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Fashion is an art form that never ceases to expand or change. As people and societies evolve, trends in terms of style, lines and patterns reflect what affects them. Eco-friendly clothing brands, for example, have been popping up all over the world. But an even greater trend of the past few years is that of South African fashion, especially prints. The country has featured prominently in several industries besides fashion, resulting in its increased visual appeal. Telling productions and figures confirm this exciting development.

Source: MaxPixel

General African Spotlight

What turned more heads towards the beauty and strength of the continent than Marvel’s Black Panther (2018)? In addition to entertaining us with superhero action, the movie flooded our vision with native fashions, patterns and colors. The gaming industry has made its own contributions. These range from The Lion King (1994) platformer to the Diamond Link: Mighty Elephant slot game, featuring a rich African design and symbols such as drums, warriors, elephants that is available at Lucky Pants Bingo online platform, itself combining the themed online slot trend and the African trend. Decades of inspired cinema, video games and other visual productions have bolstered the attractiveness of African styles, their distinctiveness and warmth.

Growth of African Fashion

The fashion industry of South Africa really is booming, especially in the apparel sector. According to Statista figures, 2019 saw a revenue equal to $641m, which is only expected to keep growing to a total of $1,123m by 2023. While domestic consumer interest plays an important part in these statistics, international sales and overall recognition have helped increase visibility and its share of the global market. Clothes, bags and jewelry are some of the most popular fashion categories that make use of African styles.

Source: Pixabay

Major runways in New York, London, Paris and other fashion centers around the globe have created considerable interest in South African prints. Hello Beautiful discusses exhibits like the 2017 showcase of The Museum at FIT, featuring fashion lines by 60 hugely successful black fashion designers. It included Ann Lowe’s traditional wedding gowns as well as apparel by Madison Maxey using a print based on computer code. The impact of these clothes, sometimes more artistic than fashionable, can be attributed to the originality and cultural significance imbued into each and every piece.

But their appeal also comes down to the beauty and history of African prints. Their diverse yet interconnecting spirit has spread throughout the fashion industry and beyond. The digital age has helped to strengthen our understanding of just how important fabrics and patterns can be to cultural identities. UCLA’s Fowler Museum published a book version of its own exhibit: African-Print Fashion Now! A Story of Taste, Globalization, And Style. The whole production combines garments, vintage photography and contemporary art to illustrate the fashion evolution of the whole African continent, from the 19th-century textile trade to prints’ globalization all the way to the 21st century.

The end of 2019 marks further boosts to the fashionable public’s interest in African styles. In will be fascinating to see what new creations appear on the scene as this phenomenon continues to enrich the patterns of the world. 

The UK’s capital is a hub of tourist, local and business people; with the population of London swelling to well over 10 million people on average every single day. With this in mind, it can often be a difficult city to navigate, especially if you only visit every so often for business purposes. In this travel guide, we look at some of the best places to hold business meetings, ways to travel, best areas to stay and where the most impressive places are to wine and dine your existing or potential clients!

Image via Unsplash

Business meeting locations

Are you meeting an existing or potential client and need to impress them with a stand-out location? There are a wealth of places you can head too to hold your meeting. Here’s a couple that we love.

1. The Glasshouse, Kings Cross

Not only convenient if you’re all travelling into the city, but the Glasshouse is a meeting space like no other! A spectacular glass cube located on the first floor; the premises provides a great alternative to a regular, drab meeting room. 

2. The Tropical Library, Southwark

With its brick walls, wooden floors and luxurious furniture, the Tropical Library is a unique space with fully equipped studios. Finished with green palms, banana trees and large wild life prints and nestled between Waterloo and London Bridge, it’s an easily accessible meeting space with a personality of its own. 

How to get around

If you or your clients are flying into London, the Heathrow Express is super quick – just 15 minutes from Heathrow to Paddington. If you’re more local or are getting the train into the capital, you can choose from hailing a taxi, booking a private transfer, hopping on a bus or heading down for the tube. Your options really are endless! 

Best places to get a good night’s sleep

Why not opt for something a little different when you visit for your business meeting? London corporate apartments, which are serviced during your visit, are becoming much more popular then checking into an expensive hotel. Not only are they often more cost effective, they give you a greater level of flexibility as to when you can come and go, and boast a range of facilities from a kitchenette, lounge area, free internet and are situated throughout accessible areas throughout the city. 

