Mariama Diallo has been tearing up the runways and fashion editorials as a supermodel with campaigns for Savage x Fenty by Rihanna and KKW Beauty by Kim Kardashian West. At the most recent New York Fashion Week, however, she took on a new role as fashion designer for her own line, Sincerely Ria, which celebrates her native Fulani culture. The new collection, The Oshun, celebrates not only female beauty and the many ways that it manifests itself but also the magic of womanhood. Named after Oshun, the African goddess of femininity, fertility, beauty, and love, the collection is wrapped within the warmth and divinity of its namesake. The brand follows an ethos of inclusivity, community, and the power behind being beautiful because you have decided to be. Challenging the notion that beauty is always to be accompanied by pain, Mariama and Sincerely Ria are celebrating the rejection of beauty and body standards and expectations. The Oshun line is a nod to the opulence of Mariama’s African heritage and Guinea’s Fulani culture, with special attention to the use of brilliant colors, exciting designs, and stunning silhouettes.
SOURCE: OKAYAFRICA