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<strong>FASH</strong>ION<br />
IOL<br />
Hats off to wonder women
CONTACT US<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Vasantha Angamuthu<br />
vasantha@africannewsagency.com<br />
EDITOR<br />
Geraldine Cupido<br />
geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za<br />
EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLE EDITOR<br />
Nelandri Narianan<br />
nelandri.narianan@inl.co.za<br />
PRODUCTION<br />
Renata Ford<br />
renata.ford@inl.co.za<br />
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT<br />
Keshni Odayan<br />
keshni.odayan@inl.co.za<br />
DESIGN<br />
Dimpho Mokhoanatsi<br />
dimpho.mokhoanatsi@inl.co.za<br />
SALES<br />
Charl Reineke<br />
charl.reineke@inl.co.za<br />
ENQUIRIES<br />
info@anapublishing.com<br />
Contents<br />
8 SA Beauty Entrepreneurs<br />
l<br />
The Face behind Swiitchbeauty<br />
l<br />
The power of makeup<br />
l<br />
#GirlPower Makeup Looks<br />
l<br />
4 Women in Sustainable<br />
Fashion Design<br />
l<br />
Meet the Coloured Meisie<br />
l<br />
The corset
I’M A mother of two strong-willed, bright and<br />
creative girls.<br />
My eldest daughter is sixteen years old and<br />
has been practising sustainable fashion long<br />
before people had a name for it.<br />
She has the ability to creatively transform<br />
any clothing item into something completely<br />
different with nothing but a pair of scissors,<br />
needle and thread. When I spring clean my<br />
wardrobe she already knows what pieces she<br />
wants and how she will re-purpose them.<br />
My youngest daughter might only be eight<br />
years old, but she’s one of the fiercest little<br />
girls I know. She’s confident in who she is. She<br />
embraces her natural curls and coils. When it<br />
comes to what she wears she knows exactly<br />
what she wants. She can confidently walk into<br />
a room filled with family, friends or strangers<br />
and command attention.<br />
I love that my daughters are not afraid to<br />
swim against the current tide of cookie cut,<br />
copy and paste personas we see across our<br />
social media platforms.<br />
Long before I even became a mother to a<br />
girl (my first-born is a boy) I believed that it’s<br />
up to us, the mothers, sisters, aunts, to raise<br />
strong independent free-thinking girls.<br />
To allow them to be who they are. To<br />
embrace their natural beauty. To nurture and<br />
grow their God given talents so that they can<br />
reach their full potential.<br />
Growing up I’ve been blessed with<br />
strong female role models. My mother and<br />
grandmother, two very different women, both<br />
fiercely protective of their children, showed me<br />
what it means to be a woman and what we<br />
are capable of.<br />
It warms my heart to see so many young<br />
South African women building their own<br />
empires.<br />
The makings of strong role models for the<br />
younger generations.<br />
This month’s issue is a celebration of just a<br />
few of the outstanding women in the fashion<br />
and beauty industry.<br />
Women who are not afraid to take a giant<br />
leap, to strongly plant their feet firmly in both<br />
the creative and business world.<br />
Women who are leaving their mark for the<br />
world to see!<br />
Editor’s note<br />
Gerry
SA BEAUTY ENTREP<br />
8<br />
THOBILE MAZIBUKO<br />
SOUTH Africa may have a high youth unemployment<br />
rate, but there are still those who try to bridge the gap by<br />
creating beauty brands.<br />
The beauty industry is increasingly becoming<br />
increasingly diverse.<br />
After years of being ignored by mainstream beauty and<br />
skincare brands, black women have decided to take things<br />
into their own hands.<br />
Over the past few years, there has been a rise in beauty<br />
brands in South Africa, where we have seen an increasing<br />
