did with their money.
“They said, we take our money and make more money for us. Then we take the interest and buy the fancy stuff. It’s not our money.”
For now, Kunene is earning his future interest with Mind Trix, the company he started from his mother’s house. It then moved to Loop Street in Cape Town’s central business district, and then moved back to the township where it started. Today, it has clients in Zimbabwe, Angola, Vietnam, Italy and the United States.
When I meet Kunene at their offices on the ground floor of a double-storey house, he tells me he hardly does any of the corporate work anymore, but solely focuses on running the business. He hopes to open five more offices and avoid any more painful misunderstandings w

Accused And Abused

The end of last year saw a mix of patrons, celebrities and fashion professionals from around the world descended on upscale Victoria Island for the GTB Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2013 (LFDW). In the front row were the founders of luxury retailers Luisa via Roma (Andrea Panconesi) and Browns (Joan Burstein), buyers from Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys, and publications including ELLE, Paper and Grazia. All were there to view collections by some of Nigeria’s most talented designers such as Maki Oh, Jewel by Lisa, Iconic Invanity and Tiffany Amber.
This event is not a first. Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, attended LFDW 2012 and declared: “The time for Nigeria is now. The development of a middle class means that a larger number of people are able to upgrade from basic necessities to luxury brands.”
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British luxury department store Selfridges also sent a delegation and hosted the Nigerian fashion pop up, Ndani, in association with LFDW founder Omoyemi Akerele. In her words: “The fashion industry is very much in its infancy here. Ndani gave the designers more exposure abroad, that way they will be better appreciated locally.” The lawyer-turned-fashion consultant established LFDW in 2011 and is riding the crest of the ever-rising wave of interest in Nigeria’s fashion industry.
So why all the buzz? Nigeria has one of the highest growth potential economies in Africa. With a population of nearly 170 million and its youthful inhabitants enjoying rapidly rising discretionary incomes, it should not come as a surprise that there is a large market for fashion. Nigeria’s apparel market is estimated to be worth over $7 billion according to Euromonitor, and it has been growing at 13% per annum. However, many wealthy Nigerians still tend to shop overseas for their apparel needs. Global Blue reported that Nigerians ranked third, ahead of Americans, but are behind Middle Easterners and Chinese in apparel retail spending in the United Kingdom.
There are also many other challenges facing local designers. They struggle with a lack of manufacturing facilities, inadequate infrastructure, textile import bans and very little governmental support. Most find it difficult to produce a consistent product of high standards within the timeframe and price range required to fulfill significant overseas orders. However, some have proven to be up to the task and are quickly developing a name abroad.
“There is a lack of skilled labor, general mediocrity and often a lack of appreciation of our tradition and culture,” says Maki Osakwe, the young designer behind Maki Oh. The label has captured the attention of celebrities like Solange Knowles, Leelee Sobieski and Michelle Obama.
“I am true to myself and am always striving towards perfection while keeping my heritage alive,” she continues.
Her designs are stocked at Maryam Nassir Zadeh, a New York City-based emporium. The local landscape is changing rapidly and there has certainly been an influx of international fashion brands coming into Nigerian malls, a boon to the country’s burgeoning marketplace. Euromonitor estimates that the number of international retailers opening outlets in Nigeria is growing at 36% a year and apparel is one of the leading categories. Lagos has seen the opening of high-end stores Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss, MAC and mid-range apparel players such as Foschini as well as mass-market chain outlets like Mr. Price. The much-anticipated Alara, Nigeria’s first concept store, opened its doors in late 2013. Designed by critically-acclaimed architect David Adjaye, the store changed the face of retail in Nigeria by bringing authenticity and world-class aesthetics.
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E-commerce is another way many are overcoming the real estate and infrastructure restrictions in the country. There are new online retail models tailored to the environment. Internet retailers Konga and Jumia offer payment on delivery options, since most Nigerians are still skeptical about paying online. Additionally, 5th and Quansah, a luxury apparel and accessory e-tailer, offers personal shopping and styling appointments in Lagos.
“Aside from economic growth, what fascinates people are the colors, textures and newness of the collections shown in Nigeria,” says 5th and Quansah founder, Nana Serwah Kankam about international interest in the Nigerian fashion industry.
“Nigerian women are stylish and trendy, proudly owning their own perspective on fashion. I don’t think you see this so often in the world. They are well aware of the global trends, confidently weaving them in with local influence.”
The apparel value chain is quickly developing and the future of Nigerian fashion seems to be very bright. With thoughtful government policies to support investment in the sector, perhaps the country will see indigenous fashion businesses serving the population and maybe even a Mercedes-Benz-sponsored Nigerian fashion week in the not too distant future.

