International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8. It's a day to celebrate and value what women are, what they've achieved, and their wealth of potential, which is so often unrealized. It's also a day to get to work addressing the persistent inequality, indignities, and disrespect that limit women's human rights. 

The message of empowerment is loud and clear from BFyne as we continue to challenge the status quo with our contemporary swim and resort-wear fashion. With Nigerian-American designer Buki Ade, we have long promoted body positivity, but we also celebrate diversity with bold and natural tones. Buki ties her designs back to her culture, but she also creates collections that are sexy and beautiful in their own unique ways.  

 The History of International Women's Day 

International Women's Day celebrations have a history that's more than a century old, as working women increasingly fought for fair and equal treatment, safety, and basic rights at the workplace. The first associated protest was in 1907 or 1908 when a few thousand of New York City's female garment and textile workers marched to demand better pay, safer working conditions, and the right to vote.  

The first official National Woman's Day was in 1908 to unify women around the causes of women's rights and suffrage. The struggle entered the international stage as more than 100 women from 17 countries were organized around the International Conference of Working Women in 1910. While protests continued around the world, the United Nations observed the first International Women's Day in 1975, and we now celebrate Black Women's Day on March 1.  

We still have so much to work toward as we celebrate the fierce strength and creative power of Black women like Buki. She celebrates empowerment even as she accentuates the curves in a body-positive way. It goes back to a woman's desire to be independent and to embrace her own sexuality in empowering and beautiful ways. Her work is also part of a global support network of sisterhood, which celebrates and is inspired by diversity, culture, and a supportive community.  

Why Is Empowerment So Important?  

Female empowerment focuses on a woman's strength, but it's so much more. Rihanna once said, "There's something so special about a woman who dominates in a man's world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer." It's more than just an attitude; it's the willingness to believe that women matter, that they have a voice, and that they can make a difference.  

Buki is making a difference with her designs in the world of fashion. There's such a bold beauty and magic in her designs. They speak for themselves, but there's also an unabashed pride in embracing the feminine form as something that can and should feel empowered. Her designs are confident, flattering, and comfortable — exactly what women desire.

What Sets BFyne Apart?  

Buki Ade's innovative collection focuses on empowerment and independence, with truly innovative designs that feature chic-and-sexy cutouts, straps, long sleeves, and high necklines. Her inspired and inclusive designs have been featured in Glamour, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and Vogue.  

Buki is also making waves on the runway with Models of Color Matter (MOCM)! In an interview with the New York Style Guide, Buki says, "My inspiration behind BFyne is to showcase women of color. It's just to showcase that we're queens and design clothes that not only I would wear but people who look like me would want to wear."  

Her collections highlight the beauty of African sunrises. She says, "Everything in Africa is so beautiful, I just wanted to present it in another way. I really feel like we're making history. I want every Black girl to feel represented, to feel like someone cares." In her collaboration with MOCM, her focus was on equity advocacy and representation, with a focused emphasis on natural beauty with everything from the models to the make-up artists.  

What's Next: The Empowered Design Solutions From BFyne 

Even after hundreds of fashion shows around the globe over more than a decade, model Renee Bhagwandeen said, "This was my first ever fashion show that was produced by an all-Black team that celebrated me! We were treated with dignity and class, and the environment and energy of these beautiful powerful women is something I'll always cherish."  

Buki's designs are already popular with celebrities like Tyra Banks and Alicia Keys. The contemporary swim and resort-wear fashion designs are the perfect blends of form and function, which embrace diversity and female empowerment. Her designs mix vividly printed colors to fit any body type. They really are part of a fashion revolution, designed to inspire. 

Shop our latest collections from BFyne here!