Prime
Stylists behind the Asfa looks
L-R: Sylvia Namutebi, Queen Sylvia Nagginda and KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi
What you need to know:
Glamorous: The 2017 edition of the Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards literally closed the fashion calendar of the year in a way we all did not imagine. Ugandan fashion was brought to the fore as celebrities and fashionistas chose to wear couture outfits made in Uganda. We talked to a few of the celebrities and they shared the story behind their red carpet looks.
Fatumah Asha
Fatumah Asha started out as a tailor 10 years ago and her brand has since evolved into a fully-fledged fashion house. It is only two years ago when she decided to put her brand on social media that she got her big break. As a creative, she is inspired by fabric.
“I will not lie to you that I am inspired by life, animals and all. I seek inspiration from fabrics,” she says. Her creative process starts with the feel, look and colour of the fabric before she starts designing. She also loves to see African women embracing their curves while being as modest as they can be.
Her brand does ready-to-wear, couture, made-to-measure pieces and bridal. To her, creating a stunning outfit is a collaborative process.
“I usually offer styling advice to my clients to complete the vision I had during the design process. Some take it, others don’t. I’m so proud of Remah’s ASFA 2017 look. I asked her not to wear accessories and shared with her the makeup look that would go with the gown. She took my advice, and guess what? She was one of the best dressed stars at the event,” she shares with excitement.
Fatumah Asha started out as a tailor 10 years ago and her brand has since evolved into a fully-fledged fashion house.
Fatumah Asha has had the opportunity to dress a number of women, many of them being highbrow celebrities. These include; Hellen Lukoma, Lydia Jazmine, Remah Namakula, Natasha Sinayobye, Sheilah Gashumba and many more.
Sabrina Mukasa
The 28-year-old was the makeup artist behind the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Jennifer Musisi’s look. Mukasa was introduced to Musisi by her father about a year ago and the two have maintained a strong friendship since then.
“She has always been supportive of my work and I guess that’s the reason why she asked me to do the makeup for this particular evening,” Mukasa says.
For this particular event, she started off by using cleansing water to wipe off anything on Musisi’s face. Then she went ahead to apply a primer, a base for foundation that allows makeup to stay on a little longer. Afterwards, she shaped the eyebrows and applied eye shadow.
“I like to work on eyes before foundation just in case of any product fall out, it’s easy to wipe off,” she says, adding, “I applied a gold smoky eye to enhance and bring out her eyes and afterwards, I applied mascara which she preferred over eyelashes”
After the eyes, Mukasa applied foundation, concealer which was set by translucent powders. She also contoured and applied a soft berry blush to match the dress. Finally, she completed the look by applying a red lipstick before spraying Musisi’s face with a setting spray.
Glitz by Nalu
Glitz by Nalu is barely a year old, having been opened just this year. The fashion brand is a brainchild of Danieline Moore, a former Miss Liberia and fashion model. Moore’s love for fashion stems from her mother who was a fashion retailer. From a young age, she had access to lots of clothes, fabrics and designs. At 14, she moved from Liberia to the US due to the civil war there that claimed hundreds of people.
It is in the US that she embarked on a career in fashion and pageantry. She was crowned Miss Liberia US 2006 and Miss Maryland before appearing in countless magazines and ad campaigns. In 2014, she launched Nalu Boutique in Washington DC, a fashion house catering to African women living in the US. It evolved from an online store to a physical boutique and later birthed sister brand Glitz by Nalu, the fashion house here in Kampala.
The Nalu brand was inspired by her step-daughter Naluzinda. Moore wanted to offer all African women an opportunity to look beautiful as they embrace their curvy bodies. The pieces are elegant, timeless and celebrate femininity. In a short time in the market, the brand has dressed everyone from Rachel Kiwanuka, Halima Namakula, Deedan Muyira, Crystal Newman, Sheebah, and many more.
Monalisa Umutoni of Mona Faces
Monalisa Umutoni is a makeup artist who learned everything she knows about beauty off YouTube. She is arguably the most sought after makeup artist in Kampala. However, while growing up makeup was a taboo at home.
“My dad never wanted to see me wearing makeup. There was this stigma around it that made me question if it was the right thing to do,” she shares. However, she went after her passion, starting it off as a side business during campus.
“The start was not rosy at all. I was almost always broke,” she says. This pushed her to keep working harder everyday turning the side gig into a full-time business. The 25-year-old businesswoman opened her makeup studio in 2015 which paved way for many makeup artists to get serious about their craft.
Monalisa Umutoni is a makeup artist who learned everything she knows about beauty off YouTube.
Umutoni’s aesthetic as a makeup artist is a perfect eyebrow, cheekbones and plumped lips.
“Makeup to me is like art. Working on people’s faces is like playing around with colours and accentuating their beautiful features,” she says. Her creative genius has been tapped by everyone from Sylvia Owori, Her Royal Highness the Nabagereka, Malaika Nnyanzi, Sheebah, Anne Kansiime to Lillian Mbabazi and many more.
Just last week she was named ‘Makeup Artist of the year’ at the Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards.
Anita Beryl
Anita Beryl Ahikiriza is a Ugandan fashion designer and entrepreneur. She was born on January 11, 1986 to Reverend and Ms. Ahabwe of Bushenyi District. She attended Bweranyangyi Girls for her O and A-Level studies before joining Uganda Christian University Mukono to pursue a Bachelors of Arts degree in Education. She later joined Uber Glam in Johannesburg for her first professional training in fashion. She upgraded at the French Fashion University, ESMOD in Dubai.
Anita Beryl Ahikiriza is a Ugandan fashion designer and entrepreneur.
Her fashion brand Beryl Qouture opened shop in 2011 after she had completed school. Her first offering was bridal but she later expanded to do ready-to-wear, haute couture and men’s wear. Just this year, she has outfitted everyone from Malaika Nnyanzi, Judith Heard to Flavia Tumusiime and many more.
This year, her designs have been showcased in Malaysia at World Fashion Week and in Spain at Africa Fashion Week Barcelona. She was nominated for a Young Achievers Awards in the arts and fashion category this year. She also got named Designer of the year at the Uganda Entertainment awards and Pearl of Africa Fashion Awards.
