Styled By The Kokonut Stylist - Article 12

Style Inspiration? There's An App For That!

We live in an information age, a time also known as the computer age or digital age. Global economies are now based on the computerization of information; just ask any big organization how much they spend on backing-up of crucial company data. This therefore means that information is the new currency. I've said a mouthful there haven't I?  Before I get carried away with my nerdy computer language, what this simply means is that we live in an era where computers allow us to explore all our personalized needs thus simplifying our decision making processes.

In the world of fashion, the information age could not have come at a more appropriate time, there is literally an app (a software application designed to perform certain tasks) for everything these days. I will probably get crucified by the chairperson of the stylists'-secrets-community, *chuckle*, for sharing such but I will go ahead anyway. As a stylist, I swear by these fashion apps and if you can, download them, use them, you may find that they are equally useful for you too. Yes, we say it everyday that style is personal and what-not but everyone needs some form of inspiration or the other, right?

*Pose (www.pose.com)

This is the holy grail of fashion apps and is available for iPhone, iPads and Android gadgets. What this app does is, it enables you to see what to wear, how to wear it, what to wear it with and where to wear it.  It is a central collection of tips and tricks, complete with a lot of images from all the world's top  fashion  trendsetters. The fashion tips and style inspiration there are absolutely invaluable. So the next time someone buys you a hat and you do not know what to wear it with, Pose will probably be your best starting point.

*Polyvore (www.polyvore.com)

This is the ultimate style guide. On Polyvore you can create looks, see which colours work best with which colours and play around with different style items. Imagine you had a wardrobe with limitless and countless clothing items, accessories etc, Polyvore is that online wardrobe. The app also tells you how much each look costs and where you can get the items from. It is sheer brilliance.

*Trendstop (www.trendstop.com)

This app has the latest fashion trend forecasts, trend analysis as well as retail store trends, street fashion trends etc. Basically if you want to know what will be on trend next season and how to wear it, this is the app for you. It is highly usefully to full-time fashion buyers and stylists but even ordinary folk looking to have a distinct style may find it useful.

*ShopStyle (www.shopstyle.com)

 If you prefer overseas online shopping (which by the way, believe it or not, sometimes works out cheaper than buying locally) then you will love this app. It is like window shopping online in over 2000 stores all at once. The clothes and accessories are well organized, making your life even easier.

*Pintrest (www.pintrest.com)

As the name suggests, on this app you can 'pin' various items that interest you and fashion is very big on the app as many people pin and share fashion pieces that inspire them or their looks. It is also a great way to market you products if you are in the fashion industry, for example.

Sometimes I wonder how we ever survived without our gadgets and smartphones, we literally carry our lives in those things now. From cellphone banking, to cooking, to getting dressed and everything in between. Do you have any apps that make your life easier, what are they, fashion or otherwise?

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Written By: Koko Shabangu

Styled By The Kokonut Stylist - Article 8

The (un)Necessary Job Of A Fashion Stylist

Someone once said: "Stylists are the people who push celebrities to make the best-dressed list." Whether they were right or not is totally up to whoever the target audience is. Ever since the birth of this column, I have received several emails requesting style tips, offering styling jobs and most recently, asking how one can become a fashion stylist and if fashion stylist make good money.

A fashion stylist is a creative mastermind  who helps set trends in the fashion industry. In major fashion capitals of this world, fashion stylists rank among the highest paid people in the entertainment industry. In Africa, the inclination to use fashion stylists is not at very advanced stage but one can definitely make a decent living as a stylist as the entertainment industry in general, is always in need of stylist. Styling jobs vary from personal styling (where one can style celebrities, respectable public figures or even general members of the public) to selecting clothing for magazine editorials and picking wardrobe styles for print advertising. Fashion stylist also work mostly as wardrobe consultants for TV programmes such as soapies. Stylist dress our favourite soapie actors on set according to the actor's role in such a way that the way the actor dresses as you watch your TV makes you believe that their acting life is their real-life.

There are several places where one can train to be a fashion stylist but above everything, you need to be; creative, passionate about clothing, be a people's person, have crafty eye for detail and be innately stylish yourself. In South Africa, Gauteng to be particular, there are several places to get formal training on a number of fashion courses, including fashion styling. These places include: Tshwane University of Technology- Arts Campus, University of Johannesburg as well as LISOF Fashion School. By far the best way to get training is if you shadow a well known stylist or apply for internship in fashion houses. Nothing can beat the experience one gets from learning while on the job.

