BOOM!

Dear Fashion Industry, I hope you are well and feeling good. Right, I'll get to the point. We need to talk... I know you are changing, Fashion Industry, but in my humble opinion... you are not changing quickly enough. It's true, I gasp and am in awe of your floaty dresses and jewelled creations on your catwalk models... they are truly stunning pieces... Zuhair Murad - stunning but... I want you to create new silhouettes that suit more than the size triple zero model. I don't have a problem that there are triple zero-size models if they are healthily built that way, why should I? We are all beautiful in every single way (I'm gettting all Christina Aguilera on you). But I do want you to design a piece that will probably be called subversive because it doesn't fit the usual mould on someone like me who ain't size 000... As Shakira once sang: "I dare you". I want to see new cuts on the shoulder that hint at elegance yet edginess...

My friends and I are all on different journeys and trajectories and I am proud of them. One of them is Brenda (below centre) who has started a jewellery business called SaraBree , retailing Ghanaian print watches as well as curating an ensemble of cute earring, bracelet and bangle sets. She launched her business yesterday at Africa Live Festival (above) - and what is most inspiring in a way is that she has one boy who is just under one-years-old and has been ploughing away at creating the business while looking after her son on maternity leave. It is inspiring to see new-mum entrepreneurship not only in the media but around me in real life. I asked what spurred her on and she said: "I always wanted to start a business that involved celebration of my Ghanaian heritage but it was only when I had some time away from work (maternity leave) that I had the motivation to start something. How I got going was by investing in my idea. I had some savings that I us...

This is one of those "should I, shouldn't I" posts, but it's something I'm hoping to help not only me, but if it additionally helps just one more person, it'll be worth it... Over the last three or four years my weight has gone up by really really unwanted levels... (NO I'm not disclosing what it says on the scales) but safe to say I want choose less of it! The thing about insidious weight addition (not gain, 'cos did I win a competition? No.) is that it is probably (most likely) about unwise culinary decisions made day by day - I also wonder how it has gone on for so long... It's not great to think you're responsible for sabotaging yourself health-wise. But at the same time, it's empowering when you remember that the power to change is in your scope. Please be clear I'm not inviting anyone to comment on my weight. ( It is not up for discussion. ) What is, is a healthy (pun unintended, really) dialogue about what methods w...