Anniversary

I recently celebrated three years in business with Posh Africana. I’m so thankful to God for the vision, and to my family, friends and kind strangers who have supported me by attending my events, buying from me and engaging with my content. Thank you all so so much!

If I could go back and give myself advice, I’d tell myself that there’s no shame in starting small, a business that sells only one product consistently and serves their customers well is a successful business. And also, trust yourself. While you can and should seek advice from people you trust, look within yourself and to God first and above all. He gave you the vision and the courage to pursue it. The fact you continue to take concrete steps toward building that thing that currently only lives in your mind means that you know more about business than most of the people that you’re asking. Just go do it sis and when it gets hard, take a brief rest but don’t give up!

Top - Zara

Skirt - shop it here via Posh Africana

Shoes - Alexander Vauthier

Glasses - Gucci

Seasons Change

There is a time for everything…and according to the calendar we are firmly in pumpkin spice latte season and the summer babies will just have to accept that, lol. Usually I hate the transition from summer to fall because I love summer so much that I wish it could last forever. This time though, I am in a frame of mind where I am emphasizing enjoying every moment of life to the fullest and that has helped me see the beauty in the change in seasons.

With that said, I brought in my 40th year as a ginger and so I’ve decided that green is my color this season! In true fall fashion I layered this green dress under this gorgeous “butterfly bubu,” added some statement jewelry and let the color and prints do the work. I hope you love it as much as I do. Please share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for stopping by.

Dress: Amazon

Jewely: Available at the poshup

Bubu/Robe: Available at the poshup

Shoes: (old) Asos (see their current mule selection)

What is “African Print”

Honestly, your guess is as good as mine, but in the context that Americans commonly use it, “African Print” refers to machine made wax print fabrics that were initially manufactured by Dutch colonialists. Sometimes referred to as “Ankara,” “cotton” or “kitenge,” these bold, multicolored fabrics often feature striking designs and bright colors and they are manufactured by machines (see example here), although the process for making them was derived from traditional resist hand-dyeing techniques from Indonesia.

Companies such a Vlisco became rich and famous for their ability to adapt African design inspirations from art, symbolic language, architecture and fabric made on the continent and mass manufacture wax print fabrics featuring these inspirations in order to be attractive to African consumers, at a cheaper cost than the hand designed, dyed or woven fabrics that are native to the continent (see example of hand-designed, hand dyed fabric by African artisans here).

People all over the world, myself included, love these machine-made “African Print,” fabrics, but one thing that I resent about their popularity is that many people are unaware of existence of and greatness of the many different types of fabrics that are actually native to the African continent.

One common myth, is that the process of batik is native only to Indonesia, but the batik process or ‘tie dye’ is an ancient art form in Africa beginning with indigo and other natural dyes and progressing to the wide array of colors that are commonly applied to hand-dyed fabrics across Africa today. Any West African country that you visit today has particular tie dye and woven fabrics that they are locally famous for; like country cloth and garra in Sierra Leone, Brillion in Guinea, Kente in Ghana and Adire and Aso Oke in Nigeria, to name a few. Thankfully, there are many African designers who are currently exploring innovative ways to use these age old artistic customs in new and exciting fashion designs. In fact, one reason that I started Posh Africana is that I found the discovery of such culturally relevant designs so exciting, that I wanted to share my love of African art and fashion with as many people as I could. Feel free to check out some of these designers here. The set that I’m wearing in these pictures is a satin form of Ankara that’s still heavy on the print, but light, fun and breezy enough for your summer events.

Shirt available here

Shorts available here

Shoes by egoofficial, old but similar here

Bag by Zashadu, old but check the brand out here

Sunnies, Chloe

Thanks for reading, xo

Munje

Are you a designer now?

When people first learn about poshafricana.com I get questions like, did you design that or are you a designer now? And the answer is sometime, lol. Posh Africana is an online space for you to experience and purchase fashion items from a few of the amazing West African fashion brands that I have come to know and love.

