Black is beautiful - Gorgeous pieces

LOVE FOR SOLO

So my girl (yes my girl) Solange' was signed to Next Models joining the likes of Alexa Chung ( Another on of my favourites). I am so liking the recognition she is getting due to her personal style and individuality. Keep going at it Solo! Here are some shots for Oyster Magazine. Although I wish she had worn how own natural hair!

I love this look

LOVE

I absolutely love the 70s and Sixties style. This is reminiscent of Twiggy's look in the 60s! So beautiful!

I love this Donna Karan shoot in Haiti so beautiful

City Underwater

As most people were psyched about the Festive season, there aren't much festivities going on due to heavy rains in our beautiful city. It has seen 13 people and maybe more dead and thousands stranded with no shelter and little help. Dar es Salaam is drowning bit by bit and team FT would like to wish everyone all the safety during this trying time.

As much as we can help we should please, whether donating or physically helping. Every little helps!

Houses under water

BE SAFE AND BE BLESSED! 

Model Love:

Atui for Flaunt, Gorgeous!

THE IMPECCABLE - BI KIDUDE

Mesmerising the crowd at TEDeX Dar

Million Man March

The night has been long, The wound has been deep, The pit has been dark, And the walls have been steep. Under a dead blue sky on a distant beach, I was dragged by my braids just beyond your reach. Your hands were tied, your mouth was bound, You couldn't even call out my name. You were helpless and so was I, But unfortunately throughout history You've worn a badge of shame. I say, the night has been long, The wound has been deep, The pit has been dark And the walls have been steep.

10% OF PICHINI COLLECTION TO HOUSE OF PEACE

As you all know FT Boutique is giving out 10% of every PICHINI purchase to the HOUSE OF PEACE.

I though I'd share with you all the magnitude of this cause. This is a story of one of the women. I urge you to please make contributions, every little helps. A lot of women go through violence but are afraid to let go and move on!

Tanzania: Battered Women Find Safety in House of Peace

Ichikaeli Maro

8 July 2010

---

Ashura and Alice are among the 33 women and 17 children who live in the house in an anonymous location in Dar es Salaam. The House of Peace is an initiative established in 2002 to provide temporary shelter for women and children who are victims of gender based violence.Dar Es Salaam — ASHURA Iddi (25) is a mother of one and pregnant for her second child. Her colleague Alice Mlatu is a mother to two boys, 11 and four years, respectively. Both are survivors of abusive relationship and accommodated at the House of Peace in Dar es Salaam.

Ashura and her colleagues, although victims of violence, continue to be hosted at the house to gain some strength that will allow them to feel dignified again. Narrating how she went to the house, Ashura says: "My husband and I got married in 2003. We got one child within one year of our marriage and because we agreed to observe child spacing I had to go for family planning. "In 2009 my husband changed, he started staying out late...sometimes up to 2am and started beating me and blaming me for not conceiving and threatened to marry another woman.

I had to leave the contraceptives and within three months I was pregnant. But even then he insisted he could no longer live with me, he was planning to marry another woman. "He continued to come home late, beat me up and chase me out of our bedroom with my child. One day he woke up at 9am, found me on the corridor and insisted I must leave the house otherwise he would kill me.

He took his motorbike and left. He came back at 12 noon and asked why I was still in his house...he beat me until neighbours came to my rescue. Ashura says she was seriously hurt and that her husband took her to hospital where, however, she was refused treatment pending presentation of a PF 3.

"He took me be back home and left me there. At around 6pm he called asking if I could walk and meet him at a place called Madoeko. On arrival I found him with a woman whom he said was the one who deserved to be with him and not me," she says. But that was not all.

The poor woman received another beating from her husband in front of the other woman and other passersby. "He beat me till I became unconscious.

Good Samaritans took me to Amana hospital where I was admitted. He never came to see me for all the time I was at the hospital. When I was discharged, I decided to go back to my matrimonial home and called to inform him but he came and chased me out of the house with my child," she says.

Ashura who hails from Lindi, says her family members advised her to leave the house or else she would get killed. She, however, says she did not have any money to go back to her home in Lindi. She left her matrimonial home, though and started to roam around the streets with her child. She says life was tough especially at night because she did not have a place to sleep. Some of her friends would invite her, but still it was difficult for her. Her child caught a cold and was coughing extensively.

"I thought of committing suicide because all what I had after selling my wedding ring so that my child could eat was finished. I was directed to offices of the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA) to present my case. TAWLA asked me if I knew the House of Peace situated at an anonymous place at Msasani. I was directed to the place and given bus fare.

