Kenyan #BellaStylista Achieng Agutu who goes by noordinarynoire on Instagram, has been leading the charge on body positivity and positive thinking on her page for some time now. The “confidence queen,” has numerous passionate motivational monologues on her page that stirs up and uplifts her over 140k followers.
In an interview with Vogue‘s fashion and style writer Christian Allaire, Achieng talks about her move from Kenya to the US as a teenager and being the only black girl in class.
“In Indiana, I was the only Black girl in most of my classes. I didn’t see people who looked like me, and there was nobody who was really hyping me up!”
It was during her college days that Achieng felt the need to do just that- hype herself.
“It started really small, with stories of me just dancing every morning. Then people started reaching out to me and saying, ‘Thank you so much for posting that, it made me feel so good.”
When it comes to fashion, Achieng has a flair for bold colours and African labels, like Öfuurë, Kai Collective and a host of others.
“The way their silhouettes and dresses look on the body is so beautiful and just luscious and luxurious,”
Achieng also stated that she’s deliberate with her dressing because she’s aware of the effect on people’s emotion.
“I want my outfit, whatever it is, to be vibrant and inviting. If I wear yellow and walk down the street, it might even make someone smile!”
Click here for the full feature in Vogue.