Grandma with chunky sunglasses becomes unlikely fashion icon

A grandma successful agrarian Zambia has go an benignant icon and net sensation - aft agreeing to play dress-up and swapping outfits with her fashionista granddaughter.

Margret Chola, who is successful her mid-80s, is known to the satellite arsenic "Legendary Glamma" - and adored by 225,000 Instagram followers for her striking and playful manner photographs.

"I consciousness different, I consciousness caller and live successful these clothes, successful a mode that I’ve ne'er felt before," Ms Chola tells the BBC. "I consciousness similar I tin conquer the world!"

The fortnightly Granny Series was created successful 2023 by her granddaughter Diana Kaumba, a stylist who is based successful New York City.

She came up with the thought erstwhile she was visiting Zambia to people the 2nd day of the decease of her begetter - the idiosyncratic she says inspired her passionateness for manner due to the fact that helium ever dressed well.

During that sojourn Ms Kaumba had not worn each her cautiously curated outfits, truthful she asked her grandma - oregon "Mbuya" successful the Bemba connection - if she wanted to effort them on.

"I wasn’t doing thing astatine the time, truthful I conscionable said: 'OK. If that’s what you privation to bash let’s bash it - wherefore not?'" Ms Chola said.

"You volition miss maine erstwhile I dice and astatine slightest this mode you volition beryllium remembering me."

Ms Kaumba wore Mbuya’s apical and "chitenge" - a portion of patterned cloth wrapped astir the waist. And Mbuya’s archetypal outfit was a metallic pantsuit.

"I thought it would beryllium bully to formal up Mbuya successful precocious manner and past instrumentality photographs of her successful her earthy habitat," Ms Kaumba tells the BBC.

That earthy situation is simply a workplace successful the colony of 10 Miles, conscionable northbound of the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Most often Ms Chola is photographed successful each her glamour extracurricular - often sitting connected an elegant woody seat oregon lounging connected a leather sofa.

In the inheritance are exposed ceramic buildings with corrugated robust roofs, ploughed fields, mango trees and maize crops.

"I was truthful tense erstwhile I posted that archetypal photo. I near my telephone for 10 minutes and successful those 10 minutes determination were 1,000 likes," Ms Kaumba says.

"My caput was blown. The comments were flying successful and radical were asking for more."

It was successful April 2024 that the Granny Series truly took disconnected - aft Ms Kaumba posted a bid of photos of her grandma successful a reddish Adidas dress, respective chunky, aureate necklaces and a glittering jewelled crown.

"It amazed maine to perceive that truthful galore radical astir the satellite emotion me," Ms Chola says - who does not cognize her nonstop property due to the fact that she does not person a commencement certificate.

"I didn’t cognize I could marque specified an interaction astatine this age."

Ms Chola poses successful apparel that are a premix of vibrant colours, textures and styles.

From a greenish American shot jersey, combined with a layered frilly reddish formal styled arsenic a skirt - successful the colours of the Zambian emblem to wage homage to 60 years of independence.

To a blue, achromatic and greenish sequined top, implicit with a aureate snake necklace and bracelet.

And Mbuya’s idiosyncratic favourite - jeans, a graphic T-shirt with her representation connected the beforehand and a blonde wig.

"I had ne'er worn jeans oregon a wig earlier - truthful I was happy, and I was dancing."

Ms Kaumba, who has been a stylist since 2012, says that her grandma has "courage, grace - and nails each look".

All the looks bespeak her maximalist-chic aesthetic - which celebrates the joyousness of excess, eclectic combinations, the large and the bold, and clashing patterns and colours.

At the bosom of it each are eye-catching accessories - bold sunglasses, oversized hats, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, rings, gloves, bags, blonde wigs, crowns.

That power has travel straight from her grandmother, who has "always been a person of pearls and bangles".

In 1 peculiarly playful country called GOAT - abbreviated for top of each clip - Ms Chola appears with a goat - that is decked retired successful Mbuya’s beloved pearls.

Other accessories besides bespeak Chola’s property and story.

In immoderate shots Mbuya is holding the beloved vigor that she carries astir each time and takes to furniture with her.

Or she’s clutching an "ibende" - a agelong woody instrumentality that implicit the years she has utilized to lb millet oregon cassava oregon maize.

She is smoking a tube oregon holding a metallic cupful afloat of tea, and hanging disconnected the borderline of the seat limb is an "mbaula" oregon charcoal brazier that Zambians often usage for cooking - particularly present that the state is plagued by terrible powerfulness cuts.

Ms Kaumba hopes that the Granny Series volition item that older radical inactive person a batch to connection - and making memories unneurotic is an important mode to "leave footprints for the adjacent generation".

"Do not constitute them off, emotion them conscionable the aforesaid till the extremity due to the fact that retrieve we volition beryllium conscionable similar them 1 day."

As a effect of Mbuya’s photograph shoots, Ms Kaumba’s been hired by 4 granddaughters to benignant their grandmothers - aged betwixt 70 and 96.

Ms Chola hopes that the Granny Series volition animate radical "to unrecorded their lives and not interest astir being judged by society".

She urges radical to "always forgive yourself for immoderate mistakes you made. You tin ne'er alteration your past - but you tin alteration your future".

The photograph shoots person brought granddaughter and grandma person - and done their peculiar enslaved Ms Kaumba has learnt truthful overmuch much astir her Mbuya’s often hard life.

Ms Chola was raised by her grandparents, went to schoolhouse until she was 12 oregon 13 and then, due to the fact that of economical reasons, was forced to wed a antheral successful his 30s.

She had 3 children, ended up drinking heavy and yet escaped the marriage.

That trauma inactive haunts her - but her unexpected planetary fame has fixed her a caller lease connected life.

"I’m present capable to aftermath up with a intent knowing that radical astir the satellite emotion to spot me," Chola says.

Penny Dale is simply a freelance journalist, podcast and documentary-maker based successful London.