Kelis is actually and fan, and has been spied wearing the brand’s dresses and skirts for recent performances and appearances:
What do you think?

See more of the collection at www.jewelbylisa.com.ng.

LINK LOVE:Designer Spotlight: Jewel by Lisa

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Today I wanted to introduce you to a new Brooklyn based line called naKIMuli:

naKIMuli, which is Ugandan for flower, is a line of African inspired ready to wear pieces by Tennille Nakimuli McMillan.

Her most recent collection called, “Lock U Up In Luv For Days,” was inspired by summer love in Brooklyn.

She explains, “I wanted to capture the feeling of a spring fling; of meeting that special someone in Fort Greene Park and spending the spring days and evenings with him. Getting to know him. Enjoying the weather. And wearing outfits that would make you feel young and fun and flirty.”
While I love all the print dresses, my favorite from the collection would have to be this black asymetrical number with a thick braided strap:

It’s different, it’s funky, and super hot!
See more naKIMuli wares at www.nakimuli.com and shop at www.shop.nakimuli.com. Also check out the brand’s blog here, and their facebook group here.
What do you think?

LINK LOVE:New Designer Spotlight: naKIMuli

Last week we bashed Amnau Eele [photo'd center],  director of Black Artists Association,  for making comments against our first lady’s fashion choices on inauguration day. Rumors have begun to circulate that WWD’s reporting on Amnau’s comments were GREATLY FABRICATED (aka they were one big fat lie).

Basically, Amnau’s emails to WWD didn’t contain any mention of Kumbaya, “Our Moment”, or any of the vicious attacks the former model made about Michelle Obama’s freedom to choose. According to one of our adamant commenters (who compared Amnau bashing to a “lynching”) Amnau is claiming the story is false.

So did some press hungry WWD staffer make-up the story? My guess is no.

Of course the other possibility is that Amnau is just freaking now that members of her association are backing out and she’s received a couple death threats. Is she just realizing that she over stepped her boundaries by trying to speak for black designers (her organization only represents black artists)

My guess is that this former spotlight grabber is desperate to not fade away with a legacy that includes becoming America’s number one reason to hate again.

WWD was not available for comments on this matter.

MORE ON THE SUBJECT

Here is the comment from Janice Webb on Fashion Indie

In the 50’s a white woman would say a black man looked at her and white men would rush to lynch the black man with no proof. I found out today that a white woman at wwd said a black woman said we are the world, kumbaya and it’s our moment, and the world including black people rushed to lynch this black woman named Amnau Eele with no proof. I found out today on the radio that in tomorrow’s Washington, D. C. newspaper, the paper is going to show the e-mail interviews that Amnau Eele did with WWD and guess what? Amnau Eele never said one quote that was printed in the WWD article. not one. All of those Quotes belonged to the WWD writer. This is going to be huge.

Here are some responses from the industry on the issue.

- African American Designer B Michael

“I personally believe it is an unfair expectation to place on the first lady,” he said. “Fashion is subjective and a matter of personal choice.”

- Bethann Hardison (Tyson Beckford’s agent)

“The comment is inappropriate. You don’t wear a designer because they are just black; you wear them because they are great.”

- Karyn D. Collins of Asbury Park Press

“I think we start getting into some dangerous territory when we start expecting someone to look, act, speak, etc. a certain way just because they’re black. I think it does a disservice to the designers in question for suggesting that their work should have been selected because they’re black. I’m sure B Michael, Kevan Hall, Mychael Knight, Tracy Reese, Stephen Burrows and any other black designer would be the first to say they would want their design to be worn because the first lady liked the design, period.”

One day into office and Michelle Obama is already pissing off “her people”. Yeah, I quoted it cause apparently if you’re black there is some race-driven unspoken code of style that requires you to support black designers. Really, is this how it’s going to be folks?

Amnau Eele of the Black Artists Association had this to say about Michelle Obama’s dress choices.

“It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too? It’s one thing to look at the world without color but she had seven slots to wear designer clothes. Why wasn’t she wearing the clothes of a black designer? That was our moment.”

OUR MOMENT!!! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?

That was OUR MOMENT as in everyone who voted for Obama, which last time I checked was a combined effort of whites, blacks, asians, hispanicals and a hundred other races who aren’t raising a stink cause Michelle Obama hasn’t endorsed their race in some way or another. Just cause she was born black doesn’t mean she’s “yours” you racist bitch. Realize that if these statements were made about a white First Lady on not wearing white designers it would be considered racism, pure and simple.

Get over yourself pronto and stop making black people look so desperate. We’re attempting to move into a USA where race isn’t the most important issue, in which we consider more important things like foreign policy, the environment, or our nations growing stupidity.

This makes me think of an old proverb I heard from a friend of mine about a certain type of people, but in all honesty it can be used to describe those who have Eele’s mentality.

It goes to describe people like Eele as a jar full of grasshoppers.

If you fill up a cup with them and watch them crawl their way to the top, you will notice that no matter how hard they try, they will never leave the glass. It isn’t cause they can’t jump out on their own, it’s cause everytime one of them attempts to jump another grasshopper is behind them biting their legs and dragging them back to the bottom. Then that grasshopper attempts to jump and is dragged down once again in a vicious cycle that usually ends with every grasshopper dead.

This is the type of world you are supporting Amnau. One in which no matter how close one of “your people” (as you like to consider them) come to standing up and being something more, you are ready and willing to bite them in the ankle.

Get over yourself and quit looking for sound bites in the news. Your making all of “your people” look bad.

LINKAGE: Black Designers Disappointed Over First Ladies Fashion Choices