Ghanaian Stylist AFRIYAH Talks About Nana Ama McBrown's Fashion Sense And How It Has Evolved Over The Years
- Ghanaian stylist AFRIYAH has revealed in an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh how she projected Nana Ama McBrown's brand through styling
- The Creative Expert shared details about the sacrifices and challenges involved in working with celebrities
- AFRIYAH was the only Ghanaian in the costume designing department for the Hollywood Woman King Movie
- Ghanaian actress and style icon Nana Ama McBrown has been nominated for the YEN Entertainment Awards Most Stylish Female Celeb category along with Jackie Appiah, Zynnell Zuh, Selly Galley, and Nana Akua Addo.
Nana Ama McBrown has etched her name in the entertainment industry as one of the best actresses with an outstanding record.
From the streets of Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region to becoming one of the most loved actresses is not a small feat.
The forty-five-year-old has no degree but she is very fluent in her local language. She is confidently seen and admired in various television commercials speaking the impeccable English language.
Source: Instagram
From the days of hanging out with Ghanaian musician Okyeame Kwame to date, Nana Ama McBrown can be described as an ambitious go-getter.
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After conquering the Kumawood movie industry with her flawless acting skills and versatility, Nana Ama McBrown surprisingly proved to the world that she is a fast learner and unstoppable as she starred in the Coming to America movie.
Moving outside her terrain, the mother-of-one saw a niche in the fashion industry that grabbed it with grace and style.
The master architect reconstructed cooking shows in Ghana with her stunning looks and excellent presentation.
Felicity Ama Agyeman popularly called Nana Ama McBrown has singlehandedly led a team of stylists and a production team to create an entertainment review show that provides the perfect medium to showcase her high fashion sense.
Nana Ama McBrown has indeed revived the Ghanaian fashion industry as she works with various designers to remarkably design new outfits to host the show each Saturday. It’s worth noting that the style icon occasionally goes on break from hosting United Showbiz and most viewers complain due to the lack and swag of the pioneer woman.
YEN.com.gh fashion editor, Portia Arthur had a one-on-one interview with AFRIYAH, the very first stylist who worked with Nana Ama McBrown during the first season of the show.
AFRIYAH is a sought-after Consultant in the Film, Fashion, and Entertainment sphere. She is the only Ghanaian costume designer among the crew for the chart-topping blockbuster Hollywood movie “The Woman King”.
She was the stylist for Joselyn Dumas when she hosted the One show and styled many top celebrities including Wakanda Forever’s Michaela Cole for Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue. She’s currently the Ghana Costume Lead for an American TV show being shot here in Ghana.
AFRIYAH talks about how she ventured into celebrity styling
How did I become a stylist? So, I mean unofficially, I would say even back in high school. Cause like, everybody was into entertainment night and I was the one helping us to put our few options together in the best way.
I also studied fashion design at the university in Tampa Florida. So we actually had classes on styling and we had the opportunity to do real-life work as well with the fashion stores and things like that.
I would say my biggest professional long-term styling gig though was with the one-show which was aired on Viasat 1 when I relocated to Ghana.
I started that show with Joselyn Dumas as her stylist. So that's what I am known for here in Ghana as my biggest styling project, that’s where people began to hear of me as a stylist and designer.
The fashion expert shared tips on the special skills one needs to become a stylist.
The prerequisites for becoming a stylist, I mean you have to have that, you know, knowledge of what it is to be a stylist.
You need to have a keen eye for fashion trends. We used to have a class called trend forecasting (where you had to research the trends to see what was current, and what was coming up next) so you need some of that, you also have to understand body types and things like that.
You have to know those things so that you can dress the person well to flatter them instead of just being fashionable.
You can dress the person to look good and not just what is trendy but what fits them best. So I think you need to be creative, adventurous and have some kind of love for fashion for sure.
As a celebrity stylist, AFRIYAH reveals what kind of celebrities she works with and what she expects from them for a successful working relationship.
The first thing I look for when I meet a client for the first time is their own style. What's their own personality? So that I meet them where they are. Because they all have their individual preferences. The type of things they like to wear, what they don't like, stuff like that.
So I ask them what their vision is. What are you looking for? What are you comfortable with? And then, we design it from there. So to style a celebrity, as you know, they are very high profile so you always have to get them the best. But as I said earlier, it goes to who, and what is their brand.
How do they already represent themselves and carry themselves? And I just kind of work with that but I add my own flair. If you are coming to me, that means that you know what I do and what I represent.
I like working with clients that give me the space to be me. That was one of the things that I think made the one show with Joselyn Dumas such a big hit when I used to style back then.
The producers gave me the free range to design what I wanted to design so I came up with a lot of very bold and wild ideas. I would always put an element of African print but in a very modern way. If you pay attention to the people I style, it might not be so in-your-face but will be there somewhere. I love Africa and positively promote our culture in any way I can.
I work with celebrities that understand how I work. You know if my flow doesn't work for you it's okay but I normally work with the type of people who already want to look like the way I designed my clothes. I consider these things and more before choosing my clients.
The fashion expert delved into some of the challenges and sacrifices of working with celebrities.
Styling a celebrity I mean you need to know what's trendy, you need to be patient, quick thinking, and willing to be flexible because their time and schedules are so crazy. So you need to be energetic, and you need to be very disciplined as well.