As a full-time, independent stylist one can make +/- E25,000.00 on average, per month and more during fashion week season. This varies in that you may not always get styling jobs so it is an extremely fickle work environment and one definitely needs a good income back-up especially while still starting out. It takes years and years of experience to be the designated fashion stylist for a fashion house where one can earn a steady income. On grassroots level, while a stylist is still starting out, you need to be very willing to take any and every styling job that will provide income and help you build a solid styling portfolio. Think of it as being a businessman, every styling job you do and what you wear is an extension of your brand. The more you do a good job at styling people and look good yourself, the more people will want to be associated with your brand.

There is a very common myth that people who use stylists have no style and this tends to make people shy away from using stylist for their personal wardrobe styling. Being a part-time stylist myself, I can say that nothing is further from the truth that than myth. Stylist can help enhance your personal style, they can be a new (creative) set of eyes for you to view your existing wardrobe differently. When I style an individual, I work based on their existing wardrobe, body figure, lifestyle and budget and all this has nothing to do with whether the person is already deemed stylish or not.  You see, style is a very personal thing as I have mentioned in previous articles and it can only be harnessed and enhanced. Being a stylist has opened a number of doors for me and has introduced me to people I would not have ordinarily met. I get invited to fashion shows (such as the 46664 Fashion shows), fashion launches and fashion weeks and I do sometimes live some of my fashion dreams. 

I always put an unyielding emphasis on education. Whether you want to pursue your fashion passion formally or on the side, it is always important that you get an education as that is what will always empower you. Hopefully all you young, aspirant fashion stylists here in Swaziland will one day work for The Kokonut Stylist fashion house, in the near future.

You decide, do you think being a fashion stylist is a necessary or unnecessary job? Can jobs in any creative field provide sustainable living for us? Do we always have to work for someone else to make a decent living? I do not have the answers to that but what I know for sure is that we must live our passions, whatever they may be, pursue them strongly because I believe good quality living is about living one's passion. "If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you. -  Alan Armstrong

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Written By: Koko Shabangu

Styled By The Kokonut Stylist - Article 4

To The Man With Style

The famous German-born poet, Charles Bukowski once wrote what is probably the most controvertial poem ever written on men's style. In the poem, aplty named "Style", Bukowski said: "Not many have style. Not many can keep style. I have seen dogs with more style than men, although not many dogs have style. Cats have it with abundance."

                

Not a particularly stylish man himself but rather a passionate poet and writter, Bukowski was nonetheless controvertial in that poem and it could have had a hidden and subliminal meaning, as all poems do. Without digging into the deeper meaning of that peom, let us take the words as literally as they were written, whether or not Charles Bukoski's words were true, not many men in our society have style. There I said it!

As the temperatures continue to drop and as we slowly approach colder days where we have to have on layers and layers of clothing in order to keep warm, it is getting harder and harder to keep warm while maintaining one's sense of fashion or style. In seriously cold days, one is often left to choose between style and warmth. Sadly and much to the dismay of many women, most men choose to dress in a way  that covers their bodies as commanded by the weather without putting much thought into the style that always has to accompany every outfit.

Men, you see, there is nothing and I mean absolutely NOTHING as physically appealing to ANY woman as a man who has a great sense of style, regardless of the weather conditions. I assume this goes both ways though, as you (men) find us stylish women attractive. The thing about style is that it commands attention as stylish men are never lost in crowds.

Stylish people (men) always stand out, they are never swallowed in crowds. I am talking about the men who wear fitted trench coats and perfectly styled winter scarfs. The men who wear gloves in winter, the men who wear men's boots without finding the need to explain their clothing choices to anyone because they are being true to their style. The men who can wear jeans with ties or suits with ties and still equally conclude business deals because they always present themselves very well.

To the men who put an effort into how they look, from myself and every woman out there, we truly appreciate what you do for humanity, yes we do take your dressing well THAT seriously!

In conclusion, you can have whatever you want if you dress for it. Remember that everything is judged by its appearance . So, go on and be great be stylish, be expressive and never allow yourself to be buried into oblivion.