When I started this website, I wasn’t creating anything, I was simply a buyer and reseller of statement pieces from great brands. In order to meet the desires of my print loving customers I started creating a few designs of my own here and there. On my Instagram (@poshafricana) I recently shared a short video of the process from concept to complete product of creating my latest statement piece, The Squiggle Kimono, now available for purchase here and here

Work to slay

A wise lawyer friend of mine, Chantal Sotinwa, once told me that she didn’t need anymore everyday pieces in her wardrobe! Speaking of friends, I’ve been thinking of doing a short video series where I interview friends of mine (15 minutes or less per interview) about their life and style. Tell me in the comments if that’s something you would be interested in seeing. Anyway, Chantal said “If it’s not standout or statement additions I don’t need it,” That statement was profound to me and though she said it years ago I keep it in mind when shopping to this very day.

I love the brand @gozelgreen for the way they add eye-catching detail to their pieces. With a few changes in my style choices, I took the “pinch” skirt from work to slay and this piece is the perfect addition to your wardrobe if you love pieces that can be restyled for work, dates, church and any other occasion where great style is key!

Look 1:

Shirt @zara

Corset vest @christiebrowngh

Skirt @gozelgreen available here

Shoes @louboutinworld

Look 2

Green sweater, super old but still good @lizclaiborne from @belk

Blue sweater, old @hm

Shoes, old @guess

A new day

Hello! How are you? I hope everything is well with you and your loved ones as the world seems to be so overwhelming lately. I pulled out these oldie but goodie candy striped pants by TNL that I bought several years ago, and styled them in a new way with this fun “Butterfly Bubu” which is now available at The Posh Up.

An interesting print mix serves as instant mood improvement for me, but this outfit also got me thinking about creativity. Creativity often involves the pursuit of something new, but there are infinite ways to take old things and make them new again. While it’s perfectly fine to look for something new in the creative process, starting with what you already have an reimagining it in a new way can also lead to a stroke of genius :). Thank you for reading and continue to take care. XO- Munje

An answered prayer

Have you ever prayed for something only to realize that God has already answered the prayer? A couple of weeks ago while I was planning and preparing for The Posh Up, I asked God to “send me my people.” I started blogging because I saw so many amazing brands based in West Africa that were producing stand out pieces and I thought that more people needed to see the beauty that I saw. I decided to start the Posh Up because I wanted to make these very pieces more accessible to the girls that loved the fashion coming from West Africa. With that said, my biggest challenge now is to find the girls like me, who will absolutely love what The Posh Up has to offer.

After having such an amazing experience with my pop up at Nubian Hueman, I realize that God has already answered my prayer in the form of Anika Hobbs, owner of @nubianhueman and her team. Nubian Human is more than a store, Anika has truly built a resource and network for black business owners, especially for those like me who believe in the importance and power of connecting Africa and it’s diaspora through the arts. She has been a lifeline for my business from the very start, as I made my first distribution orders to her and the Mocada Museum in New York after importing my very first products from Heel the World in Ghana, and an answered prayer because I am continually asking God to help me find my people along this journey. A million thanks Anika and it was so great to meet you Sola! ❤️

Wearing the “Yeniva Dress” from my latest collaboration with Unknown Brand NG, the Gaaye Collection. Shop the dress here.

40 Days

---

Monday, August 16, 2021 marked the 40th day since my father passed. Im still processing this sad reality. We had a really sweet and long talk on father’s day (June 20, 2021) and everything seemed fine with him. I have never known my dad to be sick, other than a bad back that he developed from work. But a little over a week after that Father’s Day call he was too ill to hold a conversation with me and on July 7, 2021 he was gone.

