NEW! Reward for Social Entrepreneurs

1. Are you aged 18-30 or work with people in this age group or support people into training, employment or education?

2. Would you like a programme that gives you access to successful entrepreneurs?

3. Would you like a business coach who will give you one-to-one support on your business performance?

4. Would you like access to large networking events relevant to your area of interest?

5. Would you like to attend a series of workshop tailored to key business issues i.e. financial forecasting, cash flow or even pricing?

6. Are you based in London or Yorkshire?

If you answer YES to the above questions then EY Foundation Accelerate programme is for YOU. Accelerate offers unrivalled opportunity to access some of the best business expertise to help you grow your social enterprise. The programme is tailored for up to 18 months of support that include access to: Business Coach, Investment Panels, Workshops and Networking events. 


Click HERE for more information about the programme and how to apply 

 

Should you have any questions, please contact Accelerate Team: 

E> accelerate@eyfoundation 

T> +44 (0) 20 7951 3133

 

 



Reference

UnLtd (2014) Accelerate- our programme for social entrepreneurs [online] http://www.ey.com/UK/en/About-us/Corporate-Responsibility/EY-accelerate-2015 [Accessed: 13th January 2015].


Image: Eighteen Forever

Partnership: Artsy & 1:54 Contemporary Art African Art Fair

Artsy and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair to partner, encouraging the growth of contemporary African art in a global market place.

 

Partnership launches with panel discussion on the contemporary African art market on 9 September in New York City

● Online fair preview opens 8 October 2014 on Artsy.net

 

● Panel discussion at Artsy’s headquarters on September 9, 2014 at 6pm. RSVP to rsvp@artsy.met

 

● Press Preview: October 15, 2014, 8:30 noon at Somerset House, London. RSVP to george.eddy@kallaway.com

Artsy and 1:54, the Contemporary African Art Fair, are pleased to announce their partnership in bringing the fair—Europe’s leading international fair dedicated to contemporary African art, now in its second year in London—online to a global audience. Artsy, the premier online resource for browsing the world’s most influential art fairs offers collectors and art enthusiasts the opportunity to explore the fair, collect works from existing galleries, and access exclusive editorial content including 'Insider Picks' on Artsy.net or the Artsy app for iPhone.

This year, 1:54 has doubled in size, taking over both the East and West Wings of Somerset House in

London. It will once again provide an unparalleled showcase of the world’s finest Contemporary African Art from 16 to 19 October 2014. The fair is accompanied by a critical conversations series comprising of lectures, artist talks, film screenings and panel discussions presented by international curators, artists and leading experts in the field.

 

Ahead of the opening, 1:54 and Artsy will launch their partnership with a panel discussion on 9 September 2014 at Artsy’s headquarters in New York City. Panelists will include Touria El Glaoui, director of 1:54, Christa Clarke, curator of Arts of Africa at The Newark Museum, and Taymour Grahne, gallerist and exhibitor, among others. Melanie Edmunds, Content Partner Manager at Artsy, will moderate the conversation.

The collaboration, which follows on the heels of 1:54’s highly successful inaugural event last autumn, marks a global expansion of the fair and signals a growing market for contemporary African art.

 



Maimouna Guerresi
Surprise, 2010
M.I.A Gallery

 

 About Artsy

Artsy is the leading resource for art collecting and education. Artsy provides free access via its website (Artsy.net) and iPhone app to international exhibitions, museum collections, gallery listings, art fairs, curated sales, and benefit auctions. It currently features over 175,000 images of art and architecture by 5,000 artists from 2,000 leading galleries and 300 museums and institutional partners, including the world’s largest online database of contemporary art. Artsy's encyclopedic collection spans historical works, such as the Rosetta Stone and the Colosseum, to modern and contemporary works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Richard Serra, Lucien Smith, Sarah Lucas, and Cindy Sherman. Powered by The Art Genome Project, a classification system that maps the connections between artists and artworks, Artsy fosters new generations of art lovers, museumgoers, patrons and collectors.