If you are a man and are looking for style inspiration, visit the following blogs:  The Sartorialist (http://www.thesartorialist.com),  Men Style (http://menstyle1.com/) and What My Boyfriend Wore (http://menstyle1.com/).

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Written By: Koko Shabangu

Styled By The Kokonut Stylist - Article 3

The Best Thing To Have Happened To Swazi Fashion 

Astounding, artistic, diverse, non-conformist and extremely fashionable are some of the words one can use to depict the extremely talented Khulekani Msweli. He is the man, brains and work behind the full-of-inherent potential fashion brand called Jerem Paul.

In a studio nestled deep within the heart of Ezulwini in Mantenga, at the Yebo! Art Gallery  is where all the magic happens. As you walk into the art, design and fashion studio, you cannot help but marvel at the artistic flamboyance of the entire Jerem Paul boutique.

                  

 It is often said that fashion is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style with which a person dresses and the entire Jerem Paul clothing collection fits that description perfectly, it is fashion! With garments made to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing, I can bravely say that Jerem Paul is the best thing to have ever happened to Swazi Fashion. He has dressed and styled many a fashionistas in this country.

As a person who has been attending South African Fashion Weeks for the past four years and I am constantly covering fashion events via my fashion blog; I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to have found a gemstone like Khulekani in our own tiny Kingdom. Not only is he a fashion designer, he is also an interior design consultant for home, corporate and events decor as well as an all round artist. When I met him, a friend and I had visited his studio to source some items for a fashion show we were working on. After I told him about my undying love for fashion, Khulekani was excited to show me his winter vision board. His enthusiasm when describing his work is truly inspirational as it displays the passion he puts behind every piece of art he does. "I would rather not work on a show if I do not have the creative rights to be free as a designer and I cannot just allow my apparel to be used willy-nilly, I take pride in my work" Khulekani explained.

When I asked him what the inspiration was behind Jerem Paul brand, especially the studio, he said "Every boutique in Swaziland sort of looks like the next one, I wanted my studio to be an extension of my designs, it is not just clothing shop, I am a designer and my surroundings have to say that without me having to utter a word." As soon as he said that, I was immediately reminded of the American Show "The Next Great Artist" which was aired on Vuzu some time back. Basically it is a television show where highly talented up-and-coming artists compete for a solo exhibition at a  Museum and a cash prize of $100,000.00 . I thought to myself, Khulekani could have easily won that competition, he is a rare calibre of what a fashionable artist should be.

Such passion and willingness to work hard enough to want to only associate your brand with quality is not only commendable but also highly appreciated as it may just be what we need to establish a thriving Swazi Fashion Industry.

Jerem Paul gives on hope for the fashion industry in our country. I believe the likes of Khulekani have more than the required capability to not only deliver an entire fashion line for a Swaziland Fashion Week but to go even beyond our borders and represent us in a Proudly Swazi way.

If you are interested in all the amazing work Khulekani does, you can contact him via email on: jerempaul@gmail.com

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Written By: Koko Shabangu

Styled By The Kokonut Stylist - Article 2

Why A Swaziland Fashion Week Is Long Overdue

As the great Coco Chanel once said: "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live and what is happening."  No truer words have been spoken ever since!  You see, very often we exclude ourselves from fashion; we think it belongs to other people and it that it does not affect us in any way.  Well, the most apparent truth of life is that we are all part of a fashion lifecycle.

 Fashion has a recurring cycle and you may have bought the sweater you are wearing now from a second-hand clothing stall across the street but at some point, many years ago, it was once high-end-fashion that filtered down to department stores and eventually to our second-hand clothing stalls. You are clothed and warm, that is a basic human right isn't it? Someone once selected that very design of the sweater you are wearing today from a fashion week many moons ago and it has somehow found its way to you. Do you see how the inevitable fashion lifecycle has affected you?

This  multi-billion (and that’s not Zimbabwean but US dollars) global industry that is fashion is even bigger than the motor industry. Big surprise there, huh!  With all the financial recessions that this world has gone through in recent years & months even, luxury fashion labels have not only thrived but managed to grow their businesses.  Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Hermes, Versace, Bulgari, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, etc. all recorded profit margins as healthy as 40% just in the last financial year and that is major, in any business terms, I don’t care what currency you use.

