What If Movie Icons Wore African Fashion?

Original Story Published by: Staff Writer for Milwaukee Community Journal
Photo Source: The Africa Channel/Vanichi Magazine

(Above) Reimagining Audrey Hepburn.

Los Angeles, CA — Just in time for New York (and Harlem) Fashion week, The Africa Channel launches a 10-part digital series that asks a simple yet compelling question, “What if movie icons wore African fashion?” The answer to this provocative query can be found in each of the episodes that utilize a diverse range of models to creatively reimagine celebrity styles in Africanized versions of iconic movie wardrobes. In one of the pieces, model Elle Drane pays Africanized homage to Audrey Hepburn’s celebrated couture clothing in the film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In another, model Jordan Swain transforms into the African swag-forward version of Morpheus, Laurence Fishburne’s character in The Matrix.

Produced by The Africa Channel, who partnered with Vanichi Magazine, this Afro-futurism spin on Hollywood designs shines a spotlight squarely on the rich textures of the African diaspora. Designers Obioma (Nigeria), Kenneth L. Nicholson (Los Angeles), Ammanii (Egypt), Sarayaa (Senegal), and M. Andrews (Texas), to name a few, utilized their enormous collective talent, along with bold fabrics, intricately-designed jewelry, and hand-made wares to help make this intriguing series more than just a fashion statement.

Narendra Reddy, Executive Vice President and General Manager of The Africa Channel, had this to say about producing this innovative series, “We are excited to partner with Vanichi on this campaign that fits perfectly within our mission to amplify the cultural conversation between Africa and the rest of the world.”

As the African fashion industry inches closer to the one-billion-dollar mark, Joy Donnell, Vanichi Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief said this about her involvement in the series and the fashion industry as a whole, “There is inherent luxury, inherent glamour in the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora.