Nelson Mandela debuts fashion line

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Nelson Mandela debuts fashion line

By Michaela L. Duckett – September 9, 2011

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Good Morning! Thank goodness it’s Friday. What are your weekend plans? Be sure to check out Toni’s picks in her weekly column On the Town with Toni. This week she’s giving the deets on good food, good music and good film. Welcome back Toni!

If you are heading down to the Yiasou 2011 Greek Festival, you are in luck. The weekend weather will be ideal for festival goers. The weatherman says today will be mostly sunny with a high of 83°. Tonight’s low will be about 62°. Saturday, expect sunny skies with a high of 86°. Sunday, the weatherman is calling for abundant sunshine with highs in the mid 80s and lows in the low 60s.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Nelson Mandela’s Fashion Line

September is the month for all things fashion, and now former South African President Nelson Mandela is transitioning into the fashion industry with the launch of 46664. The fashion line was named after his prison inmate number. It features bold colors, polo’s and woven shirts with printed hats for the men and flowing dresses and chic blazers for the ladies.

The line has a purpose beyond fashion. The makers that in addition to making wearers look good on the outside, they will also feel good on the inside. Between seven and nine percent of the revenue generated from sales will go the Mandela Foundation’s continued fight against HIV and AIDS.

In August, Mandela’s 46664 debuted in South African and is also currently available at Stuttafords stores in Botswana and Namibia. The socially conscious clothing label is slated to reach US and European stores in 2012.

The launch of 46664 has not been without controversy. Prices - about 180 rand ($26) for a T-shirt and about 600 rand ($86) for a man’s collared shirt - will make the garments cost prohibitive for the majority of workers in South Africa, where the minimum wage for a farm worker is R1,3000 ($200).

See more images from the line here.

QUESTION: Do you think Mandela should have made his line more affordable for the people of South Africa?
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Latinos new majority in American prisons

A new report shows that Latinos have reached a new milestone in America. For the first time ever, they now make up more than half of all felony offenders being sentenced to time in federal prison. The major demographic shift has been attributed to immigration offenses, which some are now referring to as “crimmigration.” The report released earlier this week by the U.S. Sentencing Commission shows that during the first nine months of fiscal year 2011, Latinos comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced to serve time in prison for federal felonies, blacks 19.7 percent and whites 26.4 percent. In comparison, last year Latinos reportedly made up just 16 percent of the whole U.S. population. (Read more)
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Potential Jackson manslaughter trial jurors dismissed

Lawyers will have a difficult time selecting jurors for trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. More than half of the first panel of prospective jurors have been dismissed due to claims of hardships. It is unknown how many more will be dismissed for disclosing strong opinions about the high profile case. According to reports, when the judge asked prospective jurors if any were unfamiliar with the case, not a single person raised their hand. The trial is scheduled to last five weeks, and Murray is expected to take the stand and profess his innocence. Talk of past molestation charges brought against Jackson have been barred from the trial. (Read more)
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Kelly Rowland wanted lighter skin

Kelly Rowland covers the Fall 2011 issue of Runway magazine. She opened up to the magazine about her past issues with her darker complexion. She said Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles, helped her learn to embrace her looks.

In the article she states:

“There’s so much peer pressure growing up, I had an identity crisis. I went to a predominantly white school and I was the only black girl. I can remember thinking: ‘I don’t want to be as dark as I am – I want to be a little fairer.’ I didn’t want to be me…Tina sat me in front of the mirror and said: ‘Girl, look at how pretty you are.’ She made me feel comfortable in my own skin.”

Watch Kelly work it for the camera and listen to a clip of her new music.