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uk
Gitas Portal in Hackney for one more week
Photo Credit : Afro Culture
Situated at 99 Morning Lane, close to the Burberry outlet in Hackney, the Hackney Shop is featuring the Modern African Inspired brand "GITAS PORTAL" until Sunday 27th May 2018. The shop is open everyday from 11 to 8pm with unique pieces to boast and a personal shopping experience.
Established in 2011, GITAS PORTAL embodies confidence and sophistication and caters to women from all walks of life. In keeping with its social responsibility promise, Gitas Portal garments are produced locally to ensure that the working conditions and quality can regularly be monitored.
Gitas Portal's boutique is currently based in Deptford Bridge. Known for its clever use of beautiful Ankara /African wax prints and vibrant colors, reflected in their tagline "Be Bold, Win, Wear Colour", Gitas Portal create pieces that transition well from casual day wear to event wear and has secured a clientele all over London and further afield.
By choosing Hackney as a location for their pop-up store, Mariatu, the brand owner, aimed to come a little closer to their East London customers and to give the brand more exposure. The response has been amazing, her designs and Summer dresses displayed in the shop window have attracted many residents passing by on foot or by car, such as a local dad of a 14 and 16 year old teenage girls who came in to search for sophisticated African attires with a view to encourage his two princesses to embrace their African culture.
In addition, Gitas Portal fans and brand ambassadors, such as Sarah Eckert, close to have practically purchased every single piece of Gitas Portal collections, have been coming in to support and purchase their new Summer pieces:
- The Lauren, in tropical colors, Green Ankara print ( a sell out last year) and a beautiful Red and Black vintage
- The Kelai, in Burgundy and Grey, Pink and Turquoise
- The Lady Seray in bold flower prints, Orange and Blue, earth tones and freedom print
Mariatu talks of these dresses as if they were her babies and she does admit to it jokingly.... "these dresses are named after the daughters I would have had...." - a bold statement as Mariatu is a mother of 5. Traditional names from Sierra Leone, her country of origin, inspire her too.
Summer dresses' prices range from £65 to £100 so you know what to do next .....get your unique piece from Gitas Portal before the sell out!!!
What's next for Gitas Portal?
Gitas Portal is always on the lookout for pop-up stores locations to meet new customers so feel free to get in touch if you have any suggestions!!!! Gitas Portal will also be travelling this Summer!! Another conquest of the US Market, after Atlanta, it will be New Orleans and New York...
I will be wearing myself their Summer Bomber in the next coming days..... Watch this space!!!
For more 2018 Afro Culture News, www.afroculture.co.uk and check us on Social Media Afro Culture 2018
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Why is this Royal Wedding such a game changer?
Photo credit The Independent
From the get go, it was a delight to hear that Harry was dating a beautiful young lady who happened to be an accomplished actress. We all remember these two fair headed boys left motherless after the loss they suffered when Princess Diana passed away on the 31st August 1997. Any mother could only wish that they would both be comforted one day by finding true love.
However, what then became quite central to the story was the fact that this beautiful lady was of mixed parentage (Caucasian dad and Afro American mother). To those in doubt as Meghan is very fair and has long straight hair, a quick search on the internet would bring up pictures of Meghan’s mother who is undoubtedly black in every possible way. The question then became: Would Meghan ever be able to marry into the British Royal family knowing that she was from African descent?
As Harry and Meghan’s story unfolded and the proposal took place…. It looked that after all, in addition to welcoming a commoner in the Royal family in the person of Catherine Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge and the spouse of Prince William on 29th April 2011, the British Monarchy would once again break convention.
And it was quite understandable, Meghan is a stunningly beautiful and graceful woman. Harry and her seemed madly in love and totally compatible. Somehow, Meghan would fit in….
Now, today was another story… and this Royal Wedding surely was like no other…
What was phenomenal in what we all witnessed is how much Meghan Markle assumed her blackness and became a black symbol; hence, the representation of both English and Afro-American cultures displayed through the preaching and the music repertoire.
In St George's Chapel, at the heart of Windsor Castle and within the sanctuary of the British Monarchy, the oldest establishment of the United Kingdom, Whites and Blacks were both actors and witnesses of the coming together of two worlds. For lack of words, the wedding was described as modern and this was justified in saying that monarchy has a duty to be a link between the past and the present.
Modern!! What an understatement…
This wedding was nothing short of a political statement ……and a radical take on what the world should be like!!
After slavery resurfaced its ugly head in the news last year, The Trump era and his contempt towards Africa and Africans, The Rise of Far Right groups in Europe, The windrush scandal…… how refreshing to witness the respectful and celebrated joining of two worlds…
We take our hat off to Harry but we also acknowledge the endorsement of the Royal family….
Time will tell the impact that this union can have ….. but one thing is absolutely sure…. From today on, any little mixed-raced or black girls, anywhere in Europe and beyond, that will be judged by her looks or insulted because of her ethnicity… to those they will proudly say: Harry married Meghan and she is beautiful…..
Black Representation at the Royal Wedding
Reverend Bishop Michael Curry
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/rev-michael-currys-royal-wedding-speech-in-full-the-episcopal-church-reverends-complete-transcript-a3843486.html
Rose Hudson Wilkin - First black female Chaplain to the Queen
Sheku Kanneh Mason
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/royal-wedding-cellist-sheku-nottingham-1586559
Photo Credit: Nigeria Daily News