number of South Africa’s young beauty entrepreneurs<br />
coining it.<br />
Here’s a look at 8 dynamic young women making waves<br />
in the beauty industry.<br />
Vuyi Zondi<br />
Zondi, a management consultant by<br />
profession, started her natural skincare brand<br />
Corium Naturals by creating skincare elixirs<br />
for herself and close friends. After receiving<br />
good feedback, she then started researching<br />
natural skincare and traditional skincare<br />
practices of African and Indian people. To<br />
create her unique products, Zondi sources raw<br />
materials from Africa. For example, her African<br />
Black Soaps are imported from Ghana and<br />
carry approvals from the Ghanaian Standards<br />
Board.<br />
About her brand, she said: “Our brand is<br />
built on the hallmarks of simplicity, purity and<br />
credibility.<br />
“The natural skincare solutions that we<br />
provide are natural and botanical. In other<br />
words, every ingredient in our products is<br />
derived from nature and, as far as possible,<br />
in its most unrefined and natural state. Our<br />
recipes are inspired by traditional African,<br />
Himalayan and Ayurvedic beauty practices.”<br />
Boity Thulo<br />
Boity Thulo went from being a TV presenter and<br />
rapper to being a budding beauty mogul.<br />
In 2020, she partnered with Halo Heritage, a<br />
company that makes natural hair and fragrance<br />
products, to launch a haircare range and a<br />
fragrance.<br />
Thulo first launched Boity Pink Sapphire Eau<br />
de Parfum, which was then followed by eight<br />
hair products under her label. Speaking of<br />
her products, she said that she has always<br />
dreamed of having her fragrance line.<br />
“It has always been a lifelong dream<br />
to create a range of fragrance<br />
and haircare products that truly<br />
represent African women. Now,<br />
more than ever, black African<br />
women are creating a unique<br />
identity and playing increasingly<br />
important roles in almost every aspect<br />
of life in Africa-from government to<br />
business and more.<br />
“Creating a brand that is<br />
specifically designed for powerful<br />
modern African women made<br />
this collaboration with Halo<br />
Heritage a natural fit,” she<br />
said.
RENEURS<br />
Sebapu, from Soshanguve, worked at the South<br />
African National Defence Force before starting her<br />
cosmetic brand, Hermosa Flor.<br />
The brand name means beautiful flower in<br />
Spanish was inspired by her name, Mbalenhle.<br />
Sebapu, who has always loved makeup, said<br />
her beauty journey started when she was still in<br />
primary school, where she would enter beauty<br />
competitions. “I loved getting dolled up for those<br />
competitions. Although that’s where the love for<br />
beauty started, I started fully embracing it in high<br />
school,” she told lifestyle digimag, The Throne.<br />
Since the brand’s inception in 2019, Sebapu<br />
has launched a wide range of products, including<br />
lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes, makeup brushes,<br />
face washes, serums and, most recently,<br />
eyelashes.<br />
Mbali Sebapu<br />
Amanda du-Pont<br />
Skeem Saam actress Amanda du Pont has also<br />
entered the beauty industry by launching a vegan<br />
skincare range, Lelive.<br />
Pronounced leh-lee-veh, the vegan skincare<br />
range that is made up of 95% natural ingredients was<br />
launched in April this year. The name was inspired<br />
by the model’s unofficial Swati name meaning “of the<br />
nation or world”. Du Pont added that what makes her<br />
products unique is that they are unisex. “We thought<br />
it was important for us to create a skincare range that<br />
wasn’t specifically marketed to any gender but rather<br />
focused on targeting how your skin feels and what it<br />
needs the most,” she said.
