Review: New African Fashion by Helen Jennings

I have something I need to confess...here goes:

My name is Frankie, and I love African fashion.

I had always had a strong appreciation for it (who doesn't love a strong print and lots of colour?!), and ever since attending Africa Fashion Week a little while ago, my love has blossomed into full-blown obsession. I've even found myself on numerous occasions staring longingly at the local African clothing shops in Dalston, wondering whether or not I could actually pull off a traditional head wrap (I've decided to ease myself into the look with a Charlotte Taylor penguin scarf for now...). I am part-Egyptian after all! So naturally when I was asked to review "New African Fashion", a new book by Helen Jennings, I was overly keen to accept.

According the book blurb, "From Africa-inspired to African-made, this guide is the first to celebrate a new wave of fashion designers who are appearing on the global stage." It's no secret that Africa has been influencing designers for many years, and more recently big names such as Michael Kors, Burberry and Donna Karen have shown clear Africa-inspired collections.

The book starts by talking about the origins of African fashion before leading into current African/Africa-inspired designers, covering both womenswear and menswear. The book features an incredible number of up and comers who are undoubtedly ones to watch. My favourites include Duro Olowu, Mimi Plange and Black Coffee. I was also very happy to see Bunmi Koko featured, as I've been a big fan of her designs for a while now.

As well as featuring African design talent, the book also covers some of Africa's best-known and emerging models, both male and female. It's a given that the legendary Alex Wek would be included, but it was also nice to see models such as Ataui Deng and Ajak Deng (no relation, but very good friends apparently!) in there too.

Overall, I was really impressed with this book. It offers a comprehensive look at the wide ranging talent that Africa has to offer, features interesting interviews and beautiful vibrant photography - what more could you ask for from fashion book?! And, as this blurb from the book says...

The more we all educate ourselves about Africa and embrace what it has to offer, the more fashion can continue to develop and innovate. Retailing at £19.99, I would highly recommend this book for any real fashion lovers or enthusiasts, especially those who are looking to broaden their own person style. You can order your copy from Amazon and many other book retailers right now.

Happy reading!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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Beauty showcase event for Holland and Barrett

Last week I attended the launch of some new beauty products for Holland and Barrett that will be hitting stores in November. I'm not really a beauty blogger, but I am always on the hunt for new and innovative ways to improve my skin. After hearing a bit about Manuka Doctor and their revolutionary apitherapy products, I was very intrigued and keen to find out more.


If you're not already in the know, the clever minds behind Manuka Doctor have discovered that the mix of deliciously decadent manuka honey and bee venom (that's right - the venom of bees) make for powerful and effective skin care. Already dubbed "nature's alternative to botox", Purified Bee Venom is renowned for its anti-bacterial, anti-wrinkle and regenerating benefits which can help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles or scars. Sound too good to be true? I had to find out for myself.

I've been using the Manuka Doctor Facial Moisturising Lotion (£16.99) for a few days now, and I must say I am genuinely impressed. I have already noticed an improvement to my skin - blemishes were quickly reduced, and overall my face is softer, looks clearer and feels more toned. My hairdresser even told me I was looking younger - either this stuff is great or he was angling for a bigger tip...either way, I am sold on this product. The whole range is very affordable too, with prices ranging from £3.49 to £49.99. If you're stuck for stocking-fillers for Christmas, this could be a great way to go.

I'm not going to lie to you - I have no idea how this product is produced, and that is the only thing that's bothering me slightly. I sincerely hope there is a ethical method for extracting the bee venom. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I assume there has to be a way of extracting the venom without killing the bees as they are close to becoming endangered...right? If you happen to know anymore about this, please get in touch and fill me in!

Assuming their products are bee-friendly, I would definitely remcommend and continue to use them myself. If you'd like to try the products for yourself, head over to your local Holland and Barrett store in November and let me know what you think!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Pearl Lowe for DP London

Last week I attended the launch event for the multi-talented Pearl Lowe's new limited edition candle collection for DP London, held at the ultra-fancy Mayfair Hotel.





Upon entering the Schiaparelli Suite, I was instantly struck by how incredible the room smelled - always a good sign at a candle launch - and after hearing the ingredients list I can understand why! The three candles in Pearl's collection feature a delicious mix of bergamot, orange peel, cedar wood, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla, all of which help to create a beautifully relaxing and warming atmosphere. Not only are the candles gorgeous, they're also made from 100% natural wax and are presented in re-useable packing in the form of a bespoke, handmade Japanese porcelain container.

The Pearl Lowe for DP London Candle Trio is available for the bargain price of £30, and can be purchased from Selfridges and ASOS.com. Having had a good sniff first-hand, I can promise you that they'd make a perfect Christmas present for someone you really, really like, or even as a little treat for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Fashion foresight with Stylesight

A little while ago I attended the International Jewellery London (IJL) event with my good friend Nik Thakkar to hear a talk on fashion forecasting. For those of you not in the know (I must confess I knew very little before attending), fashion forecasting is the process by which future trends are predicted so that the fashion houses we all know and love can anticipate the sorts of looks and styles that we consumers will want to buy in the future.

If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering how the hell they do this. How can someone predict what will be possible in the future?! Using witchcraft involving Mystic Meg and her crystal ball, perhaps? Well, it turns out there's a much easier and less satanic way of doing this.

Stylesight is a very clever online service that does all of the hardwork for you. They are constantly researching trends and styles in order to provide concise forecasting and reporting relevant to industry timelines seasons ahead of time. In their own words, "Color Premiere, Megatrends, and Design Developments forecast the upcoming seasons' colour, trend direction, materials, and shapes and silhouettes. Our trend boards provide thorough and insightful analysis of designer collections for each major season, deciphering the core messages by categories such as color, theme and a spectrum of key items from a conglomerate of images."

As a jewellery designer and fashion stylist, this is an incredibly useful tool for me. I found the Stylesight talk at IJL absolutely fascinating, and within 10 minutes of listening I was full briefed on future jewellery trends. In fact, here's a sneaky peak just for you!

(Click on the images to see them nice and big)

If you are serious about working in any kind of fashion design capacity and want to stay ahead of the game, I highly recommend Stylesight. To quote the good folks themselves, they use "state of the art technology is easy to use and makes the tedious work of fashion research simple, immediate and enjoyable". And isn't that what we all want in life - work made fun and easy?!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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