Nigerian Fashion Is Flying

Without deliberate design, Maria McCloy has been a pioneer throughout much of her career. “People reading your magazine would probably cringe, but there are no spreadsheets and I don’t have a business plan. I just do it.”
Fresh out of university in the heady creative energy of South Africa’s early democracy, McCloy and two partners founded multimedia company Black Rage Productions. It was the starting point of an exciting, ever-evolving career, and McCloy credits the network of contacts that she built up at Rage for the success of her mini empire.
Rage grew quickly into a television production company that produced several art and culture magazine prog-rams, a record label that rode the mus-ical wave of Kwaito, and a website that became the go-to guide for urban culture.
Although she rejects formalized business structures, McCloy is always on the lookout for a new opportunity, and her instincts tend to be spot on.
“One holiday I was home in Lesotho and I met a guy selling wire earrings – lots of people there sell lots of wire earrings – and I thought, wow! These are amazing,” she says.
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McCloy managed to convince David Magwai, a vendor selling jewelry outside a cathedral in Maseru, to customize his wares for her.
“I said to him: ‘Please make these bigger for me’. And he said: ‘Your ear is going to break off, but okay’.”
Back in Johannesburg, some of the artistes McCloy had met through Rage noticed the earrings and soon she had a customer base of musicians, writers and actors.
Then Stoned Cherrie designer Nkhensani Nkosi featured them in her collection. Mantsho founder Palesa Mokubung and industry doyenne Marianne Fassler followed suit. Of course, having the likes of award-winning singer Lira wear the earrings did not hurt their popularity.
“People in the office were keen on (the earrings), so I started giving them as gifts and then those people bought them as gifts, and the process grew organically,” McCloy explains.
It prompted McCloy to turn her love for accessories into a small business. She formalized her trade, selling earrings, clay necklaces, and vintage bags and sunglasses at a craft market once a month.
It was during Rage’s promotion of the Congolese gangster film, Viva Riva!, that McCloy’s dual passions united. As part of the publicity for the movie, she was asked to put together a media gift bag. McCloy took the standard press kit one step further and came up with a clutch bag sporting the film’s logo – and added a new range to her business.
She started selling clutch bags in unique African prints. Even when demand increased, she says, each bag remained unique, as the geometric prints and bright colors of the fabric gave shape to a different accessory each time.
“Cloth had always been a big part of me; I wore it as a headwrap. At home my mother had a big pile so I think it really resonated with people to see it on a clutch,” she says.
McCloy happened on her next big idea while shopping in Johannesburg’s inner city. It was the push she needed to establish Maria McCloy Accessories.
“I saw a pair of shoes, very bridal, in a traditional wedding shop, a pair of seShoeShoe shoes… Clutches may be a bit more specific but everyone needs shoes.
“The whole thing with the shoes and the cloth is that it shouldn’t just be saved for a special occasion, it should be worn every day. We think Western clothes are normal and African clothes are for traditional occasions, but actually no, use it everywhere. It’s beautiful! Don’t wait for the West, because that’s what happened. The West decided African print was in and we jumped on it when we’ve always had this stuff,” she points out, clearly exasperated.
The fashion world’s current fascination with traditional African prints has certainly helped Maria McCloy Accessories. “I want it to be forever because this is in our history,” says McCloy, who is looking forward to working with historically significant textiles, such as Asa-oke, the hand-woven fabric from Nigeria, and Kente cloth, the silk and cotton material native to Ghana.
One Sunday I stop by McCloy’s stall in Maboneng, Johannesburg’s gentrified inner-city precinct. Her customers come from all walks of life – locals and tourists. I watch as a teenager swaps his trainers for ankle boots covered in a tan-and-brown print originally from Mozambique. Next to him, a woman tries to work out if her iPad will fit into one of McCloy’s custom-made journal holders.
As the popularity of her collection continues to grow, McCloy has started receiving queries about bulk orders, and is even considering starting her own manufacturing line. She already employs three people and is on the lookout for an investor to take her business to the next level.
McCloy readily admits that her success cannot be attributed solely to chance. Since she was a child, she has had a keen eye for accessories and prints, as well as an interest in fashion and art trends. And after a long career in the media industry, her extensive social network has been instrumental to the growth and popularity of Maria McCloy Accessories.
“My customers have been extremely supportive… They’re also my muses because sometimes they’ll ask for a certain shoe or a certain bag,” she says, explaining how the range expands as she tailors to the trends set by her customers.
McCloy credits Buti Mabote as one of her most important support structures in running the business. Their relationship is so multifaceted that it defies a formal definition. Mabote started out as a customer, but today he manages the logistics of Maria McCloy Accessories. He
liaises with clients and mans the stall when McCloy is away at her day job, which is in public relations for mass media company Viacom International.
“I realized there’s potential and I’m happy for Maria because she has invested a lot in this – time, her own money, ideas… I’m just there as support to make it happen for her. I’m quite happy to see (the business) growing, because as she grows I believe I’m growing,” Mabote says.
“My wife and I are normally here every Sunday, even if we’re not selling for Maria. It’s part of us. If you look in my car, in the boot, there’s something of Maria’s in there, whether it’s a shoe or cloth or a bag.
“Every day I have to do something for Maria, every day,” he says proudly.
“When she grows, I grow also. And I can say we’re friends now.”
Mabote’s attention shifts to a customer who has picked out a large pile of clutch bags and pumps. Alison Vieira explains that she is Canadian, and travelling the world in search of indigenous designs, crafts and products to sell in cosmopolitan Toronto.
Amazed by the success of a small, independent retailer, Vieira says she hopes to do more business with McCloy if the samples go down well in Toronto.
McCloy is pleasantly surprised; it seems her business has grown yet again.
Maria McCloy Accessories does not rely on the business school-sanctioned models of calculating risk and predicting margins. Instead, its evolution is a result of McCloy’s entrepreneurial spirit and instinct, combined with the power of human connection and a personal touch.

