FUR: YOU LOVE IT OR HATE IT

By Linda Nuamah

Alberta Ferretti Fall 2012

One of my timeless fashion pieces has been fur. Wearing fur is quite a controversy. You either love it or hate the people wearing it. Before I bought my first real fur, I was in doubt and found that innocent animals were slaughtered just for fashion sake. But I convinced myself that my coat was made from a road kill. The truth is that 85 percent of fur sold today is farmed. On the other hand many communities depend on the fur trade. In Kastoria, Greece, 80 percent of the population is employed by the fur trade, followed by Russia, Canada, USA, Finland, Norway, Poland and Namibia. Although Europeans have taken a stand against the fur trade, demands are really high. The same goes for North America, Russia, and the Far East. China is currently the world’s largest importer of Fur.

Jason Wu Fall 2012

Although I’m not fond of mass production of fur, I do love the look and feel of fur. Combined with the right clothes and accessories, you feel elegant and luxurious.

Marni Fall 2012

If you really hate it you still have the option to go for faux fur, which is made out of synthetic fibres designed to look and feel like real fur. It’s not really my thing as it makes you look like a headless chicken. But hey, style is what you choose!

H&M Pink Faux Fur

H&M Faux Fur

No matter what your feelings are about real fur; the fact is that it creates jobs and feeds world economies. On the other hand, the animals are treated horribly in these breeding farms. They are kept in tiny cages and electrocuted. But it’s not only fur that is a controversy in fashion, how about cotton or conditions factories in India, Bangladesh, Turkey, China, Vietnam etc. operates in? It goes hand in hand with child labour and exploiting of employees. The cheaper your clothes, shoes and accessories are, the more likely that you are supporting these kind of practises.

Viktor & Rolf Fall 2012

In my opinion wearing fur is not wrong. However I can choose where I buy it from, and make sure that trade standards is changed. Or should we ban it like in the UK and Austria?

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING

BY Linda Nuamah

Whenever I tune in to Elle online I see horrifying outfits some of the celebrities are wearing. For over a month now I’ve been frustrated with some of the styles I’ve seen on Kristen Stewart. She obviously has this gothic thing going on, so why do her stylists keep putting her in outfits that don’t do her justice?

Kristen Stewart in Balenciaga

Just now the shock came when I saw one of my favourite singers of the moment, Rihanna, wearing this jailbird outfit. In my head I’m screaming: “WHAT were you thinking?” Obviously I blame Elle for spreading this picture, because I can’t imagine one of my favourite singers wearing something like that for real.

Rihanna in Raf Simons and ACNE

I want to forget about my shock this afternoon, and show you images of the celebrities at the 2012 AMA’s, in my opinion, that styled themselves really well.

Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad

Gwen Stefani in Balmain

Heidi Klum in Alexandre Vauthier

Stacey Keibler in Collette Dinnigan

Kesha in a pink minimalistic dress

Minimalistic, feminine, sexy and elegant, golden glimmer and a dash of stunningness. Well done ladies!

THE BEGINNING OF A PROMISE

By Linda Nuamah

 

 

Six days ago I started a crowd funding campaign to raise funding to set up Janet + George properly. The journey so far has been a challenge full with excitement. My days are filled with connecting with people on Twitter, Facebook and keeping track of my campaign progress. The more funding I raise the more amazed I am that there are actually people out there who believe in my vision. I spent a year working on the business model, coordinating the graphic designer to create a website that connects to my vision, coordinating the advertisement agency to create a video that embodies my vision for Janet + George, and writing all the text that goes with it. All of this with a minimum budget. So far I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished till now.

It fills my heart with joy to see that my closest friends and network believe in my dream. Together with them we have managed to raise 580 US Dollars, with the help of their donations, Facebook liking, and by forwarding my campaign to their network.

Still we are not there yet. Our funding goal is 30,000 US Dollars. I believe so much in Janet + George, that I will do almost anything for it (I will not sell my soul or eat poop), that I even contacted Will.I.Am, one of my favourite artist if he could share my campaign with his fans. Unfortunately I contacted him during election night, as a number one campaigner for Obama; I don’t think he was in the mood for Janet + George. But no fears I will contact him again!

In the mean time, until Will.I.Am responds to me, I would like you to have a look at my campaign on Indiegogo CHOOSE YOUR STYLE and do whatever you can, in terms of a small donation or just sharing my campaign among your contacts. Janet + George is the promise that will happen!

FASHION AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL ALL-WEATHER COATS

By Linda Nuamah

The year 2012 has been marked as the year of extreme weather. It was cold and very wet. Some days I simply didn’t know what to wear. I basically couldn’t rely on the weather forecast and I often thought about how nice it would be to have a coat that goes well with all “extreme” weather. However the thought of fashion and multi functionality is not yet in my vocabulary; images of outdoor jackets pops into my head. These jackets are often made of thick and uncomfortable materials, they hide every shape you imagine you have, and it’s never fashionable.

In spite of my pre-judgmental feelings about multi functionality and fashion, I came across an emerging fashion label that is the true solution to every fashionista’s nightmare ‘How to remain stylish in the rain’.

