“Helen Asrat was born and raised in Ethiopia. A sojourn in Italy opened the world of fashion to her and her travels to different parts of the world made her appreciate the diverse culture of the countries she visited. In 2000 she settled in South Africa and has been living there since.
In 2004 Helen Asrat opened the doors of her design atelier, where her appreciation of the finer details of fashion combined with her understanding of different cultures is evident in her distinctive shapes and silhouettes, and her use of interesting fabric techniques like hand twisting, pleating, dyeing and texturing. Her designs can be described as classic, but young, sexy and trendy with strong emphasis on the artistic and cultural influences of Ethiopia and broader Africa.
Helen has won numerous awards and has been invited to showcase her designs on national and international platforms. In September 2007, as part of the Ethiopian Millennium celebration, she was invited by African Mosaique to showcase her work in Addis Ababa. In 2008 she was invited to showcase at the Mozambique Fashion Week in Maputo. Helen’s designs also featured in the 2006 and 2008 MNET Face of Africa events.”
~Bio by Helen Asrat via AFI
~photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
