Granny Margaret Chola from Zambia is the latest African fashion buzz that is making headlines internationally. Age hasn’t stopped her from adding her charm to Zambia’s fashion industry. Granny Chola rules Instagram streets with her stunning dresses and signature designer eyeglasses. It makes ‘Legendary Glamma’ feel younger and living a full life, she says. ‘Modelling’ while in her 80s’ has a deeper meaning for Chola than social media can detail.
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How Did Margaret Chola Become a Fashionista?
Diana Kaumba based in New York City in the US got her grandmother to the fashion industry in an unintentional way. Kaumba has lived as a fashionista for years since relocating to the most famous American city. But it was a single visit to Zambia a few years ago that turned things around.
Kaumba flew back home for her father’s second life anniversary. Her mind was unsettled on this day and she hadn’t figured out what outfit she would wear. She jokingly asked her grandmother Margaret Chola if she would like to try some of her outfits. Alas! Granny was enthusiastic about it; little did she know this would be the birth of her fashion journey.
She wore a Zambian Chitenge and a silver-coloured pantsuit. Her overall look was striking.
Zambian granny Margaret Chola is a fashionista per excellence in her 80s. Photo/Legendary Glamma
What is Chitenge?
Chitenge is a multi-coloured African fabric mainly made of cotton. It carries an authentic Zambian identity through its beautiful print designs inspired by African culture. Popular chitenge outfits include:
- Shirts
- Blouses
- Dresses
- Skirts
Chola and her granddaughter stepped out of the house for a photo session in her new outfit. Kaumba chose to take her grandmother’s photos in the middle of her farm located north of the Zambian capital Lusaka. She then posted them on her Instagram page. Ten minutes later; the posts had a thousand likes.
There was too much unexpected love from her followers mostly from the US and Zambia.
What is the Granny Series?
Zambian granny Margaret Chola is a fashionista per excellence in her 80s. Photo/Legendary Glamma
The Granny Series is a fashion design project founded by Kaumba mainly exhibiting her granny, Margaret Achola in different stylish outfits. Kaumaba created the series in April 2024 to show the world the other side of her grandmother’s fashion exploits.
Granny Series features Chola in different outfits and poses twice a month. She does a blend of traditional and contemporary fashion styles always completed by designer sunglasses. Her colour choices have a Zambian theme as an honour to the land.
Other times, Legendary Glamma steps out in a fully teenage western look with a pair of jeans or a styled skirt, a top, a golden necklace and designer boots. Her favourite look for the series is a t-shirt with her image emblazoned on it and completed by a fairish wig.
Kaumba in an interview with BBC Africa said that her grandmother loves jeans and wigs because she never wore any of them as a young woman. As a stylist with over a decade of experience, she loves the lavish and trendy look Margaret Chola exudes.
Her colour patterns, hat and jewellery create a clashing but bold fashion aura. On a personal level, the series tells so much about Chola’s life story and her love for fine things fashion and lenses included.
How Many Followers Does Legendary Glamma Have on Instagram?
She has 88,500 Instagram followers, most of whom enjoy her life’s authenticity wrapped in fashion and tradition. A quick tour of her socials shows a blessed woman living in her octogenarian days spiced with style. However, Margaret Ochola doesn’t forget where she is from.
Margaret Chola, a Zambian fashion icon in her 80s. Photo/Legendary Glamma
In several photos, she poses in chic outfits and beside a goat. Further, she does amazingly well in shots where she tags along her portable radio and her traditional smoking pipe. The radio, smoking pipe and goat represent her traditional self; they are the luxuries of her times. Nevertheless, she doesn’t mind a splash of a trendy lifestyle with her golden bangles and necklaces complementing her outfits.
Does the Granny Series Inspire People?
Kaunda asserts that the series is so inspiring to the older generation that she has four clients hiring her to style their grannies. Her new clients fall between 70 and 96 years old. Her grandmother loves this life because she cares less who judges her which often holds many people back from pursuing their dreams.
Modelling at her age has given her life a new meaning. She wakes up every day with joy and enthusiasm, unlike yesteryears where memories of her past life always left her feeling regretful.
