GEMS

Peta, who was on her way to get some ladies a drink, stopped me in the student compound and asked if I would be interested in helping her and Nicole, in doing a photo shoot that afternoon. I was so excited! I had been dreaming of capturing the beauty and fashion of the African culture. The girls had heard I was a photographer and they had everything sorted but a good camera for the day. They were talented stylists, creatives and even great at hair and make-up. They, themselves would have even taken great photos! But I was so flattered and honoured that they ask me to help!

The models, our friends, had never had a shoot like this before. The boys not only wore the clothes but were tailors and made them! The main designer, Duke, was very passionate and had a lot of style. He was inspiring, despite being born into a country that was a victim of civil war and poverty, he had taught himself skills and had started a great business.

The lovely princess, Amina, wore clothes made from Iris arts. This is a program where the widows and single mums are taught how to sew, make jewellery and given skills and employment! Amina’s story is also so beautiful you could film a movie on it…. but I will share more about that in a later post.

The opportunity in a whole was to give our friends a chance to dream bigger than their village and to have the courage to build their brand and label! Work is hard to find here, the unemployment rate is very high and these guys have shown so much initiative. There is a lot of creative talent here in Pemba, and I’m so glad we can show off these hidden gems to you all!