Where to wine and dine clients

Choices, choices, choices! Don’t leave it to chance and stumble into somewhere, only to find they’re fully booked for the foreseeable future – make a reservation in advance. Top restaurants like Aqua at The Shard and The Fenchurch restaurant in the Sky Garden are not only incredibly places to wow your guests, but often get booked up quickly. You could also visit one of the many Ivy Brasseries in Soho, Covent Garden and Kensington; all of which are great for business lunches – lovely food, buzzing atmosphere and very reasonably priced.

No matter what time of the year you are visiting London for business, the city is an incredible and very connected place, ideal for all manner of companies servicing an array of industries. 

Global tourism is back in a big way, after the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic; so much so that it is outpacing the global economy. You may be putting finishing touches to your own plans for a trip around the globe – but, as ever, the financial side can be tricky. How best to fund your trip? Here are just four ideas.

Using Your Savings

If you have the time and ability to do so, saving at least the majority of your travel money in advance can be the most worry-free way to fund your globe-crossing trip. By budgeting your income correctly, canceling unnecessary subscriptions, and taking a second job purely for the purpose of increasing your savings, you can build up a useful repository of money, allowing you to enjoy your trip to the fullest without worrying about earning your keep on the move.

While saving your own income is an excellent way to fund your travels, there are other methods to maximize your savings for your trip. You could sell unused items around your home, or even consider swapping old or outdated currency. For instance, you can trade old peseta coins (or other accumulated outdated coins) for currency relevant in your current location, adding a little extra to your savings. Every little bit helps, ensuring you’re financially prepared for the exciting adventures ahead.

Forex Trading

Trading and investment, particularly Forex trading, has become increasingly popular in recent years, as easy-to-use trading platforms that enable market analysis and intuitive transactions have become more available to retail traders. With the right know-how and a laptop with a wi-fi dongle, you can grow your investments on the move – meaning you can earn while you travel. The beauty of forex trading is that, while national markets have an open and close time, there is always a market open at a given time; no matter the time zone you’re in, you can still manage your own hours and earn in your own time.

Teaching English

There are all manner of teaching positions, programs and schemes available, wherein you can earn a full-time wage teaching English in a foreign language country. These schemes can be used in tandem with your travel plans – and some schemes even include flights and accommodation, reducing your overheads when visiting your country of choice. TEFL is a particularly popular organisation to this end, but teaching opportunities are easily found by a natural speaker. You could even advertise yourself in local forums and communities as you travel, picking up ad hoc work wherever you land.

Finding Work

Of course, your transferable skills are just as valuable in the countries you are visiting as at home; if you already have some experience in a hospitality setting, you could find yourself a part-time bar job in a local hostel or venue, to cover your costs while staying in that area. Physical labour could also be in high demand, meaning you can find labouring work wherever you find yourself. Keep your ear to the ground about any local opportunities for work, and keep an eye out for ex-pat communities that could help you find work.

The world of banking has changed dramatically over recent years, and thanks to modern technology, banking has become far easier for many. Gone are the days when you had to spend hours on the phone or queuing at the bank to get transactions sorted out. These days, you can do everything you need to do online from the comfort and privacy of your own home with an online bank account. In fact, this has become a hugely popular method of banking over the past few years.

More and more people these days want to look after their finances online, and they can find everything from a full checking account to a Chime spending account to cater to their needs. There are many benefits that come with online banking, and many reasons why so many people turn to this method of banking. In this article, we will look at some of the benefits that you can look forward to and some of the main reasons you should consider an online bank account.

Some of the Popular Benefits of These Accounts

There are lots of benefits that you can look forward to when you open an online bank account for your day-to-day transactions. Some of these are:

Stay in Control

One of the key reasons to consider online banking is that it enables you to more easily stay in control of your finances. You can track what is going in and out of your account, monitor your spending, set up payments, and conduct financial transactions with speed and ease. This makes it much easier for you to control your money and financial situation while also benefiting from total ease and convenience when it comes to managing your money and your bank accounts.

Save Time and Hassle

Many people are amazed at how much time and hassle they can save themselves when they start using online banking facilities, and this is another reason to give this method of banking a go. In the past, people had to spend a lot of time talking to banking staff on the phone or going into branches and joining lengthy queues. When you have online banking, this is no longer an issue because you can easily deal with everything yourself online and from the comfort of your own home. This makes dealing with your finances far easier and faster.

Greater Ease and Convenience

Of course, one of the other key benefits of online banking is that you can do everything with the utmost convenience and ease. You can go online and log into your account around the clock, which means that you can sort out your finances at any time of the day or night to suit your needs and schedule. You can also deal with things such as payments and checking on transactions whenever you like, which makes life far easier.

These are some of the many reasons why it is well worth considering setting up an online bank account.