Actress and sports presenter Manku also<br />
launched a fragrance line. Manku, who<br />
portrays the character of Lizzy Thobagkale on<br />
Skeem Saam launched Amascent Fragrances<br />
in May when she was mourning the passing<br />
of her grandmother. Taking to Instagram,<br />
she said: “I’m so excited to finally take this<br />
step in growing my baby. @amascent is a<br />
concept that came about in 2017 after I had<br />
my bundle of joy with the aim of assisting<br />
those who wanted to have an extra income<br />
and of course those who love to smell good.<br />
@amascent we have a variety of fragrances<br />
for men and women inspired by some of your<br />
popular scents.”<br />
Amanda Manku<br />
Masego Kunupi<br />
Kunupi, one of the pioneering women in the beauty<br />
industry, has franchised her cosmetics brand, Chique<br />
Beauty, across South African provinces.<br />
To celebrate 10-years in the beauty business, Kunupi<br />
recently launched 12 Chique Beauty franchises. Her<br />
decision to expand her brand was inspired by the gap<br />
she saw within the beauty industry. As such, she then<br />
created job opportunities for the youth of South Africa.<br />
“I have already built an established brand. So I thought,<br />
why not empower these young women that want to start<br />
something of their own,” said Kunupi.
Botha, the owner of Le Naturel, was inspired<br />
by South Africa’s indigenous medicinal<br />
plants to create her range of luxury, natural<br />
products with these unique indigenous oils.<br />
Handcrafted in Franschhoek, Western<br />
Cape, Le Naturel products are rich blends<br />
of advanced natural skincare with organic<br />
and herbaceous ingredients used to craft<br />
everything from bath oil to shampoo.<br />
“I’ve been an entrepreneur at heart. I love<br />
empowering people, learning new skills<br />
and growing the community around me and<br />
sharing good vibes,” said Botha.<br />
Lea Botha<br />
Nomfundo Njibe<br />
Founder of Chick Cosmetics, Njibe, has always<br />
loved beauty from a young age. In her childhood,<br />
she enjoyed playing with her mother’s makeup and<br />
playing dress-up with her peers. She launched her<br />
brand in 2018 after having lost her makeup brand<br />
during a short visit to London. “I had to shop for new<br />
beauty essentials. Coming from South Africa, I had<br />
never seen so many beauty retailers selling all the<br />
affordable products from indie brands I knew from<br />
the internet and magazines. Being a curious cat at<br />
heart, I started researching and learning more about<br />
this independent beauty industry I wanted to be a<br />
part of. The rise of brands on Instagram fuelled my<br />
passion to start Chick Cosmetics,” she said in an<br />
interview with Digital Beauty.
The face behind<br />
Swiitchbeauty<br />
Rabia Ghoor scooped the Forbes Young<br />
Achiever 2021 Award and is noted as one of<br />
South Africa's leading women in business.<br />
Picture: Twitter/ Rabia Ghoor @rabiaghoor<br />
At the age of 14, Ghoor took a stab at her<br />
entrepreneurial journey and started her makeup<br />
and skincare online beauty store, Swiitchbeauty.
VUYOLWETHU FUNDAM<br />
“IN PURSUIT of fulfilling any dream or<br />
passion you have to start (with a plan of<br />
execution),” says the founder and creative<br />
director of Swiitchbeauty, Rabia Ghoor.<br />
At 14, Rabia Ghoor started her<br />
entrepreneurial journey by launching her<br />
online makeup and skincare beauty store,<br />
Swiitchbeauty.<br />
Recently, Ghoor scooped the Forbes Young<br />
Achiever 2021 Award and was noted as one of<br />
South Africa’s leading women in business.<br />
"When I started, I didn’t think that I would<br />
be nominated for any award, let alone a<br />
Forbes award," she told the Standard Bank Top<br />
Women Publication.<br />
She explained that the award validated<br />
the fact that she was doing something<br />
worthwhile.<br />
Ghoor admitted that getting into the<br />
business at a young age was incredibly<br />
daunting, as she is someone who has<br />
struggled with Imposter Syndrome for years.<br />
What excites her about her job is that she<br />
gets to make makeup for a living, she said.<br />
When she started, her vision for Swiitchbeauty<br />
was to be a tech-enabled, affordably-priced and<br />
transparent beauty brand.<br />
"Today, Swiitchbeauty is an inclusive, affordable<br />
beauty brand that speaks to women, and not down<br />
on them," she was quoted as saying.<br />
The brand continues to thrive, with an online<br />
community of more than 108 000 followers.<br />
When South Africa implemented the hard<br />
lockdown in 2020, many businesses were left cashstrapped<br />
and had to move to a digital platform or<br />
shut down entirely.<br />
Because Swiitchbeauty is already an E-commerce<br />
store, Ghoor said 2020 was their best year yet. They<br />
were more than ready to face the challenges of<br />
digital transformation, she said.<br />
When it comes to building a successful beauty<br />
brand from the ground up, Ghoor shares three tips<br />
for budding business owners:<br />
When your consumer speaks, don’t just hear<br />
– LISTEN. Shift your focus to creating valuable<br />
products with integrity instead of trying to cash in<br />
on the next trend or fad.<br />
Social media is not a marketing tool – it’s a<br />
storytelling tool. Content is more to do with saying<br />
something than selling something.
