By Faith Katunga 

If you were a kid in Malawi in the '90s or '00s, you probably watched a lot of South African media, including movies and TV shows like Generations and Isidingo. The music was out of this world, too; our parents had Lucky Dube's videocassettes and could belt out "I've Got You Babe'' without breaking a sweat. And who could forget the golden era of the late Brenda Fassie? The Vulindlela singer was ahead of her time, and her ascent to stardom was just as unpredictable as her tremendous star power, provocative demeanour, and legendary bad-girl image. 

MaBrrr, as she was affectionately known, ever the daredevil, shattered the norm and made no apologies. Bongani Madondo, author of I'm Not Your Weekend Special: Portraits on the Life+Style & Politics of Brenda Fassie, praised the South African musical powerhouse's unmistakable influence, saying: "with her animated energy, African braided, knee-length shiny plastic boots, sequins galore, the whip-cracking township punk-rock air swirling about her, she gave me and thousands of other black youths an opportunity to see ourselves as we so desired."

A Free-Spirited Black Woman Thriving During the Height of Racial Segregation

Brenda Fassie, born November 3rd, 1964, in the Cape Town township of KwaLanga, South Africa, was known for her innovative looks, which fused traditional African features such as bright colours and prints with modern, avant-garde styles. Another aspect of the singer's style was her penchant for wearing accessories – she frequently accessorised her outfits with chunky, statement pieces of jewellery. 

These finishing touches added a hint of glamour and grandeur to her striking yet rebellious outfits. Moreover, Fassie experimented with various hairstyles, including going fully bald and sporting short, spiky cuts. Fassie's unorthodox haircuts were more than just a fad; they reflected her identity and attitude toward traditional beauty norms. 

Today Brenda Fassie's music and fashion have become powerful symbols of strength, rebellion, and insurrection – inspiring people from all walks of life in Africa. Sibongile Jere, a Malawian who does not work in the fashion industry, admires Fassie because, in her opinion, she empowered African women by promoting pride in their cultures and bodies.

"Brenda Fassie gained fame during a period when African women were expected to dress conservatively, yet she constantly defied this mould and set the trend for what is now generally accepted,” she says. 

Jere, a talent development professional who prefers comfy slacks with flats or sneakers for work, is representative of modern African women in that she rejects the notion that women's clothing must adhere to a specific code of conduct and conservatism, thus tacitly endorsing Fassie's legacy.

"I like to experiment to see what flatters my body and makes me comfortable enough to present the best version of myself, both personally and professionally, "Jere adds.

And while Brenda Fassie was at the top of her game, another woman with immaculate flair had already left her imprint on the fashion industry, paving the way for many others. 

An African Woman with Immense Pride in her Heritage and Features

"Nigeria's first modern fashion designer," Shade Thomas-Fahm, gained notoriety in the 1960s when she rose to fame as a model and fashion designer in an era when Eurocentric beauty standards reigned supreme. Thomas-Fahm, a former president of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at Arise Magazine's Fashion Week in Lagos in 2011, revolutionised the African fashion industry by embracing her brown skin, afro-centric haircuts, and other distinctly African features. 

The designer, born September 22nd, 1933, in Nigeria, also used her platform to highlight the beauty and diversity of African fabrics and craftsmanship. She looked to African textiles for inspiration and then gave her designs a contemporary spin to honour Africa and show that fashion from the continent could hold its own against most cutting-edge international styles. 

Therefore, it is fitting that the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London honoured Shade Thomas-Fahm from July 2nd, 2022, to April 16th, 2023, as part of its Africa Fashion exhibition recognising past and contemporary African designers. Dr.Christine Checinska, the museum's chief curator of African and African Diaspora Fashion, explained in an interview with CNN how Thomas-Fahm's reappraisal of indigenous textiles and silhouettes symbolised the coming of independence for many African nations and women. 

"That moment of independence and liberation constituted this moment of pride in being African, pride in being Black. There was a real galvanization of creativity around the arts, but in particular within fashion. You had wonderful designers like Shade Thomas-Fahm bubbling up during those years," said Checinska. 

Thomas-Fahm did more than just create clothing that defied stereotypes regarding African-inspired styles – she insisted that African fashion is worthy of respect and not a fleeting trend. Furthermore, she stressed the significance of dress as a method of exhibiting one's heritage and individuality. 

Thomas-Fahm combined modern silhouettes with high-quality fabrics to show that African attire is timeless, cementing its place in the international fashion conversation. Her sway also went much beyond Nigeria, her groundbreaking designs altering the course of the fashion business globally and blazing a trail to success on the international stage for other African fashion designers.

While speaking to CNN, Checinska emphasised the significance of recognizing Thomas-Fahm's efforts, adding, "We want to give a platform for iconic designers like Shade Thomas-Fahm. It is important to play a part in ensuring that her contribution to global fashion history is recognized." 

The unrelenting drive of African women to spark a global fashion revolution

African Fashion Weekly's founder and writer, Modupe Oloruntoba, discussed the contributions of African women and singled out two key aspects.

"We facilitate connection, and we build capacity. We do it to earn a living, but also for the sake of enabling more business, enabling healthier business and enabling as much employment as possible. Every African business I've ever heard of that trains disadvantaged women with fashion/accessory production skills is founded or co-founded by a woman."

Oloruntoba also pointed out that women have invented most of the products and services used to bolster the more undeveloped regions of Africa's fashion education. "Most African designers, who become sustainable employers? Women. Several thought leaders in e-commerce, media and more, who are educating the developed markets they work in toward a more global perspective on the fashion industry? African women. We're everywhere, and thank God, because we make a real difference."

Therefore, it is unsurprising that Oloruntoba admires Omoyemi Akerele, the creator of Lagos Fashion Week and Style House Files, who has helped elevate Africa's fashion industry and inspired a new generation of African designers. "Seeing Lisa Folawiyo's collections and the global response to them was the first time I began imagining what else a contemporary global African brand could look like," Oloruntoba adds.

With stores in New York and Nigeria, designer Lisa Folawiyo is a household name thanks to her innovative collections that fuse traditional techniques with cutting-edge fashion. Designers like Folawiyo bring to mind Shade Thomas-Fahm, the pioneer in recognising the significance of African beauty and culture. Similarly, the freedom and drive of modern African designers to be unconstrained by conventional standards mirror the free-spiritedness of the late Brenda Fassie.