Life & Work

Like Lupita, Dorothy Nyong’o is a fashionista in her own right

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Actress Lupita Nyong’o and mother, Dorothy, attend the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach, California. Photo/AFP

Lupita Nyong’o is everywhere in the fashion and film world these days. From Vogue and Marie Claire to the New York Times and Hollywood Reporter, she’s front page news.

Yet seeing her mother, Dorothy with two more of her lovely daughters, Fiona and Zawadi, recently at the FAFA Fashion for Peace Show, one could see where Lupita got her looks.

The daughter has been declared the Most Beautiful Woman of 2014 by the popular American ‘People’ magazine, but Dorothy herself is something of a fashion plate herself as we saw that night.

One big difference between Lupita and her mother is that Dorothy wears original Kenyan fashion designs while Lupita wears big name brands like Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren and Prada.

Most photographed

Dorothy relishes wearing gowns by Suraya, Kiko Romeo, Katz and Samira’s Classics, among others. She was most photographed at the BAFTA awards night as she walked with Lupita on the red carpet wearing a Kiko Romeo original, and at FAFA she was beautifully decked out in one of Samira’s Classics.

Dorothy also loves wearing Kenyan jewellers’ designs. During the recent awards season when her daughter won more awards than one can count, Dorothy supported Lupita by attending several of those events wearing jewellery by Kenyans.

At the Essence magazine awards night and also at the Independent Spirit Awards, she wore original designs by Zanji Art and Njee Muturi, who has recently relocated to Muthaiga Mini Mart.

Then when she accompanied Lupita to Oprah Winfrey’s home, Dorothy wore brass jewellery designed by Evlyn of Embody Accessories.

A number of Lupita fans have only faulted her for one thing. They suggest that Lupita emulate her mother by promoting Kenyan designers.

Granted she is given hefty contracts to wear some of the big name designers, but out of her love of Kenya she might consider doing as her mother does and use her celebrity to uplift the names of a few up and coming Kenyan fashionistas.