I mean I remember once we did a shoot all night like literally a celebrity's birthday shoot. My assistant and I got there at like 3 pm and we didn't leave there till like 6:30 am in the morning so you have to be flexible. You need to know that if you are working with celebrities their lifestyle can be a bit crazy and wild.
Ghanaian actress Nana Ama McBrown is one of the top fashion icons in Ghana currently. She always makes headlines with her looks. AFRIYAH who has had the opportunity to work with her shares how she worked with other fashion designers and brands, including her own brand KAHNIA, to create a unique look for the A-lister celebrity.
I was very honored when Nana Ama approached me to style her for United Showbiz. I started with items from my own brand KAHNIA but as she already had different seamstresses and designers that make clothes for her, I just kind of created a bond with all of them and collaborated with them often. So I would design something and have them sew it or select from the designs they presented.
We just met in the middle. You know I wouldn't try to stifle their creativity but it would have to flow with the look that I had in mind. So I mostly work with people to make the items custom-made. There were very few items that we got already sewn. Most of the things were custom-made.
It's people that she already had relationships with that I was working with because they already understood how her body works so when I sketched the outfits it was easy for them to kind of produce them.
It wasn't really one designer per se, It was a collaborative effort between myself and whichever brand I chose for an episode. I had to do the same with hair, makeup, and accessories, they also had to be curated to make sure the final look presented her in the best way.
Describing the award-winning actress and fashion influencer Nana Ama McBrown’s fashion sense, AFRIYAH added that,
I mean she's colorful. She loves the colors as much as I do. She didn't restrict me, to be honest. I would say she's edgy because she's willing to try new things.
I would say she's. She's unique. Nana is unique. She's willing to wear what somebody else would not wear and she's blessed with a look. So I would say edgy, colorful, and unique.
Assessing Nana Ama’s style evolution in the last two years and the significant changes that have made her one of the top style icons, AFRIYAH disclosed that,
I think she has become more adventurous in her styling and also more intentional. You know being stylish, showcasing beauty because she is already known for being beautiful. I think she just became more intentional about showcasing her fashionable side and being known as a fashionable person you know.
She's not restricted by rules like this is what she must wear but she's very aware of what's trendy and what fits her well. She's very intelligent, she's very involved in her looks.
The fashion aspect is more included in her lifestyle now and she's also more adventurous. She continues like how we began at the beginning of the show where she wanted to be known for her fashionable looks and fun personality.
The talented actress and style icon Nana Ama McBrown has been nominated for the YEN Entertainment Awards Most Stylish Female Celeb due to her unmatched fashion.
YEN.com.gh shares the top five looks Nana Ama McBrown has worn this year that can be repeated in 2023.
1. Nana Ama Mcbrown's pink October stunning dress
The forty-five-year-old makes a bold fashion sense with this pink and red corseted gown as the world creates awareness of cancer.
The stylist and designer had a simple goal of showing stealing the attention of onlookers without showing too much skin. Nana Ama McBrown wore the perfect frontal hairstyle that compliments her look as we love it.
2. Nana Ama McBrown celebrates her 45th birthday with a black dress
Nana Ama McBrown is still relevant, loved, and admired in entertainment and fashion after years of being in the industry.
Frankly, her fashion sense gets colorful and gorgeous as she ages. She looked dazzling in a black dress with a deep neckline, puff sleeves, and side ruffles.
3. Nana Ama McBrown slays in a white suit with a jacket
Ghanaian fashion designer Abrantie The Gentleman should consider naming this jacket after the trendsetter because no celebrity could have pulled off this look better than her.
Nana Ama McBrown is adored in the fashion industry because she has the vibe and attitude to make an unquestionable fashion statement.
3. Nana Ama McBrown sets a new fashion trend with this look
Ghanaian fashion designer Lauren Haute's creativity defined the Nana Ama McBrown brand with this elegant look.
This look symbolizes peace, style, and maturity as she flaunts her curves in the layered dress. We couldn't agree more with the choice of hairstyle, earrings, and makeup looks.
4. Nana Ama McBrown shows skin in an African print dress
Congratulations to all the fashion designers who have had the opportunity to work with Nana Ama McBrown so far.
She has the silhouette of a supermodel and an infectious smile that brightens up with a set to produce quality photos.
This dress can be worn in 2023 to weddings and red-carpet events; no twists or adjustments needed.
5. Nana Ama McBrown looks splendid in a kente flare dress
Nana Ama McBrown looked dazzling in a long sleeve dress designed with kente fabric. She wore a stunning hairstyle to highlight her flawless makeup.
Celebrity stylist AFRIYAH is currently styling award-winning filmmaker, Kuukua Eshun, who will premiere her new film titled, Born Of The Earth produced by Ghanaian actress Ama K. Abrebrese.
The Woman King: Meet The Ghanaian Creative Expert Nana Afriyie Who Assisted With Costuming For The Movie
Previously, YEN.com.gh wrote about AFRIYAH the only Ghanaian creative genius to collaborate with costume designer Gersha Philips to get fabrics for the Northern Region of Ghana for the Woman King Movie which features Hollywood icons like Viola Davis.
She helped produce the new film The Woman King as a specialist in costume designs for film and television production.
In an exclusive interview with fashion editor Portia Arthur, the talented creative genius Nana Afriyie Frimpong details how she got the job and the accomplishments that came with it.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