Maria McCloy: An eye for print and an instinct for business

Automotive design is split into the following components: exterior, interior and color or trim elements. The exterior design stylist develops the shape, proportions and surface of each vehicle, and sketches are done manually or using a series of digital renderings. Next, models are made from clay, and carved to exact specifications using CNC Milling machines. The first use of clay modeling has been attributed to Harley Earl, head of General Motors (GM) styling studio in the 1930s. When it comes to the interior, ergonomics and comfort take precedence, but the procedure followed is the same described above for the outside of the car. Color and trim designers are responsible for the layout and use of various materials, where attention to the unique combination of patterns, textures, contrast and sensory nuances is key.
The high turnover of vehicle design we are so accustomed to today, finds its roots in a term called “planned obsolescence”. In 1924, the American car market had reached saturation point and GM’s Alfred P. Sloan Jr. creatively suggested that car designs be changed each year, in order to convince owners that they needed to regularly replace their vehicles. By contrast, Henry Ford was a proponent of functionality and design integrity, and suffered the repercussions of his decision to stick to his principles. In 1931, General Motors overtook Ford’s car sales and went on to become the dominant force in the US motor industry. As marketing is driven primarily by aesthetic design, Sloan’s philosophy had far-reaching and powerful implications. The downside of this strategy for consumers, apart from the obvious, is the risk that manufacturers make use of less expensive components, in order to fulfill the product’s lifetime projections.
But not all automotive designers had their eye on mass production and capturing as much market share as they could muster. The most famous of all car design companies is Pininfarina, founded by Battista ‘Pinnin’ Farina. Born in Italy in 1893, his nickname came from being called the youngest, or smallest—pinnin—of the family. Farina began working in his brother’s car body shop at the tender age of 12, and his passion for cars saw him absorbing whatever knowledge he could until he was ready to begin designing his own. Famously, Battista started doing work for Ferrari in 1952 and officially changed his surname to Pininfarina in 1961. The list of cars the company is credited with designing defies belief; and includes Peugeot, Lancia, Fiat and Alfa Romeo and in recent years, they’ve begun focusing on cars propelled by electricity and solar energy.
Another stalwart of automotive design was founded in 1912 by Giovanni Bertone. The company successfully partnered up with some of the greatest designers of the time: Franco Scaglione—responsible for the creation of the Alfa Giulietta Sprint, which launched Bertone into mass production—Giorgetto Giugiaro, as well as Marcello Gandini—the great Lamborghini Countach was his brainchild. Typified by the use of angular and wedged shapes, Bertone-styled cars always appeared futuristic and the Opel Astra Coupé is a modern vehicle still employing the artistic skills of this famous company.
While other designers stemmed from Great Britain and the United States, none had the formidable success achieved by Pininfarina and Bertone.
Time marches on and with it comes unique problems, as well as the advancement of technology, that have a direct influence on how modern cars look and function. The proliferation of internet access on our cellphones, computers and iPads has seen motoring manufacturers quickly integrating online functionality in their cars.
Advances in aeronautical engineering will soon see drive-by-wire navigation become commonplace in modern production cars. As opposed to direct mechanical controls, a drive-by-wire system senses the driver’s physical interaction with the hand control—replacing the traditional steering wheel—and converts this into a digital signal that goes to an actuator that controls the wheels. What this translates into in terms of car design, is that future vehicles will no longer need a steering column or pedals, resulting in more space for the driver. Another spin-off is that heavy mechanical components will be obsolete, and this means greater fuel efficiency and less environmental impact. Hand controls will house the throttle, braking and steering elements while gears would be selected by the touch of a button.
J Mays, Global VP of design and chief creative officer at Ford Motor Company, feels that a direct result of cellphone technology has been that consumers no longer view physically small items as being a sacrifice in terms of product delivery. It seems then that future generations might eventually break the mold of wanting huge luxury sedans, but rather concentrate on cars that are pragmatic, have less environmental impact, but that deliver on all the other factors that we require for travel; namely safety, comfort, technology, entertainment, fuel efficiency and low cost of maintenance. Mays doesn’t imply that this shift in perception would in any way relinquish the power of status appeal; status in future might be reinterpreted along different lines.
“Design is a communications tool for the brand. It’s a visual communication with the customers we want to contact and have a dialogue with,” he says.
In the next 10 years, Mays feels that the design of cars won’t change per se, but rather the skill set of those doing the designing.
“A lot more digitally-oriented designers will be coming into the auto industry and helping us change the model of why you buy an automobile.”

Tag: design

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