ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES AFRICAN FACE

Zambian President Rupiah Banda has congratulated Zambian model Lukundo Nalungwe for winning the M-NET Face of Africa in Lagos, Nigeria.
In a statement issued by special assistant to the President for Press and public relations, Dickson Jere last night, Mr Banda said Ms Nalungwe's achievement had brought pride to Zambia and proved that anything was possible as long as it was backed with hard work and commitment.
"I would like to congratulate you for this wonderful achievement which has come as a result of your hard work.
"I am personally proud of you and I believe that many Zambians will join me in wishing you much more success as you represent Africa," the president said in a letter to the 22-year-old Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies student.
He advised Ms Nalungwe not to fall into the trap that had seen previous winners in different fields ruin their lives and urged her to learn from the mistakes of others.
The president said for Ms Nalungwe to have emerged winner from an initial field of 400 contestants that was trimmed to 10 was indicative of a rare kind of self belief that should be emulated by all Zambians who wished to succeed on the international scene.
President Banda will host a luncheon for Ms Nalungwe on a date to be announced.

THE MANY FACES OF LUKANDO

With Lukando now jetting off to New York with M-Net to participate in New York Fashion Week, courtesy of Arise magazine, attention will now move to how she fares in the Big Apple, and over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile here are the many different faces of the Zambia winner of 2010’s Mnet Face Of Africa.

THE GLAMOUR AT THE MNET FINALS

On Saturday February 6, in a stylish haute couture showcase 22-year-old Lukando Nalungwe from Zambia joined an exclusive group of winners when she was named the eighth and newest M-Net Face of Africa. The striking model scooped USD 50 000 from M-Net along with a modeling contract from O Model Africa and skincare products for 12 months from Iman Cosmetics.

Re-invention and innovation are hot buzzwords for the global fashion community and in a two-hour show, screened live from Lagos to 47 countries across Africa, M-Net presented a bold new vision for the Face of Africa Final opting for an edgier version of a traditional runway show and presenting the models on a black, floor-based runway in a contemporary warehouse.
With the Final themed to resemble the loading warehouse of an art museum, where precious gallery pieces are prepared for display, the staging included massive cargo boxes stamped with African destinations with extra-ordinary sized gold frames that showcased the fashion and the finalists; and packaging tape demarcating the runway from the show’s seated guests, it was a uniquely fresh approach to showcasing Afro-chic expression.
Hosted by Studio 53’s Fareed Khimani (Kenya) and former Face of Africa Kaone Kario (Botswana) with a guest appearance by last season’s Face of Africa Kate Menson (Ghana), the finale included entertainment from Nigerian superstar D’banj belting out his hits Suddenly and Fall in Love.
Meanwhile soulful South African songstress Lira, shimmering in green silk, showed why she’s one of Africa’s rising stars with two brilliant performances of her hits Feel Good and Believer!
But the night belonged to the TOP 10 – and from the minute that Nigeria’s Marvis kicked off the show, followed in rapid success by Tholakele (Zimbabwe), Lilian (Tanzania), Esperanca (Angola), Thembi (South Africa), Blessing (Nigeria), Rosanna (Zimbabwe), Diana (Kenya), Ernania (Mozambique) and Lukando (Zambia), it was very clear just who the stars of the show really were.
Showing how much they’ve learnt during the Face of Africa search, which DStv audiences have been following for 15 weeks, the Face of Africa TOP 10 hit the catwalk with confidence, graceful as they strode down the catwalk resplendent in garments designed by the best of African designers.
Commenting on the event, M-Net MD Biola Alabi congratulated Lukando on her win saying,
“It’s an incredible thing to watch someone’s life literally change in front of your eyes and when it happens live in front of a continent, it is remarkable and a very special moment. We are very proud of Lukando and all of the TOP 10 for their determination and focus and want to thank them for sharing this journey so openly.”

FACE OF AFRICA HEADS TO TZ FOR SWAHILI FASHION WEEK

Kenyan Face of Africa representatives Diana Nekoye, are taking part in castings for the Swahili Fashion Week to be held in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
“The Swahili Fashion Week is a popular event known to the world as the East African Fashion Week. To add to the drama, tension between the models is rising ahead of the naming of the top 10 finalists who will participate in the final and a misunderstanding lands one of the finalists in bandages,” said M-Net in a statement.
In this week’s episode, viewers will get to see what goes on behind the scenes at a fashion show casting as the models are put through their paces by busy designers intent on showing off their clothing to potential buyers by using only the best models. It remains to be seen if the two Zimbabwean models will make it.
“Just three Face of Africa models make it into the Khadija Mwanamboka show while illness keeps one away from a casting with Kemi Kalikawe who chooses all the remaining 11 Face of Africa models for her show,” added M-Net.
“Then, there’s the dramatic moment for one disappointed model who’s left out of the show for David Tlale who chooses all the other Face of Africa models for his show, except her,” read the statement.
With clear favourites emerging with the designers at Swahili Fashion Week as the same models are chosen again and again for prominent spots in prestigious runway shows, the onus is on the top 12 models to fight for the only 10 spots available.
The winner of M-Net Face of Africa 2010 is guaranteed to walk away from the final in Lagos on 6 February with a modelling contract from O Model Africa, US$50 000 in cash from M-Net, skincare products for 12 months from Iman Cosmetics and a trip to New York, courtesy of Arise magazine, to participate in New York Fashion Week. It’s the ultimate career kick-start for any young model.

MNET FACE OF AFRICA

Redds in partnership with Mnet Face of Africa toured Bombolulu Workshop and Cultural Centre as part of the brand’s Corporate Social Responsibility excise where they replaced the existing equipment for the textile & fashion department – hand-screen printing section hence improving the production efficiency. Redds replaced the exposure box, the water compressor, tables for pattern cutting and the racks for storage of the patterns.
Redds has been actively developing the fashion industry in Kenya and across Africa. For the past 5 years, they have been discovering and nurturing young upcoming designers in the fashion industry through its Pan African Redds African Fashion Design Awards (RAFDA) which has given opportunities to several upcoming designers.
Speaking during the presentation event, Sheila Harrison-Changangu, Redds Marketing Manager said, “Our contribution to the Bombolulu workshop is in line with Redds objectives to exploit opportunities and build the Kenyan fashion industry capability. The workshop is known for its tailor-made range of textile products and with the boost of equipment they should be able to increase production and their variety of offering,” said Sheila.


Redds a main sponsor of this year’s Face of Africa (FOA). The team spent the day with some of the FOA finalists who were in the country for a two week grueling boot camp in Mombasa. The contestants started the day with an exotic shoot at Fort Jesus, following which they accompanied the Redds team to Bombolulu Cultural Centre for the tour and donation. In the evening Redds hosted them to a glamorous party at in Mombasa.