Celebrities in dress revolution
For public figures, dressing goes beyond the basic objective of covering one’s modesty.
The world over, celebrities have dressing in delivering statements, shaping narratives and even influencing opinion and preferences. At times, the designs that famous personalities sport have left people amazed.
Here at home, a number of artists appear to have set out on a dress revolution. Artists such as Piksy, Charisma, Dan Lu, Wikise and socialite Dorothy ‘Cash Madam’ Shonga, among others, have left tongues wagging with their dressing during events or in their video productions.
The baggy and oversized outfits, the hugely heeled shoes and the outrageous designs such as the one with chicken wings hanging on a T-shirt that contemporary artist Wikise recently wore, have become a common feature.
In random interviews with The Nation yesterday, the artists said the idea is for them to look different. Rapper Charisma said he always wants to be a centre of attraction when making public appearances.
“Dressing means everything. It defines the person you are. I do not want to look ordinary. I always want to look different because I don’t want to end up in an attire like that of some of my fans,” he said.
Charisma said he has three designers, Ranks, Christian Entwan and Jay Designer.
Wikise said he always has an idea of how he wants to look like for a particular indulgence. He says at the end of the day all he wants is to look unique.
He said: “First I develop a concept on how I want my outfit to be done. I then approach a tailor with strict instructions on what I want. Dressing is like gold. It means everything.”
On his part urban music hotshot Piksy said: “I am very fascinated with fashion. I always want to look different. We are entertainers and when people see us they need to see and artist. So, I am always looking for different fashions and choose that can fit my brand.”
The man behind Jay Designer, James Makwinja, has a long list of clients, including Kell Kay, Saint, Piksy, Hyphen, Eli Njuchi, Sean Morgan, Faith Mussa, Driemo and Chizmo Njuchi, among others.
He said normally when artists approach him they demand something of different quality.
Makwinja said dressing is crucial for celebrities since it does not look good for them to show up in an attire similar to their friend.
“What I do is different because I play with the original clothes to bring a different outlook. In some cases I do not have to do a lot of changes, but I just focus on how they match according to their colours,” he said.