 

Peju Alatise
ipele iii, 2012
Art Twenty One

 

 

About 1:54 Contemporary (African Art Fair 2014)

1:54 showcases the highest quality African art, bringing together galleries, curators, artists, art centres and museums both from Africa and working with Africa related projects to promote art by established and emerging talent to an international audience. The second edition of 1:54 will be held at Somerset House, London, from 15 (preview day) to 19 October 2014. Taking place during Frieze London Week, the fair builds on the burgeoning popularity of contemporary African art and presents a rare opportunity to explore the rapidly emerging African art market and acquire works in an environment supported by some of the most influential people and organisations in the art world. From painting to sculpture and photography the fair presents visual African art in its many forms giving collectors, art enthusiasts and culture seekers the chance to be the first to experience and engage with African art on this level. Through an extensive programme of conversations, talks, panels and keynote speeches with some of the art world’s key thinkers 1:54 also promotes discussions and understanding of contemporary African art focussing on topics including markets & economies, collections, artistic practice, criticism and Africa as an inspirational ground.

 

Omar Victor Diop
Albert Badin, 2014
Magnin A

 

 

1:54 Exhibitors:

A Palazzo Gallery, Brescia

Afronova, Johannesburg

Art Twenty One, Lagos

ARTLab Africa, Nairobi

ARTCO Gallery, Aachen

CCA/Center for Contemporary Art, Lagos

Carpe Diem, Ségou

Doual’art, Douala

First Floor Gallery Harare, Harare

Galerie Anne de Villepoix, Paris

Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, Abidjan

Galerie Imane Farès, Paris

Galerie Mikael Andersen, Berlin

In Situ Fabienne

Leclerc, Paris

Jack Bell Gallery, London

Knight Webb Gallery, London

M.I.A Gallery, Seattle

MagninA,

Paris

October Gallery, London

Primo Marella Gallery, Milan

Purdy Hicks Gallery, London

Selma Feriani Gallery, London

(S)itor Senghor, Paris

SMAC Art Gallery, Cape Town

Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York

VOICE Gallery, Marrakech

WHATIFTHEWORLD / GALLERY, Cape Town

 

 

Photo taken: Artsy.net

See Who's Wearing Eighteen Forever

This is how you rock Eighteen Forever LBSF Sleeveless Shirt. Gertrude bought this sleeveless shirt almost 2 years ago and she is still rocking it! 

Show her some Eighteen love!

Thank you Gertrude for sharing xo 

Photo credit: Gertrude

Win Tai Tai Trad Clutch Bag

A massive welcome to PalmAfrica. We are really happy to have you with us.

We have teamed up with PalmAfrica to give you this fabulous Tai Tai Clutch Bag. For a chance to win, send a picture of yourself in an outfit that would match this bag. Send all entries to- eighteenf@gmail.com using the title #styleitshareit

Your picture will be shared on Facebook for voting. The 5 most liked and shared pictured will be shortlisted and the winner will be decided by us.

Competition opens on 13th March and closes on Friday 28th March. The winner will be announced on Monday 31st March 2014.

Good luck!

Photo credit: PalmAfrica 

Shuga to Hollywood

Lupita Nyong'o is popular from the Golden Globes Award winning film- 12 years a Slave. But this stylish, talented actress has been making waves in the creative industry for years. Lupita word on the production crew of films, including Fernando Meirelles The Constant Gardener and Mira Nair's The Namesake. 

Born in Mexico City to parents highly involved in politics, it is not secret she is a power-storm. 

She starred in the 2008 short film East River, directed by Marc Grey and shot in Brooklyn, New York. She returned to Kenya in 2008 and starred in the Kenyan television series Shuga. In 2009, she wrote, directed, and produced the documentary In My Genes, about the treatment of Kenya's albino population, which played at several film festivals.

Nyong'o was cast in 12 Years a Slave immediately after her graduation from Yale in 2012. The film was released in 2013 to great critical acclaim. Nyong'o received rave reviews for her performance, and has been nominated for several awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and two Screen Actors Guild Awards including Best Supporting Actress. She will next be featured in Liam Neeson's upcoming film Non-Stop.

