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FASH MAG JULY28

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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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