Mina Evans-Anfom talks to GUBA

Mina Evans is a luxury fashion brand that combines Ankara fabrics with handpicked embellishments to create feminine unique pieces. Aside from being a luxury women’s wear brand, Mina Evans also boasts of a Men’s dress shirt range, which combines casual wear with a touch of afrocentricity.

The focus of this brand is to ensure that value is added to the client’s lifestyle by creating elegant and stylish pieces. It also aims to make luxury accessible to all, ensuring that luxury clothing is a part of daily life.

Mina Evans’s collections are built on imagination and prides itself on excellence- from the fabric, embellishment to the final design. This focus of providing the very best to clients has earned them a nomination for the Fashion Fusion of the Year award.

We speak to designer- Mina Evans-Anfom to find out more about her brand.

Tell us about the premise behind your business

Mina Evans is all about the modern African woman. I wanted to create a brand that offered pieces for every occasion of a woman’s life. We offer different options to African print whilst still identifying and promoting Africa.

How does it feel to be nominated for the Fashion Fusion award and what would winning mean to you?

It is really humbling to be nominated for the Fashion Fusion award. Winning would be confirmation that we are pleasing our clients in the UK and the diaspora and it is something I am very excited about.

What do you think about the GUBA Awards?

I think GUBA is a great event that honours the hard work Ghanaians have put into their respective businesses, and I commend the organisers for growing it to such a prestigious platform.

Where does your motivation come from?

I am always motivated by the eagerness of my clients. I want them to love their pieces and feel confident that they have a quality piece of clothing. I am particularly driven by different clients’ reactions to their orders; it pushes me to try to be better.

Do you have any plans of expanding your (fashion) business?

We have some plans for the next year, but they are still a work in progress.

Are you involved in any other projects?

We work on projects with Vlisco and currently working on a project with top Ghanaian stylists- House of Cramer.

What message would you give to aspiring and upcoming entrepreneurs?

Know your target market, work on the quality of your product and make sure you market yourself well.

Do you have anything else you would want to add?

I want to thank everyone who voted and suggested for us to be nominated. Mina Evans collections are working to leave their mark in the fashion industry and we look forward to see the progression of their brand. We encourage everyone to show them the support they deserve

Vote for Mina Evans for the Fashion Fusion award at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/fashion-fusion

5TH Africa Fashion Awards To Be Held @ MONTE CASINO

AFI 5th Africa Fashion Awards to crown the best in African Fashion Alek Wek to appear as guest judge for AFI Africa Fashion Awards

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa 2013 (MBFW Africa), presented by African Fashion International (AFI),and being being hosted by the City of Tshwane, will conclude with an Africa Fashion Awards Banquet on Sunday, 3rd November at Monte Casino, where African fashion industry’s successes will be celebrated and recognised.
Sudanese supermodel, Alek Wek, is guest judge at the African Fashion Awards. She will be joined by Kenyan’s Diana Opoti, highly respected lifestyle, pan-African televsion producer who is experienced both in front and behind the camera and presents and produces, Designing Africa, a fashion program that profiles the top names in fashion in the African continent.
Other judges include Russian model, Sayora Grigorian, ambassador & Égérie of Azzadine Alaia, with interest in luxury fashion, and South Africa’s Chris Viljoen, a renowned, fashion director and has been in the local fashionindustry for more than 17 years. They will be judging under the watchful eye of PwC as the auditors.
The fashion industry and the public have nominated the following for the various Africa Fashion Awards categories:
1. DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
· Kluk CGDT
· Duaba Serwa
· Suzaan Heyns

2. EMERGING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
· MilQ and Honey
· Kibonen
· Loin Cloth and Ashes

3. ACCESSORIES DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
· Anita Quansah
· Pichulik
· Ndau Collection
4. MODEL OF THE YEAR
· Grace Bol
· Grace Mahary
· Katryn Kruger

5. OUTSTANDING TREND COMMUNICATOR
· Haute Fashion Africa
· Helen Jennings
· Zandile Blay

6. OUTSTANDING FASHION ENTREPRENEUR
· Danica Lepen
· Felicity Spies
· Hanneli Rupert

7. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICAN FASHION
· Jan Malan
· Oluchi
· Omoyemi Akerele
8. AFI Fastrack™ DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
· Hugo Flear
· Aleni Labrou
· Alexa Liss
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Naa Oyoe Is Miss Malaika 2013

Patrons at last Saturday’s Miss Malaika finals at the National Theater may have been disappointed at the two-hour late start but the overall performances of the 10 delegates plus those of Efya, Raquel, Eazzy and Becca made up for the three and a half-hour show.

At the end of the show, it was 19-year-old former student of Wesley Girls’ High School, Naa Oyoe Quartey who won the coveted crown in addition to a brand new Kia Rio and GHC 6,000 cash prize.

Nana Adwoa Twumwaa Baafi, 22, a student of the University Of Ghana took the first runner-up position with Aisha Kaleem, a Senior High School graduate of Ghana International School grabbing the second runner-up place.

Though doors were to be opened at 7.00pm for the show to start at exactly 8.00pm, patrons who had been waiting outside the National Theater because the doors were closed were allowed into the foyer around 8.00pm.

