Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) A stunning orange and gold male piece by Tanya Cameron.   - A model poses in a white Minka piece. Another design by Minka.Whoever said African wear couldn't be edgy? This Tanya Cameron design shows it can be done. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Not many people turned out to the Hilton on Friday night to see the Africa JamFest fashion show, but that didn't make the clothes any less beautiful.

Among the designers were Mutamba, Ade Bakare, Minka and Tanya Cameron of 'Shades of Africa'.

The show started more than two hours late, so The Gleaner had some time to catch up with the designers backstage and chat a little.

Mutamba spoke of what the audience should expect from her line: "Just soft, feminine, sexy pieces ... My inspiration for my pieces comes from North Africa and India. They are mainly silk, cotton and batik pieces - some hand-painted, airbrushed and beaded. I tried to get away from the dark, dismal shades and bring some sunshine and rainbow to the spectrum."

Turned heads

And the patrons loved them. As she said, Mutamba's line featured a colourful mixture of male and female pieces that turned the heads of the audience.

A long burnt orange silk dress with African designs bordering the dress was one of the favourites from Mutamba. Another design of the same colour and material was also featured, but it was a kimono styled blouse - something for the young and chic.

Minka's pieces were also a hit. There were more than 30 pieces of club wear and bathing suits and two of the favourites were a rainbow coloured crochet skirt; a green and yellow crochet dress with a matching hat.

Tanya Cameron's designs were elegant African wear, but also suited for the young.

Edgy designs

Her male designs had an Indian feel to them, but with some edge. One was a sleeveless purple shirt donned with gold designs in the middle. Her female designs were even more pleasing: a long red dress sprinkled with diamonds, her afrocentric wedding dresses - one even had an Egyptian look to it - showed much creativity.

Then Ade Bakare's female pieces were suited for the 'modern woman with Hollywood glamour'. A knee length, black satin dress with lace belled sleeves was among the top designs of the night.

He too had wedding designs, but it was a male design that was the most eye catching. It was a long, beige satin jacket with floral designs underlined with a black shirt and form fitting black pants - in short, it was simply fabulous.

Those who missed the event, sadly missed a wonderland of elegant African-inspired designs.