THE POWER OF<br />
makeup<br />
GERRY CUPIDO<br />
SO MANY people view makeup as something you<br />
use to cover up.<br />
Products simply used to conceal and beautify.<br />
There are many women who spend a small<br />
fortune on makeup products, brushes and<br />
sponges, not for the sake of vanity but to use as a<br />
form of expression, artistry and skill.<br />
A lick of red lipstick is an instant “pick-me-up”<br />
while being able to master the perfect wing liner<br />
can leave you with a sense of achievement! It’s<br />
the little things that boost your confidence.<br />
“That’s one of the things I love about makeup.<br />
You can change your whole attitude by just doing<br />
your eyeliner or lipstick differently.” – Beyoncé<br />
Makeup brings out the artist in you. The<br />
elaborate cut crease and perfectly blended<br />
contours are both an expression of creativity and<br />
masterful application. A skill that comes naturally<br />
to you or from years of practice.<br />
So often men think that it’s a tool to attract<br />
their attention but many women will tell you<br />
that 90 percent of the time it’s for themselves. To<br />
highlight their features, to have a bit of fun and<br />
for some it’s a bit of a confidence booster.<br />
Professional makeup artist, Alana du Plooy, is<br />
in agreement that makeup is more than just a<br />
cover-up.<br />
“Makeup plays a significant role in a woman's<br />
life. It inspires women to embrace their beauty in<br />
all it's glory. To embrace our moods, our style and<br />
our individuality as a female using this beautiful<br />
art of makeup” says du Plooy.<br />
In 2018, du Plooys decided to follow her<br />
dream in pursuing her own business and created<br />
'The Travelling Artist' offering a variety of services<br />
in the beauty industry to all women in SA.<br />
She designed a unique makeup class called<br />
'The Basic Beauty Workshop', which specifically<br />
focuses on teaching women how to achieve<br />
a beauty look using their own products and<br />
enhancing their natural features as well as<br />
educating women on which products to invest in<br />
as to eliminate unnecessary spending and having<br />
women feel overwhelmed with certain makeup<br />
techniques.<br />
“The perception of what beauty is on social
media can be extremely intimidating for women<br />
who want to start exploring with makeup. My<br />
Basic Beauty Workshops guide and encourage<br />
women and empower them with the knowledge<br />
they would need to enhance their natural features<br />
and spoil themselves to feel fabulous inside and<br />
out.”<br />
Du Plooy is known for building great<br />
relationships with her clients who have become<br />
so loyal to her as an artist over the years.<br />
Having sat in her makeup chair a few times,<br />
one get’s a true sense of her passion and love for<br />
beauty.<br />
The time and love she invests in each client<br />
speaks volumes for her work and it is rare that<br />
you would find a makeup artist who respects and<br />
adores natural beauty.<br />
She's also branched out in hosting workshops<br />
for big corporations in Cape Town and has been<br />
a guest speaker sharing her beauty tips for many<br />
events working alongside Cosmetixsa as one of<br />
her main sponsors.<br />
Apart from her workshops Du Plooy continues<br />
her work as an artist through engagement shoots,<br />
bridal party applications, maternity shoots,<br />
newborn shoots, matric ball looks at well as<br />
editorials and portrait shoots.