"Staff at the House of Peace received us and have been supporting me and my child with all the basic necessities. I am at peace planning for my next step in life," she says. It is such horrible incidents that pushed the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM), US Embassy in Tanzania and several public and private enterprises to organise and launch a special campaign titled: "Don't kick her, kick the ball" to advocate for non-violent relationships and support activities of the House of Peace.

The campaign coincides with the first football World Cup in Africa. The campaign uses footballs with the "Don't kick her, kick the ball" slogan to advocate for free-violent relationships. The footballs will be sold at Protea Hotels and Shoppers supermarkets and profits from the sales will be channelled to the House of Peace. The House of Peace is the only crisis centre for women in Dar es Salaam. It provides shelter, legal and health care, food and clothing to women and children survivors of gender-based violence.

Clients to the centre are brought by organisations dealing with human rights advocacy groups and institutions such as TAWLA, Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA), the police as well as Amana hospital and Muhimbili National Hospital. At the house women and their children are given three-month shelter after which she must be in a position for alternative means to cope with life.

"But the state under which these women come, we find it difficult to let them go within that time. Some are severely bartered, we have to treat them, provide counselling and means to start new life," says a social worker at the house. Other parties in the campaign, launched by the Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children, Mrs Margaret Sitta, are Coroina Society and Dar es Salaam-based Diplomats' spouses.

Prevailing gender norms show that sexual violence such as rape in intimate relationships are still considered culturally-acceptable by both men and women. Dr Julitta Onabanjo, UNFPA Country Representative, urges the government to mobilise and sustain resources and provide a safe environment where women's rights are respected and where they can live without fear of being violated or abused.

She says the objective of the initiative is to show the world where has Africa come from, who are the people of Africa and what are they doing. "A lot has been done...at the same time poverty across the continent still has female face-girls and women keep dying while giving birth, women still lag behind in education. Many dream of Africa where they can live freely, with dignity and respect."

She says it is women like Ashura and her colleagues that inspired UNFPA and partners to organise the initiative. The event was also attended by the US Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Alfonso Lenhardt and his wife Jacqueline. "Ashura has courage to raise her voice to talk about what is the reality for many women in Tanzania," she said. According to her, in Dar es Salaam alone almost half of women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner.

"Inequality and injustice are still part of everyday life for women particularly in the rural areas and this must stop," she says, adding there is no noble cause than to stop all forms of violence against women and children. She praises President Jakaya Kikwete for the launch in 2008 of a "Say no to violence against women" campaign led by UNIFEM.

President Kikwete was the second African Head of State after President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal to sign on the UNIFEM campaign. Mr Kikwete also promised the government's commitment to end violence against women, review laws and take necessary measures to make it happen.

To her, so many women in Tanzania are suffering but stick to abusive relationships because they are poor. She said the only solution to women's suffering was to empower them economically. The ministry, in collaboration with development Partners, has been conducting violence against women campaigns in the Lake Zone where it is widely believed that "a woman will never feel loved by her husband until she is bartered." About 700 million US dollars have been set aside for the campaign against such cultural practices which the minister rubbishes.Mrs Sitta could not hold her emotion as she heard Ashura's ordeal, saying, "There are so many women in Tanzania suffering the same way -- they are still bartered and some are killed. She said, wondering: "How many men are suffering the same as women? Why are women bartered? Vividly disturbed, the minister told the gathering that even educated men in the country barter their wives.

Jordan Dunn

Last week I had the cover for Jordan's I-D magazine shoot! Here is the feature, how beautiful is she. Bless!

MY DAMN BLOG

You all know how much Solange Knowles has grown on me (cough, has be come my obsession more like, cough)! Well... drum rolls please..wait for it! Her Damn Blog (As she says it) is back on and I hope it is there to stay. Checkout some of the pics she shared with us. Beautiful!

Source Solange

Here enjoying with her friend looking naturally pretty and effortlessly Chic

We love!

I'm Voting Eskado Bird - What's Your Freedom Tanzania

Remember my first feature about Eskado Bird, well Eskado bird will be show casing at the Swahili Fashion Week this week and Estazia (The Head designer of Eskado Bird was voted An award for the new designer)

I am all for creative people who do not follow the norm. I met Estazia at the Dar Fashion Festival and she wowed me at the Fashion Show and I found her stuff very unique. I even tried to push her to sell me some of her very unique display items (I know a sucker for the unique). So I will be Voting for EB... Support a great designer ladies and gents I see a great future for her and her brand.

To Vote: 

visit  http://www.swahilifashionweek.com/

Be blessed and keep doing you!

