Comments on: Vogue Africa Creator Mario Epanya Responds to Critics

By: No Vogue Africa - Muse Origins

No Vogue Africa - Muse Origins — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:06:28 +0000

[...] should check out this Fashion Bomb Daily article to see what Epanya has to say about his campaign and his plans for the future. Share [...]

By: No Vogue Africa « Muse Origins

No Vogue Africa « Muse Origins — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:36:48 +0000

[...] should check out this Fashion Bomb Daily article to see what Epanya has to say about his campaign and his plans for the future. Subscribe [...]

By: Voyeurism Sucks

Voyeurism Sucks — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:20:27 +0000

I personally don’t like Vogue; it conditions an idea and ideals of beauty that are not realistic to the peoples of my country (Nigeria) or to women at all. You look at Tone Goodman and Grace Codington or a close up of Mrs. Wintour herself, and you know they are selling a lie. Browsing through a few of their international publications you get the feeling that they are not aware of their consumers and the fact that we are not all white, and here (Nigeria), the majority not light skinned. I’d prefer to pick up a magazine and see my beauty represented, and I don’t think Vogue has the capability of doing that. This, simply put, is due to the marketing strategy in place -which any intelligent person can pick up on-. Their agenda is to sell their advertisers (some of which profit from lightening creams) and they will manipulate the image of beauty and mid fuck you to do so. The skin lightening industry commands a lot of dollars and they do indeed work with companies like Vogue. Don’t forget that beauty and fashion industries are a business, and people who work in them are in the business of making money. They could give a damn about how you feel about your appearance when you go to sleep at night. that means prompting lights skin and not representing the diversity of beauty of all ethnicities and all shades of colour, so be it.

Rather than one publication, I’d like to see several high fashion magazines in Africa, which need I remind you is a continent of fifty fours countries, all are individual with unique taste and cannot be represented by one magazine. Nigeria is a place for great potential for this type of publication (we have several fashion periodicals) with its thriving film industry and seasonal fashion week. Viva la Africa!!! We don’t want Vogues white washed idea of beauty.

By: Patrice

Patrice — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:52:41 +0000

It tickles me that he did not even answer the points so accurately raised by Uduak. Instead, he confirmed them.

You can “reclaim” your image (if magazines are actually trying to depict African women, usually they’re focused on those in the Americas), without going to a White magazine to do it! Mario Epanya is well-meaning, passionate, but he has a very long way to go in terms of Black consciousness. He simply isn’t there yet, and Uduak is speaking over his head.

I will support magazines like Arise, that are Black -owned and Black made!

By: Sabu

Sabu — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:23:17 +0000

im African, love it, damn proud of it. i acknowledge the abject poverty rife in my continent, i lament over it, i pray over it and i help where i can. I live in a neighbourhood where there are mansions up the road (literally) and clay houses down the road, i know those who eat too much and those who simply have nothing at all. does the presence of poverty automatically absolve our right to establish ourselves in the world of fashion?i dont think so. we are a continent of problems but we are a continent of bright minds, and creative spirits…waiting for an international platform to show wat we’ve got. we will fight against poverty as hard as we can but at the same time we will fraternise with the Lagerfelds, challenge the Wintours, and express ourselves artistically…because its our God given right to. Vive l’Afrique..Vive Vogue Africa.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:23:18 +0000

Why would it be so wrong to have a Vogue Africa anyway? Yes, we have poverty and lots of atrocities taking place in Africa but do we all have to focus on it? There are people out there who are doing their bit to tackle a negative aspect or a problem in Africa. Mario is from a fashion background and his way of tackling our lack of representation in the international fashion scene is to create something that we can all be proud of eventually. Not everyone will see this as anything positive but those who are fashion conscious will. Having a Vogue Africa to me would have been a great thing. I would have loved to be able to pick up a magazine featuring black models and designers every month. Yes, and we speculate that maybe it would have been filled with white African models but the truth is we will never know now as it isn’t going ahead.
Kudos to you my brother!!

By: VERIAB

VERIAB — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:49:30 +0000

OMG..! I would love to order THIS Vogue Africa,Mario when you launch your magazine Im in line for my subscription.

By: Did Conde Nast Reject Vogue Africa?

Did Conde Nast Reject Vogue Africa? — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:58:16 +0000

[...] even a Vogue Australia, there isn’t a Vogue Africa–and Mario was dedicated to changing that. The last we talked to him, he was pursuing ways to purchase the license to Vogue Africa. Imagine our disappointment when [...]