#GIRLBOSS makeup looks<br />
GERRY CUPIDO<br />
WHETHER you want to show off your<br />
natural beauty and let your inner glow<br />
shine through your bare skin or whip<br />
out your brushes and products to work<br />
your creative magic and transform your<br />
look to whatever mood you’re in, a<br />
woman has the power to do whatever<br />
she pleases to make herself feel<br />
her best.<br />
There’s no right or wrong way here<br />
and no one can tell you otherwise.<br />
Whether you’re a super mom running<br />
a household, a CEO of your own<br />
company or a student working on<br />
your degree, here’s how to bring out<br />
your girl power. “I absolutely love<br />
popping on a bright or bold lipstick<br />
colour to finish off a natural eye look<br />
but since we have to wear a mask all the<br />
time it’s not always possible to rock a<br />
bold lip,” says MUA Alana du Plooy.<br />
However, she has these power looks<br />
you could rock even when you’re<br />
masked up.
Get creative! Whether it’s a dark smokey eye or<br />
a bold and bright colour, create a dramatic eye<br />
look to make your eyes the main feature. Or go<br />
for a simple, yet bold, wing liner. A sleek sexy<br />
liner is always a classic and striking.<br />
STRONG BROWS<br />
LUSHES LASHES<br />
No look is complete without a sweep of mascara.<br />
Apply two to three coats of mascara to intensify<br />
your lashes. For dramatic effect add false lashes.<br />
However stay away from showgirl, stage lashes and<br />
opt for more natural lashes to add volume.<br />
Don’t be afraid to show off<br />
your naturally bushy eyebrows.<br />
If yours are more on the sparse<br />
side then go ahead and fill<br />
them and define them. Full<br />
brows doesn’t mean solid<br />
drawn and coloured-in brows.<br />
DRAMATIC EYES
DRESS by by Sindiso Khumalo
C<br />
4<br />
A DRESS by Lara Klawikowsi dress<br />
WOMEN IN<br />
SUSTAINABLE<br />
<strong>FASH</strong>ION<br />
DESIGN<br />
THOBILE MAZIBUKO<br />
This Women’s Month,<br />
we celebrate four female<br />
designers who are into<br />
sustainable fashion. They<br />
produce magnificent<br />
garments while looking out<br />
for the environment.<br />
LARA KLAWIKOWSKI<br />
The Cape Town-based designer<br />
is one of the best when it comes<br />
to sustainability. Her eponymous<br />
label that focuses on avant-garde<br />
design is famous for producing<br />
stunning garments made from<br />
recycled materials, especially<br />
plastics.<br />
In 2020, she won the<br />
Innovative Design and Materials<br />
Award. She also won the coveted<br />
Changemaker Award at the TWYG<br />
x Country Road Sustainable<br />
Fashion Awards 2020. Early this<br />
year, she showcased her designs<br />
at the Sandton City Sustainable<br />
Exhibition.