So all you non-fashion-loving-there-is-more-to-my-life-than-fashion-people listen up. It matters not what you think or in some cases, don’t think of how you dress, you are a part of the fashion lifecycle. This is how it works: every year, there are two very important fashion weeks that happen in all fashion capitals around the world. Those world fashion capitals being Milan, Paris, London and New York, I will add Dubai, Singapore and Johannesburg for good measure. There are two important fashion weeks, namely: Autum/Winter and Spring/Summer fashion weeks.

These fashion weeks happen a few months in advance of the season in order to allow fashion buyers to arrange purchasing the designs for retailers and to organise merchandising in time for that season. A clear example is that we are fast approaching winter right now and we just had the Joburg Spring/Summer Fashion Week three weeks ago. During fashion week, designers who have worked with trend analysts showcase their designs for what will be ‘in fashion’ the following season. What is showcased at fashion weeks is what we refer to as high-end-fashion in fashion terms and it means the most detailed and expensive fashion items money can buy.  After some time, high-end fashion filters down to chain stores that sort of replicate high-end-fashion and mass produce it for their department stores. Department stores are your typical mall clothing shops, for example: Mr Price Stores, Legit, Jet etc.

It's all sophisticated and classy when we wear these expensive fashion labels that showcase at these fashion capitals and Instagram our outfit of the day but think of all the jobs that fashion has created in this world. Then proceed to reflect on all the jobs that it has created in this country alone. Consider our cousins, sisters, aunts and mothers in Matsapha textile firms that are able to put food on their families’ tables. Those ladies and gentlemen at the textile firms are mass producing for some chain stores whose merchandisers once attended a fashion week somewhere in the world. Give consideration to all our favourite tailors at the Commercial Centre  here in Mbabane that we so love, in one way or the other, fashion enables them to make a decent living. Mull over Khulekani Msweli:  the brain behind the Jerem Paul brand, an extremely talented young man who exudes more than enough potential to be our very own Alexander McQueen.  Would it not be amazing to one day to rock your Proudly Swazi  Jerem Paul design? What is stopping us from embracing our own? Have we failed ourselves or are we lazy?

 Now, I would like to bring your attention the  opportunities that we as creative Swazi people have not tapped into because we view fashion as intfo yebantfu labanesikhatsi nemali  futsi njengentfo lengatsi ingumdlalo nje.  Our neighbours with similar economies to ours have thriving fashion weeks. I am talking about Zimbabwe Fashion Week and Botswana Fashion Week then why not have a Swaziland Fashion Week?   Maybe , just maybe, those countries understand the role that fashion plays in their economies or maybe they have tried so many times until they got it right and that is why they have successful fashion weeks. What is stopping us? I know there have been attempts in the past to have a successful fashion week in our country and those have not been that successful.  Why are we failing to nurture what is ours?  I can think of a handful of designers that can showcase their great designs in our very own Fashion Week. 

We have so much creativity, potential and colourful beauty in this country; in fact we have enough of that to have a fashion week that not only attracts tourists into our beautiful country but a fashion week that will be a huge positive contributor to our economy. Personally I am crazy enough (read smart enough) to dream of a Swaziland Fashion Week in the very near future and I may have even started mentally organizing it.  I am hoping that after reading this, your view on fashion will be changed. You see, it’s not just fashion!

This reminded me of my all time favourite SiSwati saying: "Nawe Ngwane awumncane". Let us also tap into our greatness and see where it takes us. A Swaziland Fashion Week is indeed long overdue, the question is, are we ready to nurture and embrace our own fashion designer?

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Written By: Koko Shabangu

Styled by The Kokonut Stylist - Weekend Observer Article 1

Hi, My Name Is Koko & I Am Obsessed With Fashion

I remember it as though it was yesterday. It was two years ago, I had just started my own blog, when I first emailed a proposal to the then Editor. I wanted to have a fashion column which would be an extension of my blog and I wanted a platform that would allow for this column to shine through and not be swallowed by other things within the publication. It fizzled into thin air, I stopped following up and eventually gave up.

Little did I know that there is this creative person within me who would never allow me to ever give up on my fashion dreams. It was that creative person that nagged me until I approached the current Editor and pitched my idea to him. He not only did he loved it, he made me believe I could do an amazing job too.