PIOGG is the new emerging label from Amsterdam that should be on everyone’s lips. The label was founded by a Dutch girl, Daphne Gerritse, in 2011. She came up with the concept while gazing at the rainy streets of Amsterdam. She found the way people were dressed in the rain, unstylish. From here her idea evolved, combining fashion and comfort.

The PIOGG multi-functional all-weather coat is not just stylish and fashionable; it protects you against the rain, wind, and snow. By using the most exclusive and high-tech materials, the PIOGG all-weather coat can be worn throughout the seasons, while looking fashionable in extreme weather. The PIOGG all-weather coat is designed for the urban men and women looking for a bit of luxury in the city. The PIOGG collection will be available at the end of this year.

HOMAGE TO BLACK FOLKS BY DOLCE & GABBANA

By Linda Nuamah

The S/S 2013 collection of Dolce & Gabbana has opened a doorway to the past for a lot of people; accompanied with all the good and bad feelings that comes with it.

Fashion has never been politically correct, so what’s all the fuzz about seeing black cartoonish faces on prints and earrings in the Dolce & Gabbana S/S 2013 collection? According to Dolce & Gabbana the collection is inspired by “the most profound” Sicilian tradition. The prints and accessories shows the famous images of ancient Sicilian street theatres, also called the ‘Blackamoor or Italian moretto’. These are portraits of black African males used in sculpture, jewellery and art. The Blackamoor is portrayed with a turban (headwear), and covered in rich jewels. Let’s say it’s the typical illustration of Black Africans in early 18^th century. Since then we have evolved, and this particular art form has become rare because of sensitivities with portrayal of Black people as “exotic” and decorative.

So why is Dolce & Gabbana paying a tribute to this dying art form? Personally I think it’s a staggering line. The collection is very feminine and reminds me of the graceful women of Africa. It’s warm, vibrant, and welcoming; no matter the challenges, it can endure all times and remains graceful.

The Dolce & Gabbana S/S 2013 is a true Homage to Black Folks.

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4090940/?claim=4b5xymm7b48″>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

THE PEPLUM FASHION IS BACK

The Peplum is a short overskirt that is usually attached to a fitted jacket, nowadays also fitted to dresses and skirts. It was a fashion craze in early 80’s series like ‘Falcon Crest’ and ‘Dallas’, and even goes back as far as mid-19^th century.

The Peplum accentuates the hips and it’s not for every body shape, let’s be honest. It has become the craze for this summer.

I’m not really crazy about this fashion trend. Some styles are not flattering, and even come across as if you are wearing something your mom made for you.

If you are a fashionista, and follow every fashion trend blindly, then go for styles that are feminine, sophisticated and fun to wear. Jason Wu, one of my favourite up-and-coming fashion designer, who started out as an intern at Narciso Rodriguez, created a few astonishing Peplum styles for his SS2012 collection . His creations are truly dedicated to the urban woman of today.

LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF

Who are you

The toughest question you will hear in your life time is: Who are you? My instinct will automatically direct me into telling you my name, what I do for living and what I love.  But this is actually not who I am. So what defines me?

Well first of all, there is unclarity about my given name “Linda”. I don’t know if this name was given to me at birth or given to me when I came to Europe. I was born in Ghana as Adwoa, which means Monday in the Ghanaian language (Twi). At an early age I lost my father. My mother started travelling, so I was raised by my mother’s nana and other relatives. After a few years my mother came back, married to a Dutch man, and took me to the Netherlands. My childhood was not fun at all but what made me cope with it was escaping into books and dreaming of becoming a business woman in fashion. As life often has its own path for you, nothing goes as you planned. I started working in the recruitment industry, and remained in this industry until I became a specialist. In every industry when you become a specialist, you get labelled so it was difficult for me to follow my passion in fashion. Still I tried to change careers but did not succeed. I then decided to start up a recruitment agency dedicated to the fashion industry. My agency raised awareness, and I got noticed by a fashion head hunter through one of my clients to work for a fortune 500 retailer. Obviously this was a once in your life time opportunity, which I grabbed with both hands. While working here I became more and more fascinated by the rise of online retailers such as ASOS and Vente-Privee. I love their concept, how they anticipate on demand and change, and the quick turnover of their merchandise. Every online retailer that came after them has been following their lead.  While admiring them, I developed my idea for starting an online fashion business, with the difference of not selling brands but rather focus on upcoming fashion talents.

After given you an insight of my background, the true answer to the question ‘who are you, and what defines you?’ is the following: I’m a strong and determined woman who has gone through difficult seasons but always manage to get up on her feet after a fall, and never gives up on her dreams. My destiny is what I make of it!

My dreams

To elaborate further on my dreams; I want to start a webshop that is solely dedicated to featuring emerging fashion designers. As a fashionista I love to wear items that are not known to the masses but create curiosity. I want to be the first to discover a new brand before it becomes popular. After all My Fashion My Passion.

The webshop and blog is called Janet + George, named after both my parents, and will focus on both womenswear and menswear. I’ll be blogging about trends, fashion shows, and city styles. In a later stage I’ll tell you more about the soon to be webshop of Janet + George.

Your feedback

As a beginning blogger and entrepreneur I appreciate and encourage constructive feedback. You can leave a comment on all my posts.

I hope you will enjoy my blog and also share your passion for fashion with me.

See you soon!