BASETSANA Kumalo wearing a Rubicon dress.<br />
A DRESS by Sindiso Khumalo.<br />
HANGWANI NENGOVHELA<br />
The founder of Rubicon never disappoints when it comes<br />
to sophisticated designs. In most of her collections,<br />
she celebrates African heritage. In 2015, she won the<br />
Mbokodo Awards for fashion design and innovation.<br />
This year, she celebrates 16 years of being in the fashion<br />
industry and has launched the ‘Myth Re-imagined’<br />
collection inspired by the fashion trends from the great<br />
historical Mapungubwe Kingdom in Limpopo.” It is well<br />
known that the Mapungubwe Kingdom was a bustling<br />
nation whose people lived in abundance. To show their<br />
strength and power, the Mapungubwe’s ruler moved<br />
the upper classes to the top of a hill while the working<br />
classes remained on level ground. We have included<br />
that concept in our latest work. Translating the different<br />
levels of authority into fashion, our garments showcase<br />
various layers of fabrics while depicting movement<br />
throughout the collection,” she said.<br />
SINDISO KHUMALO<br />
Also based in Cape Town, Khumalo is known for<br />
sustainable textile designs. Inspired by her Zulu and<br />
Ndebele heritage, her designs are about telling the<br />
African story. She won Vogue Italia “Who’s On Next<br />
Dubai” competition in 2016 and was one of the speakers<br />
at the United Nations on sustainability in fashion. She<br />
has exhibited her work at Royal Festival Hall in London,<br />
The Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington,<br />
Louisiana Museum in Denmark and the Zeitz Mocaa<br />
Museum, Cape Town. She was also a finalist for the LVMII<br />
Prize last year, which was shared by the designers.
TWO-PIECE designed by Lezanne Viviers.<br />
LEZANNE VIVIERS<br />
Viviers is famous for limited edition<br />
garments. She does that to avoid the<br />
production of ‘Dead-Stock’. As a brand<br />
that prides itself on sustainability,<br />
Vivers usually repurposes materials to<br />
create unique designs. “We source the<br />
majority of our fabrics from warehouses<br />
that have been sitting with dead-stock<br />
from the ‘70s. These old materials were<br />
made with integrity and did not form<br />
part of the current consumer-greed<br />
has driven fashion industry as we know<br />
it today. The quality of the fabrics are<br />
exceptional and made to last. These<br />
form the base of our materials which<br />
we then print or re-work to update<br />
them,” said Viviers.
I do feel like<br />
coloured<br />
people lack<br />
ʻrepresentation<br />
MEET<br />
THE<br />
COLOURED<br />
GERRY CUPIDO<br />
meisie<br />
I’M A sunglass addict, so when I come across really<br />
awesome sunglasses, I become completely obsessed<br />
with them.<br />
While scrolling through Instagram I came across<br />
fab pair of shades that I’ve seen in a while, but it<br />
was the name and graphics that drove me to the<br />
brand's home page and I’m so glad I did.<br />
The Coloured Accessories page is vibrant, with<br />
pops of colour and trendy sunglasses and other<br />
accessories each with their distinctive names.<br />
South Africans who grew up and live in Cape<br />
Town, in particular the Cape Flats, will immediately<br />
identify with the names of the products.<br />
The bio on the Instagram page doesn’t say too<br />
much about the brand, other than the fact that<br />
it’s “coloured meisie owned”.<br />
Intrigued, I simply had to find out who the<br />
“coloured meisie” is.<br />
One DM later, I discovered Cape Town-born<br />
Sheree Stevens to be the meisie behind the<br />
brand.<br />
The 31-year-old grew up in Seawind near<br />
Lavender Hill, now works and lives in South<br />
Korea.<br />
She’s working as an English second language<br />
teacher during the day as well as running her<br />
Coloured Accessories brand.<br />
A few emails later, here’s what I found out
about the dynamic young woman who’s singlehandedly<br />
developing her brand and growing her<br />
own business.<br />
“My dream was always just to be financially<br />
stable because we lived a life where we were one<br />
paycheck from the poverty line,'' says Stevens.<br />
“Bigger than this, I longed for something that<br />
I wasn’t even sure existed at the time. I wanted to<br />
be a business owner. Getting there seemed nearly<br />
