Threading the footsteps of internationally renowed African designers is one of our own.
Mimi Plange, an emerging Ghana-born, California-raised fashion designer is a talent to look out for.
She launched Boudoir D'Huitres in 2007 and became known for eschewin seasonal trends in favour of staying true to her Victorian fashion and her African heritage influences. She relaunched the label under her own name for autumn/winter 2011/12.
She has recently done a capsule shoe line with Manolo Blahnik.
For spring/summer 2012 the floral prints worn by the Herero women of present- day Namibia were her starting point for a collection of delicately tailored high-collared shirts, day dresses, maxi skirts and sequined trousers in pastel hues.
Each features intricate stitching and interprets the tribal scarification patterns found in Benin.
Even though it's such a painful process, she translates the pain into beauty.
Mimi likes the idea of incorporating historical references into clothes that ultimately feel modern,
understated and clean.