As if that was not enough, they had to wait for about 20 minutes in the foyer before being allowed into the auditorium. In there, they had to watch the stage being mopped among others till the show eventually started around 10.00pm.

Sultry singer Efya, however, came on stage and lifted the dampened spirits of patrons with her ‘magic wand.’ She was at her best as she got the admiring audience to sing along to some of her popular songs like Little Things and Best In Me.

She cleverly wove the introduction of the delegates into her Best in Me song for the 10 ladies to step out in their white dresses.

The delegates came back in pairs for what emcee Naa Ashorkor described a ‘crossfire’ where they posed their own questions to each other to test intelligence and ability to think on their feet.

Right after that, the delegates were called back and Lois, Priscilla, Abigail, Lordina and Selma were evicted per the public votes.

The remaining five of Aisha, Yoda, Twumwaa, Naa Oyoe and Betty made presentations on various topics that tested their eloquence and public speaking abilities.

The show, however, recorded some memorable acts which included Naa Oyoe’s talent hunt display. She depicted a television presenter in a comical manner which won her lots of admirers.

She got the audience to laugh throughout her five -minute presentation with her catchy phrase “tonight the weather will be cold so you need to get a ‘jolli”.

The female artistes who handled the music segment on the night—Efya, Raquel, Eazzy and Becca lived up to the hype.

The host of Who Wants To Be Rich, Kafui Dey, actor Van Vicker, designer Bee Arthur and Theresa Ayoade, Executive Director of Charterhouse and Maria, one of Namibian’s representatives at this year’s Big Brother The Chase were the judges.

The Malaika God-sisters, Joselyn Dumas, Hammamat Montia and Sandra Ankobiah were also in attendance to support their girls. Joselyn Dumas was particularly happy as two of her girls, Naa Oyoe and Twumwaa came first and second respectively.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Madam Dzifa Gomashie, was at the show. She is not a stranger to the Miss Malaika pageant as she has played the role of Godmother on three occasions during the culture nights.

Apart from the late start of the show which initially dampened the high expectations of the audience, the overall organisation was good.

Glitz Africa Fashion Week

Further down the schedule is Ghana’s very own, Glitz Africa Fashion Week 2013. The event is taking place in Ghana and already accumulated a storm of great African international designers and still more to confirm. Also all major local designers of Ghana will be seen on the Glitz Africa runway. A few of the international names goes as follow…. Alain Niava (Cote d’Ivoire), Rui Lopes (Angola), Diana Magesa (Tanzania), Vonne Couture (Nigeria), Maryzo Designs (Sierra Leone), Thokazani Mbatha (SA), Gilles Toure (Cote d’Ivoire), Ohemaa Ohene (UK) and much more.

MUSIGA lauds Kwabena Kwabena

he Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) says it "salutes" Kwabena Kwabena for his ongoing initiative to raise funds in support of patients at the Korle Bu National Cardiothoracic Centre through the “Save a Life" concert.

The concert which comes off this Saturday October 19, 2013 at the state House in Accra will be supported by Samini, OJ, Efya, Funny Face, Joojo, Okyeame Kwame, Stella Seal, Sarkodie and Becca.

MUSIGA says it is happy by the "recent spate at which many of her members are embarking on social corporate responsibilities in helping to address some of the critical issues that affect society as a whole."

The group lauded Kwabena Kwabena and the supporting Artistes for using music as a tool to influence and create developmental and progressive change. These were contained in a press statement issued Thursday.

The statement also urged other musicians to emulate Kwabena Kwabena's "laudable" initiative.

"The Union equally recognizes the likes of Okyeame Kwame, Becca, Dela Hayes, Lynx All stars, Chemphe, Kwaw Kesse, Sherifa Gunu, Nicholas Omane Acheampong, Obour and the many others who have taken it upon themselves to use the powerful tool of Music to help in making this world a better place for all", the statement added.

The statement was signed by MUSIGA General Secretary, Mrs Deborah Anaman.

2013 Glitz Africa Fashion Week launched

1. The 2013 edition of the Glitz Africa Fashion Week (GAFW) was last Saturday launched at a short ceremony at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

The event, which made its debut last year, provides a unique platform for the African fashion industry to showcase its talent, network and celebrate its diversities.
The five-day event opens at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from November 6 to November 10, 2013 and features 15 runway shows, seminars, fashion sales and exhibitions and over 70 international models in attendance.

Claudia Kwarteng Lumor, the CEO of Glitz Africa and Editor-In-Chief of Glitz Africa Magazine, organizers of the event, speaking in an interview described last year's event as "very successful" and that the creativity of African fashion was really told well."
"It's definitely going a notch higher, our focus every time with Glitz is always to make sure that every time we come out with something new it's better and improved than the one before."
According to her, about 50 designers - 28 from Ghana, 15 from Nigeria with the rest coming from the rest of the world - have registered to showcase their fashion wares at this year's fashion week.

Former Big Brother Africa housemates, Vimbai Mutinhiri, Zainab Sheriff and Babalwa Mneno (Barbs) will join a long list of Ghanaian celebrities who will hit the runway during the runways sessions of the event.

Apart from the exhibitions, seminars and runway show, the event will be the climaxed by the Fashion Week Awards and the Theme After Party.

Grand Finale of Catwalk Icon 2013 

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