If you want to see what’s hot on black Twitter, check out The Chatterati.Akoto Ofori-Atta is the editor of The Grapevine. Like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter.
African fashion and lifestyle magazine Arise brought its annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week event to new heights on Thursday with “African Icons,” a runway show honoring the most celebrated designers from the continent. The show featured designs from Gavin Rajah of South Africa; Tiffany Amber of Nigeria; British-Nigerian Tsemaye Binitie; Maki Oh of Nigeria; and British men’s fashion designer, and tailor to the stars, Ozwald Boateng. On the opening day of New York Fashion Week at the Lincoln Center Theater, these top designers gathered to show off their latest collections. We were there, and it was pretty impressive.
Suggested Reading
Models for Boateng, donning his Spring 2013 line, collect backstage. Fourth from the left is Joshua Kissi from the popular men’s fashion blog Street Etiquette.
Reality TV’s Simmons attends the Arise Spring 2013 fashion show sporting a beaded African-print top.
Nigerian fashion designer Maki Oh poses with one of her designs backstage.
Tassles played prominently in several of Oh’s designs.
Prints and blinding colors were the stars of the Tiffany Amber collection. Folake Folarin-Coker is the line’s creative director.
This Tiffany Amber orange-and-blue maxi dress was a crowd favorite.
Boateng mixed standard European flair with a pinch of African inspiration.
South African designer Gavin Rajah’s collection dazzled with intricate headpieces.
British-Nigerian designer Binitie ended his show and floored the crowd with this exquisite long, red gown.
After wowing the audience with his Spring 2013 menswear collection, Boateng ended the show with a formation of his models, congratulating them as he walked down the runway.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.