Accessories that stole the show at AFI

LAST weekend, at the two-day event hosted at Sandton City’s Diamond Walk, fashion enthusiasts experienced a pan-African fashion outing featuring the continent’s top designers.

The CEO of African Fashion International Dr Precious Motsepe started off by sharing her journey as AFI celebrated its 15th anniversary.

The documentary showed how far the organisation had come since its inception in 2007.

After that, the designers quickly got to the business of the day, which was to showcase African fashion. From all the exquisite garments showcased, we could not help but notice the striking accessories some designers brought to the runway, and these were our favourites.

The sunglasses

Imprint is known not only for its daring designs, but bold accessories as well. This season, Mzukisi Mbane, the founder of the brand, brought red, green and orange sunglasses to the runway to match all the looks he presented.

The hats

Sisters of Afrika lived up to its name by presenting a collection that spoke to African women. Their headpieces stood out, from the fascinators to the geles (a head-tie worn by women from the western and southern parts of Africa).

And for the gents, Suitability went big on the Panama and Western hats, adding more flair to the dapper looks.

The bags

Eric Raisina’s bags were some of our favourites because they came in different shapes and styles.

Gvllnt also proved that gents who carry big bags have swag.

Masa Mara opted to use calabash as handbags, showing us that fashion has no boundaries – it’s all about working with what you have in the most creative way possible.

The neckpieces and earrings Indoni Fashion House took the cup with its stunning necklaces. Kwenzi Nkomo, the founder of the brand, took old soft drink cans and recycled them to make striking neckpieces and used some to detail her designs.

STAR-shaped earring by Imprint ZA.

GELE by Sisters of Afrika.