Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pepinière, this week's subjects: Wealthy African Fabrics, LVMH, Tomato Restaurant

Wealthy African Fabrics Most people only think of the Dutch Indonesian textile print as African fabrics. But don't know we too have a collection of rich African made fabrics. Here are some of these rich African fabrics:

• Kente: This fabric originates from Central and West Africa from various ethnic groups such as the Akan people of Ghana or the Kongo people of Congo-Brazzaville. It is made from cotton or silk fibers that are dyed with natural colors such as reds, blues, greens, or yellows. It has a complex pattern of interlocking strips that form geometric shapes or symbols. It is used for wrappers, clothes, Royalty and other traditional attires

• Aso-oke: This fabric is peculiar to the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is made from cotton and has a thick and beautiful texture. It is worn during weddings and other special occasions. There is also Aso Oke with more intricate and elaborate designs, used during festivals and ceremonies.

• Kanga: This fabric is one of the most popular African textiles from East Africa. It is a rectangular shaped, 100% cotton, printed cloth with a brightly colored decorative border around the outside, which also includes a Swahili proverb.

• Adire: This fabric is made from indigo-dyed cotton or yam fibers. It has a distinctive pattern of geometric shapes or symbols that represent different meanings and stories. It is used for clothing, bags, mats, and other items.

• Makossa: This fabric is made from cotton or synthetic fibers. It has a smooth and shiny surface that reflects light. It comes in various colors and patterns, such as stripes, checks, or floral motifs. It is used for dresses, skirts, shirts, and other garments.

• Tarka: This fabric is made from cotton or synthetic fibers that are woven together in a crinkled texture. It has a soft and comfortable feel that drapes well on the body. It comes in various colors and patterns, such as stripes, checks, or floral motifs. It is used for dresses, skirts, blouses, jackets, and other garments.

• Abafo: This fabric originates from West Africa from various ethnic groups such as the Igbo people of Nigeria or the Ewe people of Togo-Ghana-Côte d'Ivoire-Benin border region. It is made from cotton or silk fibers that are dyed with natural colors such as reds, blues, greens, or yellows. It has a simple pattern of solid colors that form geometric shapes such as squares or triangles.

LVMH (Louis Vuitton-luxury bag maker, Moet et Chandon -champagne and Hennessey-cognac) was created in the 80's by French man Bernard Arnault,

currently the world 2nd richest person, estimated to be worth about $200 billion. LVMH controls 75 prestigious luxury brands, apart from the above there are Tiffany, Christian Dior, Fendi, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Loewe, Loro Piana, Kenzo, Celine, Sephora, Princess Yachts, TAG Heuer, and Bulgari, just to mention a few of the biggest diamonds on Arnault's rings. LVMH controls about 22 % of the world's luxury goods market, which is an excessive percentage, even the world's biggest oil company does not control 20% of the market, and the biggest computer hardware company does not even control 10%. Bernard turns 75 in March this year, so what's next? Presently the market is down and profit margins are under pressure. All this does not only belong to Arnault, most of it is quoted on the stock exchange and there are other shareholders who want to see continuous profit and who will demand a change in strategy and leadership if things don’t go well. Arnault has 4 sons and 1 daughter. Now comes the more interesting part. In this down turned market he is currently handing over bits and pieces of his conglomerate to his offspring, for all this he will need the OK of his other shareholders. How capable his offspring will be to handle things is to be seen, rarely do kids of very successful parents outshine them later. The market is down, brands have run out of ideas and are hiring elephants and zombies to generate new ideas (often not new fashion), 22% of the market (LHMV) is getting a new management and many are wondering why really a bag should cost $50,000 (the cheapest LV pochette goes for 1300 $). Then here is also Kering, “owned” by François Pinault, also a French man. It owns Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Creed and Alexander McQueen and has a market share of about a quarter of that of LVMH. François is 88 and honorary chairman, his son, also called François, is 62, young enough to set up a fight with his father's rival.... And there is Richemont, owned by South African businessman Johann Rupert which owns A. Lange & Söhne, Alaïa, Baume & Mercier, Buccellati, Cartier, Chloé, Delvaux, Dunhill, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Mr Porter, Net-a-Porter, Panerai, Piaget, Peter Millar, Purdey, Roger Dubuis, Serapian, The Outnet, TimeVallée, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Watchfinder & Co, and Yoox. Interesting times ahead in the fashion world. To be continued.

Tomato Restaurant in Airport City Accra is Italian, and so is the owner. We had an excellent spaghetti bolognaise and a very tender beef escalope (you can also opt for chicken escalope), with cooked ham and cheese (or lemon). The service was attentive despite one of our major football matches going on at the same time. They also sell Italian beer. Very interesting are the about 50 hand painted tomatoes, Italians are the tomato specialists, every dish has a different type of tomato. I sometimes buy a basket of partly gone bad tomatoes and make my own tomato paste, very simple and then you know what you eat. If you order a container of tomato paste they will ask you how wealthy your customers are and suggest the right price, and hence quality. They can add extra water or cheaper bulking agents like starch. Other possible adulterants include sugars, acidity regulators, and even toxic synthetic dyes. Beware of what you eat. And for the real pizza tomato sauce you should use San Marzano tomatoes,

that 's what they use in Napoli, the source of pizzas. The art of Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo' is on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, UNESCO, since 2017, so they should know.

Lydia...

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