In the movie 12 Years A Slave

In 2014 she was chosen as one of the faces for Miu Miu's Spring 2014 campaign, alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Elle Fanning and Bella Heathcote.

In a curve-hugging Christopher Kane midi and Christian Louboutin heels to the European premiere of Twelve Years A Slave at Odeon Leicester Square.

What do you think of Lupita's fashion style?

Photo credit: Google Images 

Featured: The Showroom Online

Michelle Holden launched 'The Showroom Online' 1st November 2012 in Manchester. The month of the launch coincided with the publication of an article in Vintage Life Magazine: The Vintage Bag Lady with editorial pictures by London photographer Anna Fayemi and styled by Michelle. The photography and styling accompany a autobiographical account by Michelle of loving vintage and being inspired at an early age.

About Michelle
I am a vintage enthusiast and fashion lover. For over 10 years I have been buying and wearing unique vintage pieces and friends and strangers would ask me “where’s that from?” or telling to find something similar for them. I’m also an avid online shopper but disappointed with some of the options available online I decided to start The Showroom Online.

The boutique
Mid range luxury vintage accessories and clothing for women from 1910 to 1980, available online. It’s all about wearable vintage that can be incorporated into a modern wardrobe.
Stock includes vintage Gucci, Christian Dior, Salvatore Ferragamo and Ossie Clarke to name but a few. This area of vintage fashion as exploded because people feel a sense of heritage and authenticity about the product they’re purchasing. Products are sourced from reputable auctions houses in the UK and Europe as well as traders in the UK and traders overseas so items are authenticated and provenance can be verified.

Why vintage?
It’s sustainable, you can be unique and you acquire some history and preserve the heritage and craftsmanship.

The blog covers fashion, art, music and anything else that inspires. I love vintage because of the history and the stories but more importantly I love that vintage clothing is a sustainable and unique shopping experience. This is really reflected in the designer’s interviewed and featured for the blog. For example, Zoe Boomer and Pikolinos Masaai show that timeless luxury can be ethical and sustainable.

Projects & Activities 
Fashion Stops Trafficking in aid of A21; an anti-slavery anti trafficking charity - January 2013
RM Dance Fusion 5th birthday celebration fashion dance music flashmob in Yorkshire and Lancashire July 2013

What’s next? 
The website has been nominated for Vintage Manchester Award – Best Vintage Newcomer The awards take place on 23rd October in Manchester. It’s such an honour and the website is in great company. I’ll be there reporting back fashion and vintage news from the Awards. And here’s where to vote http://www.vintagemanchester.com/2013-awards/ and every vote counts so please vote.

Looking to year two
It’s been a fantastic first year and I hope to keep growing the website and finding excellent timeless pieces for all my amazing customers.

Shop the range here:
Website: http://www.theshowroomonline.co.uk/

Follow us on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheShowroomOnline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/showroomonline @showroomonline
Blog www.theshowroomonline.co.uk/blog.

Photo credit: The Showroom Online

My Miry- The Precious Collection

Since the first pair of shoes created with the African Ankara fabric, CEO and founder, Sara Coulibaly
has magnified and brought to life through every pair and collection thereafter; the beauty of fusing
materials, the resourcefulness of craftsmanship and the eclectic contrasting of colours…

Founded 2 years ago as Carpe Diem, My Miry which literally translates as “my thoughts” in the
Malinké dialect of Ivory Coast has re-launched after a 6 months hiatus. The Parisian based
womenswear brand has transformed itself into an exclusive premium footwear and accessories brand
crafted from the drawing board of Sara’s imagination and inspiration to being brought alive in the
South of Spain at a studio that also enlists Carolina Herrera as clients.

