Fly

Design: Jeanine Hays

Throughout the month of June Fly will be highlighting amazing ladies doing fly things in media, fashion, art and design. We finish out the month with this last fly lady feature.

Who: Jeanine Hays of lifestyle brand AphroChic.

Why you'll love her AphroChic collection for your home:
AphroChic is a wonderful collection of classic pieces with a lot of character and punch. Wallpaper, pillows, and table-top accessories feature graphic prints and watercolor illustrations that will add whimsy and color to any space. Jeanine's eye for impactful simplicity and use of high quality materials (like silks and Belgian linens) all make AphroChic a stand out brand.

A question for Jeanine.

What would be a dream project for you with AphroChic?
Right now, my biggest dream project is to begin offering AphroChic design services. I want to take the company's motto of "Modern.Soulful.Style" and help translate that for people who have a desire to integrate modern design and a personal story in their home. I have had so much fun working on styling our AphroChic photo shoots, and working on design projects will be like that times 10. The idea of building spaces from the ground up and the opportunity to see the AphroChic design aesthetic come together in interiors would be a dream come true.

Link to a fly lady Jeanine feels we should know.
A fly lady I admire is friend Felicia Shelton. Felicia is an amazing photographer and has traveled the world. I love her tenacity, her ability to go almost anywhere and feel at home. She introduced me to Paris and I love her for that.

Onyx Feather Giveaway Update: A big congrats to Elisha (#33) for winning the beautiful necklace. Thanks to all for your wonderful comments!

UNIF + Nasty Gal Style Video

I like seeing brands come together to create something interesting. Christine of clothing brand, UNIF and style blog Christeric, partners up with Nasty Gal to create a fly fashion video. The video shows Christine's styling chops and promotes UNIF now being sold at Nasty Gal.

The trend in video collaborations with bloggers and stylistas is pretty dope. (Did you see the one featuring Jazzi McGilbert for Osenboyle?) I'm curiours to know what you think. Do you like the fashion brands/blogger collabo trend? Does it make you want to learn more about the brands featured? If so what brands would you like to see do video style collaborations with bloggers?

ChristericxNastyGalxUNIF from UNIF on Vimeo.

ASOS Africa

Fashion designer, Jessica Ogden, uses lovely earth-tones and bold prints for her collaboration with ASOS Africa, a fair trade collection. During Michelle Obama's trip to South Africa, she was seen wearing the ASOS AFRICA Printed Sleeveless Oversized Shirt pictured bottom left. See more from the collection here.

Pixel Heart Pixel

Funky fly accessories created by Dee*Dee Fresh for her line, Pixel♥Pixel. Everything is cute!

Looking at Color

Cool tones in this photograph from Gan for Harper's Bazaar. Link via Brandie's Pintrest and  Fashion Gone Rogue.

Head-scarf + Twists

I don't wear hair accessories as often as I would like, but when I found this old silk scarf I had to figure out how to incorporate it's cuteness into one of my favorite hairstyles. So this weekend I wore it with my pinned up-do.

The Pairabirds Yearbook Series

Fun digital illustrations from Tabitha Bianca Brown's yearbook series. See more from her illustration studio, The Pairabirds, here.

Link of the Day

Congratulations to artist Chris Ofili for being selected to design posters for the 2012 Olympics.

Lemlem Process

I always appreciate seeing behind-the-scenes photos or pictures sharing the creative process of a project. Here are some photos showcasing the weaving process that goes into creating the beautiful textiles for Liya Kebede's clothing and accessories brand Lemlem.

New Thief & Bandit

Great graphic pieces for summer from Thief & Bandit. Those pink and gray leggings are too cute and I love the turban headbands. See more from the brand here (definitely check out the colorful necklaces and bracelets all of which are on my wishlist).

Media: Christiana Mbakwe

Throughout the month of June Fly will be highlighting amazing ladies doing fly things in media, fashion, art and design.

Who: Christiana Mbakwe of Christiana Rants.

Why Christiana is a fly lady in media to watch:
With her blog, Christiana Rants, Christiana keeps us informed and inspired with posts and video messages tackling issues young women face in relationships, with life goals, and self-esteem. We love that she moves with ease between serious topics (like building confidence or evaluating friendships) to conversations about fun and fabulousness, like fashion advice and shopping.

Beyond the blog, Christiana launched The Tip, an e-zine dedicated to fashion, beauty and life skills for the transcultural woman.