impossible, as after I finished my BA degree in<br />
live performance at AFDA private university, the<br />
only opportunities I received were either in the<br />
retail or customer service industries.”<br />
In 2017, she moved to South Korea, with her<br />
mind set on gathering a good amount of capital<br />
to start a business in fashion driven by her<br />
passion for the industry.<br />
“It was only in 2020, with the start of Covid,<br />
that I gathered myself and did some introspection<br />
about what I want my next chapter to be, and<br />
that’s when I started my business,” says Stevens.<br />
She adds that she’s always had a great love for<br />
accessories.<br />
“I was the friend who was always overaccessorised.<br />
I remember friends always<br />
mentioning to me that I was the only one they<br />
knew who could get away with wearing so much<br />
jewellery and still make it look fashionable.”<br />
On arriving at the name “Coloured<br />
Accessories”, she explains, “I feel like coloured<br />
people who come from what some would call the<br />
’slums of the Cape Flats’ lack representation.<br />
“We are the ones who are always in the news<br />
as crime statistics – both the perpetrators and<br />
the victims; always with our four front teeth out.<br />
Although there are rare occasions that we break<br />
the mould, it never seems to be enough to shake<br />
the stereotype. I want to be a representative of<br />
where I come from and at the same time celebrate<br />
what being coloured means to me.<br />
“I wanted to create a brand for people like<br />
me and for those who come from where I come<br />
from and who speak the way we do. A brand of<br />
our own. That we can feel like it’s a part of us<br />
and hopefully make us feel great about being<br />
coloured.”<br />
Stevens says that she has the most fun when<br />
coming up with the names like “ma se kind”,<br />
“yassi” and “hoe lykit”.<br />
“I would reminisce on the silly conversations<br />
I’d have back home and when I was in high<br />
school, words that were commonly used in my<br />
youth, and just classic Afrikaans sayings that I use<br />
up until this day. It’s also another way to keep<br />
coloured culture within the brand.<br />
“Even though there is so much of the coloured<br />
culture integrated into the brand, it’s not done<br />
this way to be exclusive; it’s more of an invitation<br />
to join me in the celebration of who I see<br />
myself as in the world. The brand is for any and<br />
everyone who likes to stay authentic.”<br />
Stevens is a one-woman operation running all<br />
aspects of the business, from the online store to<br />
social media and marketing.<br />
“The funny memes, the poems, funny<br />
branding, the shares and the responses are all me,<br />
and this is why it brings me so much joy to see<br />
how well it has been received thus far. It’s just<br />
another way of confirming that I am on the right<br />
track.”<br />
To find out more about the brand and shop the<br />
looks go to: www.colouredaccessories.com
SACHA VAN NIEKERK<br />
CORSETS are the fashion piece of the<br />
moment; from casual to dressy, this<br />
piece will be the star of any outfit.<br />
From sexy lingerie to edgy fashion<br />
pieces, women have successfully<br />
reclaimed this garment for themselves.<br />
The corset has been revived from<br />
former eras of fashion, making their<br />
way, once again, into the modern<br />
world. The flattering garment with<br />
a fitted bodice and boning lined<br />
structure has been around since the<br />
1500s and was worn by both men and<br />
women. Worn as both an outer and<br />
undergarment it was used to cinch the<br />
waist offering the wearer an<br />
elongated torso.<br />
Once merely a "contraption" to<br />
restrict women’s waists and create<br />
a more hourglass figure it has been<br />
reclaimed by women. In the present<br />
day, period films and series offer us a<br />
peephole into how corsets were used<br />
as a means of physical oppression<br />
and sexual objectification. In a scene<br />
from the series Bridgerton, Daphne<br />
is laced into a corset and becomes<br />
increasingly breathless with every<br />
yank of the ribbon which constricts<br />
her. The shapewear was used to lift<br />
the breasts, beautify silhouettes and<br />
ensure modesty up until the wedding<br />
