There are a few people that I would like to be when I grown up. A few people I really, really admire. Hillary Alexander is one of those people. And this week she totes hearts Africa. Not only did she publish a piece on the winners of the ARISE Magazine Fashion Week showcase for New York Fashion Week, but her paper The Telegraph, has also published a great round-up piece about how Kenya has become a place of influence in the western experience of fashion — called Into Africa.
Nairobi is at the centre of a bunch of fashion developments. I posted a while ago about the label Suno, that is part-based in Kenya and shows at New York Fashion Week. I have also posted several times about Edun, the LVMH owned project by Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, that also does some business there.
Now there are new projects by the great Dame Vivienne Westwood like this bag, and UK high street store Whistles who are producing these accessories in Kenya. There is so much going on it begs the question, is Nairobi the new Istanbul? Ah, the vagaries of fashion. And this time it works for us!
Read the full article on Into Africa here.