Below is a sneak peek at the new What's Your Freedom collection which will be show cased at the SFW this week.

Chic on the Cheap

http://thatchiconthecheap.blogspot.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/angeliquecphotography 

Today I am Featuring my favourite favourite photographer and my lil sis from another mother and father, Miss Angelique Sylvia Eungie Culvin. A lot of people have been asking who takes my pictures and this very talented young lady is the master of all the greatness with some finishing touches from my husband :D  Angie is very capable of editing and giving the effect you'd like.

Angel is not only talented in photography but she is art, she loves to experiment in the way she dresses, her hair and her art of photography. I was her first client when I started FT Accessories in 2009. She met my vision exactly how I wanted. She is a goal oriented person who will set goals that she will make sure she meets.

I admire young people who know what they want and go for it. Many parents would not support their children in making photography a career and study choice but what they don't realise is, there's so much more to it. She has proved that, she now has so many clients who adore her work, most recently Joy of Dafire Arts (A jewellery designer in Tanzania). I Salute you Miss. Culvin. She has inspired a lot of the now up and coming young photographers to go for their dreams. If you'd like to book her when she is in town as she is now in Ireland pursuing her photography degree (into her 2nd year):

Please visit the links above and her Facebook page!

I admire Angelique's style and her natural hair is bananas, so I picked some of my favourite photographs of her so you can see for yourself.

Working the wrap

In her bantu knots

Beautiful

source

I find this beautiful in so many levels, the natural hair, the yarn and the model herself. I love it when people embrace their natural self.

Love for Fashion Illustrations

I love Fashion Illustrations, now I am so bad with sources, I actually forgot where I got this from or who the artist is. But this is just beautiful, I wish I could order some for FT! it's Love at first site for me

8020 RULE

So this post I am dedicating to a fellow blogger in Tanzania, Shamim Mwasha. Shamim is a hard working woman who is a go getter she likes to develop herself as time goes and she has truly gotten better at what she does. I started visiting 8020 Fashions when the lovely lady introduced herself by commenting in 2009 when I opened the blog. She is celebrating 5 years of her blog this Sunday with an AFrican attire theme party, WILL BE interesting. I hope I will see a lot of these in your pictures! Happy 5th Anniversary, speaking of which FT Blog was on its 5th year this June, pheeww time flies when you are busy writing. Shamim has made it part of her profession, she now does red carpet reports, wedding reports and so much more that you can see here

BE BLESSED AND DO WHAT YOU DO BEST!

VISION TO BE REMEMBERED FOREVER

My dad has always been a tech guy so I never had to buy my own laptops or any electronics. But when time came and I needed a change IBMs which are so annoying with all the viruses and ridiculous pop ups. I wanted a laptop that really made me feel like this is me. 

I went shopping found the Apple store, i'm a book worm I went and searched about Steve jobs, learned and listened to his speeches about apple computers. What really got me there was those colourful desktops. I always wanted a pink or orange one but I can't carry a desktop to Uni for my multimedia projects. Nooo!

Then there it was 2 years or 3 later a Macbook in white, so lady like and i can get all the accesories like a bag and softwares for my media graphic designing projects. My Salary had just come through, and I didn't even think twice or hesitate. I purchased, and never have I looked at any other computer or electronic maker since. Now I use a MacBook Air that I got as a wedding present but my first baby the first MacBook in white, is still there and in tiptop conditions being worked on like it hasn't been with me for 5years.

I was always a Samsung girl when it came to phones until my now husband then friend introduced or let me say pushed me into loving the Iphone and as soon as they release a new one I am always the first to get it! I have never been disappointed nor let down by the 'i' ever! From the ipod, to the i pad, to the iphone to the Macs Family. I truly hop enow the man behind it all has gone nothing will change. Since Man who created the Apple with the bite marks truly 'RULED' the electronic market.

But even without the electronics, Steve Jobs, has been an inspiration to me. He sees things beyond what the eye can see. He spoke wisdom, and I'm not sweet talking because the man is dead as many a men who have died then all of a sadden you hear, 'marehemu alikuwa mtu mzuri  aka (OOOoo He was such a lovely man),' even when yesterday you were like I hate and despise that person. No Steve Jobs was truly an inspiration made for the people of the earth... I say his brain is a work of ART in itself.

For all this, May he rest in eternal PEACE!

My husband will miss you but I will miss your Inspirational speeches and work of art even more.

"And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Will you wear Kanye West Scarves?

I SEE ZIG ZAGS & COLOUR- LOVE IT!

Thandie InStyle

Beautiful!

LOVE 4 Hermes