night. According to an article by Every<br />
Culture, it had as many as fifty laces<br />
were worn from childhood. On the<br />
wedding night, during consummation,<br />
the groom had to tentatively unfasten<br />
the lace to demonstrate self-control.<br />
Of course, the corset styles we’re<br />
seeing today aren’t emulating the<br />
Middle Ages, but rather, they're the<br />
product of late 90s and early 2000s<br />
fashion influence. Icons of the decade<br />
include Paris Hilton, Beyoncé and<br />
Christina Aguilera. In 2021, the<br />
colours are more muted, classic and<br />
avoid the glitzy extras of denim<br />
patchwork, bedazzled studs and<br />
feather trims. This transformation<br />
allows the garment to seamlessly find<br />
its way into any wardrobe and pair<br />
perfectly with a variety of outfits for<br />
any occasion ranging from formalwear<br />
to streetwear.<br />
More recently, Billie Eilish graced<br />
THE CORSET<br />
the cover of British Vogue for their June 2021 edition.<br />
Shedding her usual garb of baggy tracksuits and<br />
oversized t-shirts, the seven-time Grammy Awardwinning<br />
artist broke the internet with a regency-esque<br />
lingerie look featuring the now iconic pink corset with<br />
a satin sheen.<br />
wThe bombshell of a cover was shared all over<br />
the internet with fellow celebrities praising Eilish<br />
for her message of body positivity and confidence.<br />
As the voice of the younger generation, the star has<br />
an insurmountable influence when it comes to any<br />
decision she shares publicly.<br />
From her fashion choices to social activism,<br />
political views and beyond, when Eilish speaks,<br />
Gen Z listens.
WITH SOME JEANS<br />
Who knew that in 2021 we’d all<br />
be rocking corsets with a pair of<br />
blue jeans as casually as t-shirts?<br />
Since these waist-flattering pieces<br />
reemerged, they’ve been given a very<br />
sleek and minimalist makeover with<br />
little to no bells and whistles attached.<br />
From linen to knit, the fabrics are<br />
more versatile than the luxurious silks,<br />
satins and even denim and lace we’re<br />
used to seeing.<br />
OVER KNITS AND SWEATERS<br />
Knit dresses, oversized sweaters and<br />
cosy sweaters are what autumn and<br />
winter are all about. However, the<br />
material is often not the most flattering<br />
especially if you’d like to show off your<br />
figure. In place of a chunky, wide belt,<br />
use a corset to achieve the same effect<br />
in a more fashion-forward way.<br />
WITH A SUIT<br />
Wearing lingerie under oversized<br />
blazers has been the trend for the<br />
past few years, but taking over<br />
is the corset. The curved boning,<br />
elegant lace and curvaceous<br />
silhouette it offers the wearer<br />
complement the rugged, masculine<br />
energy of suits with their wideshouldered<br />
jackets and flowing<br />
pleated pants. This look can easily<br />
be dressed up with accessories for<br />
a smarter, more formal look.<br />
OVER A WHITE SHIRT<br />
GO ALL OUT WITH Y2K<br />
Sometimes when you mix a few of<br />
the most popular fashion trends,<br />
you get an outfit so remarkably<br />
Instagrammable balanced out with<br />
the edgier elements of streetwear.<br />
For example, wide-leg pants - they’re<br />
bottom-heavy so the delicate<br />
sweetheart neckline and cinched in<br />
the waist of corsets pairs beautifully.<br />
Add black rectangle framed shades, a<br />
mini baguette bag and some squaretoed<br />
strappy sandals to finish the look.<br />
White shirts have become a staple<br />
piece in most wardrobes since the<br />
1940s and continued to gain traction<br />
in the decades to come thanks to<br />
cinematic masterpieces like Roman<br />
Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn. Their<br />
versatility has the ability to elevate any<br />
outfit whether it’s being worn tied at<br />
the front as a beach cover-up, as a light<br />
layer during the summer or tucked into<br />
a pair of jeans. In recent years the white<br />
shirt has taken on a more baggy style<br />
that needs the femininity of a corset.<br />
Cinching in the waist and pushing the<br />
outfit to something a little edgier, the<br />
likes of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid<br />
have been seen rocking this combo<br />
either with strappy
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