The brand presents a 13 piece collection termed “Precious” each representing the name of a precious
stone; the first collection under My Miry where quality is assured – only premium leather is used on
the exterior, interior and the sole and only the best quality Ankara fabrics sourced from around Africa
are used. Comfort is assured – the pieces are refined and glamorous, modern and ethnic to accentuate
your feet. A great quality fit adapted to the life of the woman in motion.
“I wanted to create pieces that were literally as precious each in their own right so we employed different
fabric styles on each of the 13 pairs to ensure they were unique, elegant and classic” states Sara
Coulibaly.

The pieces will be available to buy from the website www.mymiry.fr (currently under revamping).


Email: modemaisonpr@gmail.com Tel: 00 44 7834 321 373 Twitter: @Brownschuga / @ModeMaisonPR
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ModeMaisonPR


Photo Credit: My Miry

Iconicity: Independent, Heritage, Ready-to-Wear

Iconicity Fashion is taking African inspiration and luscious prints and fabrics to the forefront of up and coming independent designers in both the ready-to-wear line and bespoke dressmaking. A culmination of two sister’s love for fashion, their African heritage and London, Iconicity Fashion was born In the summer of 2012 in South West London. Using an intrinsic balance of creativity and business, together Beatrice and Kelly have worked diligently and harmoniously to develop the extremely successful campaign ‘Africa is on your street’. Having harvested their technique and gained a strong following of clients, Iconicity Fashion is heading to full bloom with the launch of their new website ‘www.iconicityfashion.com’ along with their already established blog, ‘the social affair’.  

Silk, crêpe, satin, sequins, cottons, Vlisco, Mitex and Julien Holland wax prints

Iconicity Fashion designs unique clothing, hand stitched and created especially for you. It is important to us to emphasis exclusivity; we create limited numbers of our designs. Our garments are a celebration of individuality and loving production that we want all our customers to share.

Iconicity designs have appeared on the Sporah Show followed up with an interview with the resident blogger, Katherine Wong. Iconicity established a strong reputation by dressing many prominent members of the UK African entertainment community, such as Theodora Ibekwe at the Women for Africa Awards, Miss Victoria Chi-Chi Okafor , Jacqueline Matovu and aspiring model Fashwa Luke.

Iconicity has also designed African inspired costumes for beauty pageants such as Miss Uganda UK, Miss Cameroon UK, Miss Congo UK, Miss Ghana UK, Miss West Midlands and Miss Black Africa. Recently, Iconicity has been asked to feature in the Styleafriq show in Birmingham for Fabafriq Magazine, visiting Calgary, Canada for the Afrikadey! Festival to show the latest ready-to-wear range and lately the  AMfest 2012.

Although still emerging, the designs have also been showcased at London's Fashion's Finest, Kenya's Young Achiever's award and published on All Africa Fashion. Iconicity has recently been featured in the Hounslow Multicultural Festival at the Paul Robeson Theatre.

The Iconicity office has also opened in Hounslow, London for bespoke consultations.

For more information contact Iconicity:

tel: 07833306476

email: iconicity@ymail.com

website: www.iconicityfashion.com

Photo credit: Iconicity

The Philosophy of Fashion: Femme De Rose

A captivating dress with a Grecian style. It's a red carpet affair, fit for many occasions. Perfect for Fashion4Africa event on the 22nd December. 

Fashion philosophy, history and curating are widely ignored in today's contemporary focused fashion industry, but not for Femme De Rose. With a startling impressive educational background and fashion style, it is not surprising the founder "Aloye Adede" has created timeless pieces for today's neoteric women. 

"The emphasis is on bespoke clothing that is beautifully hand crafted, one of a kind, personal to the wearer with a sense of old fashioned luxury" Aloye Adede

Born and raised in London and the English countryside Aloye Adede was educated at St Mary's School          

Shaftesbury in Dorset, also attended by Camilla Duchess of Cornwall's daughter Laura Rose Lopes. After Aloye's  BScHons degree in Business Management in Surrey, she moved to Italy to study Fashion Communication and  Styling at the prestigious design school Istituto Europeo di Design and graduated with a Masters degree in 2007. On her return to London in 2008 she set up her eponymous womenswear label Eyola which specializes in rich, intricate, exquisite and timeless Victorian inspired jackets and dresses that epitomize iconic British tailoring.