She's working hard to share her positive messages on various platforms and we'll keep watching as she continues to share her light.

A question for Christiana.

You've done tons of videos on Christiana Rants, do you have a favorite? If so tell us what makes that one your favorite.
My favourite video is probably "The Friendship Detox." When I put that video on my Facebook page, it pretty much pushed my blog to another level and opened Christiana Rants up to a whole new audience. Previously my demographic was female university students based in the UK, a corollary of the fact I was a female university student based in the UK! However after that video, I gained a lot more American readers, women of different ages and more interestingly, male voices joined the Christiana Rants community.

It's also my favourite, because it's a principle I live by. I'm careful who I allow in my inner circle. I want the best people for me in my life. That way I can serve other people better. We have to be careful to cultivate a life where we fill it with good energy and good people. It's not about fraternising or linking oneself to people who don't care about us or seek our downfall. I think the detox is a good way of ascertaining who is for you and who is against you. And when you discover the truth you then take steps to ensure those who aren't true friends aren't given a disproportionate level of influence in your life.
 
Link to a fly lady Christiana feels we should know.
Can I state, this was really hard to do! I see so many inspirational young females using social media for their benefit and for the benefit of others. However if I had to pick a fly lady, I'd say a blogger named Muireann Campbell of Bangs and a Bun. I have a deep admiration for her passion, relentless work ethic, humour, intelligence and fearlessness. She started running and has started a women's running group called Team Bangs on the Run. They recently did the Paris Half Marathon and raised a lot of money for charity. Nothing but respect for her!

Black Music Month: Lauryn Hill

June is Black Music Month and every Friday this month I have been giving shout outs to fly ladies of hip hop with an illustration. Today is the last of the series and we are celebrating the lovely L Boogie with a video from her Fugees era; a throwback to "Ready or Not." Click on the following to see previous Black Music Month features: Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, and McLyte. Illustration by Andrea Pippins.

Media: Maeling Tapp

Throughout the month of June Fly will be highlighting amazing ladies doing fly things in media, fashion, art and design.

Who: Maeling "Mae" Tapp, founder of NaturalChica.com.

Why Mae is a fly lady in media to watch:
NaturalChica started out as Mae's personal diary documenting her transition from relaxed to natural hair. Since 2009 she's been sharing her natural hair journey in the form of stories, advice and styling video tutorials. Soon after, her site became one of the most important resources for natural hair styling tips and information.

Mae captures audiences with her warm and sparkling personality, and blows us away with her smarts (she's working towards her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering) and many talents (she sings and plays the bass guitar). With NaturalChica, Mae has blossomed into an inspirational and influentional voice for the natural hair community and beyond. All of which definitely makes her a fly lady to watch.

A Question for Mae.

What has been most inspiring about working on NaturalChica.com and creating your videos?
When I started NaturalChica.com and my YouTube channel back in July of 2009, it was initially just an outlet for me to document my transition to natural hair so I could essentially keep track of what was working for me and what wasn't. Since then, I've truly enjoyed watching the site develop as it has grown into an avenue where I am able to interact with naturalistas from all around the world and help encourage and motivate others who are on their own natural hair journeys. What has been inspiring to me is when I receive messages from readers/viewers, who have said that they really appreciate the information I share and that I've affected their life in a positive manner. I truly am humbled from those responses and it motivates me to keep sharing whenever I can!

Link to a fly lady Mae feels we should know.
For those that read my blog, it is no secret that I am a huge fan of Esperanza Spalding for several different reasons! One...she is an extremely talented jazz bassist and vocalist, which was recently recognized when she received the award for "Best New Artist" at the 2011 Grammy Awards. She is a huge motivation for me to continue playing the bass guitar. In addition to being such an inspiring artist, I also admire her for being an established faculty member at the Berklee College of Music at such a young age (she started teaching at age 20!). Ms. Spalding also has quite the fashion sense and you can't forget that fabulous natural hair of hers!

Check out NaturalChica videos here and the NaturalChica FB Fan Page.

Kimberly Sumner for Time Out NY

Kimberly Sumner is so fly! I love her style, and it seems many others do as well. This is the second time I've seen her unique pattern-rich wardrobe highlighted online. This time, Time Out New York shows Kimberly in different looks with curated items that compliment her style. Check out more photos from her Time Out feature here, and see a previous feature here.

Panama Stripe Totes

I adore these graphic raffia totes from Mar Y Sol. See more colors here and here.