My father had an amazing personality. He was magnetic. He loved to laugh, make jokes and was usually in good spirits. He was an incredible listener, very observant and I could always count on him for good advice. He loved to dress well, smell good and took great pride in his appearance. Best of all, he was so confident, it was like he had enough confidence for himself and some left over and he was always instilling confidence in those around him. There was no way that you could spend time with him and not end up feeling better about yourself. And I believe that this was the reason why people were always drawn to him, because he lifted people up, made them feel more important, more capable and generally made them feel better about themselves. If good energy was a person, it would be my dad.

I’m still in the part of grief where the memories are painful, even the good ones, because I just wasn’t prepared for the loss. But I have one memory that I’ve reflected on a lot is that of my dad taking me to a Holocaust memorial park in LA that was a popular place for skateboarding because of the paved hills. The first time I went there, he took my skates because I loved skating as a kid and when I saw the hills I was too afraid to go down them because I thought I would fall and skin my knees. I can still hear him now “come on Munje! You can do it Munje!” He kept talking me back to that park every summer that I would go visit him, until I was a teenager and no longer interested in skating, but I remember how much smaller those hills looked on subsequent visits. So many challenges that we are afraid to face in life are just a matter of perspective and support. Looking back, those hills were nothing at all. Even in the time that I was terrified of them, with Daddy’s encouragement, I took them on and never fell. Probably because he gave me confidence a) that I could do it successfully and b) that even if it looked like I would fall he was there to catch me.

Losing my Dad, means losing a big protective force in my life but I thank God for the lessons. I have the responsibility and obligation to be the encouraging and protective force for others around me and I will trust God that even though my Dad is no longer here with me, that God will always send my helpers wherever I may need them. I need not fear the hills, I can still overcome. I’m trusting that this memory is a reminder not to fear the challenges ahead of me and I hope that you find the strength and courage to take your challenges head on as well. There has been too much pain and difficulty in the past year, let us all find it within ourselves to be the encouragement for someone around us and trust that we too will find encouragement whenever we need it along the way.

-Written in the most loving memory of my dad, who will forever remain in my heart, mind and prayers until we meet again, (and happy birthday Daddy) love Munje.

The Posh up Returns

On Saturday August 14, 2021, from 1-4 pm I will be hosting my third pop up shopping experience, “The Posh Up,” at Nubian Hueman in Baltimore, Maryland. I hosted my first pop up in November 2019 at Dream Village, another beautiful, black woman-owned, afro-centric space in Hyattsville, Maryland. While I was pregnant with my second child, I literally decided that I was tired of waiting until I had “enough” money, or followers or influence to pursue my vision of bringing a boutique fashion experience exclusively featuring fashion made in Africa. I was knowledgeable about style, trends, the brands and their capacity for bringing value to the US market and I was just sick of waiting till the circumstances were right. I started planning in March of 2019 and I received all of my inventory by October 2019. I had my first pop up in November and my second in January and then came COVID, lol.

COVID forced me to set up shop online, and that was never my business concept, but I believe now that online retail is key to my success and longevity in this venture. Regardless, I’m just happy and blessed to have remained in business despite COVID and to be experiencing my fashion people in person again soon. So below I’ve dropped a little catalogue of pictures of fashion gems that I have offered, or am currently offering for retail to remind myself of all that I’ve accomplished thus far and hopefully to inspire you to join me along this journey. I hope to see you on Saturday August 14, 2021, from 1-4 pm at 211 W Read St in Baltimore, MD (The Nubian Hueman Store).

Take your time

After enduring the difficult loss of a loved one “take your time,” is a common piece of advice that I have gotten. It is valid, because you need time and stillness to process what has happened and the effect that it will have on your life. But in the same vein, nothing makes you more aware of how little time you have in life than losing someone that you love. You really feel the urgency in living and doing the things that you feel are important and loving people while they are alive to see it.

What is something that you feel that you just have to do before you leave this earth? What would you say your purpose is? I’ll admit that I’m still searching for answers to those questions, but I think that the most important thing that I can do while I’m here is to love.