TAKE 5: Brian Babu

Brian Babu is a stylist, free thinker and lover of all things fashion and style. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • He hopes to run the biggest styling brand in Eastern and Central Africa. He is currently Kenya Fashion Awards’s Stylist of the Year 2016 and Abryanz Style & fashion Awards 2016 East Africa Stylist of The Year.
  • You can still catch a couple of the tickets on sale, or resign yourself to the fact that paying full price to watch one of your favourite international artists is worth it –Diplo.
  • Mugambi Nthiga. Yes, the actor. He has a website showcasing his talents, but on the website as well, there is a blog talking about, of course, film.

Brian Babu is a stylist, free thinker and lover of all things fashion and style.

He hopes to run the biggest styling brand in Eastern and Central Africa. He is currently Kenya Fashion Awards’s Stylist of the Year 2016 and Abryanz Style & fashion Awards 2016 East Africa Stylist of The Year.

1. What got you on the path of styling? Did you go to school, or did you just like clothes and decide this is what you want to do for life?

I have loved clothes from a young age. My mother made them back in the day and I sort of developed interest in it. I practiced styling at home for several years before going professional. I can honestly say styling picked me. I didn’t pick it. 

2. Who are some of the stylists you look up to?

I am inspired by various stylists for various things, so I can’t specifically point out one that I look up to. 

3. What did it feel like to be recognised for your talents? 

Being recognised by KFA last year was great considering two years earlier I had been awarded Upcoming Stylist of the Year. It showed progress and growth in what I was doing. As for ASFA, I was grateful that I got regional recognition for the work that I do. The award opened up the regional market for me. 

4. What is your basic style motto? Monochrome always wins? Three colours max? Sassy and classy?

My style is simple and minimalist at the moment. I am attracted to dark muted tones. I find myself wearing black all the time or navy. 

5. What are some of your favourite looks - for yourself, and looks you’ve created for other people?

I love most of the looks that I put together. I evolve quite fast, so it becomes hard to have a favourite. Looking at what I have recently done though, I would say Caroline Mutoko in an orange Vivo dress

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HOTSPOT: Diplo 

You can still catch a couple of the tickets on sale, or resign yourself to the fact that paying full price to watch one of your favourite international artists is worth it –Diplo.

You know this guy as the DJ, producer, rapper and songwriter (among many other hats he wears) behind some of your favourite banging EDM jams such as ‘Where are Ü Now’, Justin Bieber’s remix and Skrillex; Be Right There with Sleepy Tom; Drop with Big Freedia and DJ Snake; and his latest, Run Up with Nicki Minaj and PartyNextDoor. Catch him on April 14 at Ngong Racecourse in what appears to be an Africa tour – he’s heading to Uganda and Nigeria afterwards as he focuses more on Major Lazer and we say goodbye to the fantastic music that came from Jack Ü.

***** 

Blog review

www.amorke.com

Mugambi Nthiga. Yes, the actor. He has a website showcasing his talents, but on the website as well, there is a blog talking about, of course, film.

It’s new, but gaining ground, and was even nominated for Best New Blog for the upcoming BAKE Awards. Maybe he’ll win this one like he did with Kati Kati, the internationally recognised film he co-wrote, and which has garnered critical acclaim. If you’re looking for something a little more in-depth than what several local film blogs do nowadays, with nuanced analysis of plot, storyline, character, for all things film and film-related (like his breakdown of the Oscars), then this is the blog for you. I mean, where better to hear about film than from someone often in front of and behind the camera? Check out the beginning of his review of Logan:

But even he couldn’t keep its robustness going, and now, here’s James Mangold, undoing his wrongs on Wolverine, and hitting reset on the franchise. Logan is so stripped down, its consciousness so present, its avoidance of hollowness so steadfast, that it wouldn’t be enough to call it a classic superhero movie. This, friends, is simply a classic film. It’s the sort of finale that should, if Hollywood would allow it, see its stars off into satisfied retirement, and into the genre’s annals.