The lining of each blazer jacket is decorated with pink velvet ribbon, symbolizing timelessness and personality. The colour also represents the rose flower, which forms an integral part of Femme De Rose’s heritage and guarantees the high quality fabrics and tailoring. Each blazer is packaged in environmentally friendly acid-free tissue paper, a rose-print reusable 'Furoshiki' gift wrap and an eco-polythene mailing bag. From the infinitely  desirable and timeless blazer jacket to the nature friendly packaging, Eyola's Femme De Rose aims at an experience that will remain close to each woman's heart.

A glance beeps Japan.....not quite Harajuku. But eccentric and very rock chic. 

Italian provacatuer....sexy, stylish and unapologetic!!!! I salute you....Aloye Adede

Have you contacted Vogue? Cos this is super up that street. Sleek black and fuchsia is  pretty girls fashion

FEMME DE ROSE PHILOSOPHY

In 2011 Eyola's sister label Femme De Rose was launched, a luxury online custom-made service giving women the ability to design and purchase a personalized jacket tailored to their exact size and taste. With over 12 million design options to choose from the choice for a one of a kind blazer is endless. Currently women's sizes are based on standards created in the 1940s but a lot has changed and women come in a variety of shapes. Traditionally men buy personalized tailored jackets, in contrast women buy suits and jackets off the rack in dress sizes which rarely offer tailoring. The result is poorly fitted clothing. Jackets ride up, do not provide enough support and become shapeless and flat. In contrast a tailored Femme De Rose blazer can  enhance each woman’s best features, flattering all body types from making a boyish shape look more  feminine to a curvy shape more hourglass. The concept behind Eyola's Femme De Rose was developed during one of Aloye's countryside walks where she took inspiration from the breathtaking views and flower rich grasslands that surrounded her. Eyola's bespoke online service was influenced by Jean-Baptist Guillot and his discovery of 'La France' the first hybrid tea rose that transformed the floral industry not just during the Victorian era but to this very day. Inspired by Guillot's rose cross-breading technique, Aloye created a concept of her own crossbreeding two hallmarks of the Eyola brand: timelessness and tailoring. 

Angelic beauty, styled to stare, forget nature, she's here to bite- It's in the EYES!!!!

With strong British roots and heritage, taking inspiration from the Victorian era and British tailoring, Eyola's 

Femme De Rose endeavours to source all materials (including a selection of sustainable nature-friendly wool), fabrics and accessories from the UK. Aspiring to follow in the tradition of bespoke British tailoring Eyola's Femme De Rose takes inspiration and follows in the footsteps of London Savile Row's craftsmanship. In an attempt to change the way women shop for clothes, Eyola's Femme De Rose encourages and supports women's freedom of expression by involving women in the design process - satisfying their style needs and ensuring the perfect fit by requesting their bust, waist and hip measurements.

If you like this pieces as much as I do, you can contact Femme De Rose PR:

Rebecca Maher

press@femmederose.com

+44 (0)  7857 170 245

Credit: Femme De Rose 

Uber Africa Collective

Just take a look at images from designers at Uber Africa during Africa Fashion Week on Saturday at Spitafields market.

Is red the new season colour?

This is an epitome of style! What do you think?

Photo credit: Eighteen Forever

Get 25% off BAI IMAGinE

For all site members and newcomers....get 25% off purchases at BAI IMAGinE.

BAI IMAGinE is a London based fashion label that includes three fashion lines. The first is called Funky Miss Hepburn which is 1940's to 1960's inspired, the second is Aunty Charmaine which is 1970's to 1980's inspired and Imagination a line that allows for a more unconventional and artistic approach.

Enter this code at checkout (Ignore the symbol at the end):

Follow this link to start shopping....happy shopping

http://www.baiimagine.com/index.html

OFFER ENDS 23/05/2012

Credit: BAI IMAGinE