I have come to the realization that I have two girls living inside me and this is not bipolar, hear me out. There is the smart girl; she is the one who has been getting distinctions at university, graduating cum laude, she got the Master’s Degree and she is the one who loves working in IT. Then there is the creative girl: she absolutely is a fashion addict and has been ever since I could remember, she is creative, she is the blogger, she is the one who gets invites to fashion weeks, high profile fashion events and she is the one who decides what Koko wears. I think this is the best explanation for why I am sometimes an IT geek and always a creative fashionista.

Who is this creative, fashionable Koko? You may be asking yourself. I am a 26 year old Swazi lady who is style/fashion obsessed (and that’s putting it mildly). My love for clothes was apparent at a very young stage. I am told I would put together my own ensembles at age there and always colour co-ordinated my outfits (monochromatic looks were the in-thing back then as they are making a huge comeback now). That love has sort of progressed and intensified through-out my years of growing up. I now have a business that focuses on styling people and yes, you can make a decent living by doing this in South Africa. I am very passionate about clothes and looking good!

You see, I believe I am Coco Chanel’s re-incarnation and there is absolutely nothing you can ever tell me that can convince me otherwise. I eat, live and breathe fashion! Coco Chanel was (she passed on in 1971 but her legacy lives on) a fashion great, a designer and founder of the Chanel brand. She is the symbol of fashion, the name that the fashion-cautious want to be associated with. Coco was the only fashion designer to appear on Time Magazine’s List of The 100 Most Influential People Of The 20^th Century.  

Here is why I believe I am Coco Chanel’s re-incarnation:  She was born on the 19^th of August 1883; I was born on the 18^th of August. She had five siblings; I also have 5 siblings (Do you see where I'm going with this?). Even though her birth name was Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, everyone called her "Coco" and I bet most people do not know me by any other name except “Koko”. I've been called Koko all my life. She went to a Catholic school; I went to an Anglican school, St Michael’s High School. She had a passion for fashion and comfort; need I say more?

This column is our weekend meeting place, I hope to feed you all things fashionable and stylish. Since there obviously is more to life than just fashion, Styled By The Kokonut Stylist is also about the people who actually wear the stylish clothes, their lifestyles, where they were seen and what they were seen wearing as well as a “fashion police” bit. In this column, there are titbits of people’s day-to-day ensembles, hairstyles, dress designs, designers, fabrics and a bit of this and that. I envision this being a very engaging column that all you fashion lovers look forward to reading every weekend.

Some of the greatest lessons from Miss Coco Chanel were: Be bold. Be one of a kind. Be inspired and Leave a strong impression. As we (myself and all you fashion lovers reading this column) embark on this new journey, may I be as inspiring to you as I believe you will be to me. May we find boldness in all our aspirations to follow our dreams and lastly, may this column leave a strong impression to all its readers.

Do you think in Swaziland we have a fashion person whose name in fashion will outlive them? Do we even have fashionable, stylish people besides the handful that we won’t mention? Are we a people that tap into their creativity or do we often just do what society (parents, immediate family, etc) expects of us? Personally I would never have left Swaziland for South Africa to study for a Fashion Degree, it was (is) so taboo, why is that?

I would love to hear from you. Your opinions, views and criticism are most welcome.

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Written By: Koko Shabangu

The BIG Reveal

Remember last week in one of my blog posts I mentioned how I am crazy enough to think I can make a difference and how I had something big to reveal this week? Those who missed that post can read more about that here here. Well, The big news is that I am now a Fashion Columnist! Yes, your girl writes for the Swazi Weekend Observer.

I still have to pinch myself to believe that it is really happening. I remember in 2010 after I started this blog, it was something I wanted very badly and it is finally happening now, without any hustle.

The first article was published this weekend, I will post it in a different blog post.

That Chanel Logo gave me life throughout the weekend!

The first article was sort of an introduction of myself and the column thus it was befitting that they put my picture there, it is  not a 'seeking fame' tactic but merely the best platform that any fashionista who loves writing can have and I am thoroughly blessed to have such an opportunity.

I am calling everyone who has followed this blog and looked forward to my posts to please support my column as well. The vision I have for it is to make it a movement, fashion and otherwise. For us to dream together and all follow a similar dream together.

If you are on Facebook, please like "Styled By The Kokonut Stylist" as I will be posting the articles there as well as publish them here on this blog.

Let's do this!