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Every few months, social media and fashion sites light up with a new “fashionable grandma,” showcasing women in their 70s or 80s who refuse to give up their vibrant personal style. The late Iris Apfel, who passed away earlier this year at 102, was one of the most iconic figures in this growing movement, proving that style truly has no age limit.
Luxury brands are also jumping on the trend, casting stars like singer Debbie Harry and actress Charlotte Rampling in campaigns for their fall-winter and spring-summer collections. Alongside the usual fresh-faced models, the fashion world seems eager to embrace diversity, shifting its focus to older audiences instead of solely catering to Gen Z.
Enter Margaret Chola, an 80-something fashion sensation from Zambia and the face of the Instagram account Legendary Glamma. The page is run by her granddaughter, New York-based stylist Diana Kaumba, and Chola’s bold, colorful style is taking the fashion world by storm. Her rise reflects two broader trends in fashion: first, the increasing visibility of older women—particularly Black African women—who have long been excluded from mainstream Western fashion narratives.
The second is an indirect nod to La Sape (short for Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes), a subculture born in the 1930s in Congo’s Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Known for its dandy-inspired style rooted in colonial-era elegance, La Sape celebrates meticulous, flamboyant dressing. While Chola doesn’t officially identify with the movement, her wardrobe undeniably reflects its aesthetic.
Kaumba started the Instagram page last year during a visit to Zambia. What began as a trip to commemorate the second anniversary of her father’s passing turned into an impromptu photoshoot. Using clothes she brought from New York, Kaumba styled her grandmother, who enthusiastically embraced the idea. “I feel alive in these clothes like I never have before,” Chola told the BBC. “In these outfits, I feel like I can conquer the world!”
Chola’s growing international fanbase stems from her unique styling—a vibrant mix of old and new, traditional and modern, African and Western influences. Kaumba skillfully blends countless styles and inspirations, creating striking, carnival-like looks that pop against Zambia’s rural backdrops of water pipes and desert landscapes.
In one standout image, Chola dons a blue maxi dress with an African print, vintage 1970s square sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed straw hat reminiscent of the French label Jacquemus. In another iconic shot, she sits beside a goat adorned with a pearl necklace, wearing a vintage period-style jacket, turquoise sunglasses, and a regal gold crown encrusted with gemstones.
Kaumba, who often appears alongside her grandmother in similar outfits, hopes the Instagram account inspires followers to see the potential of life at any age. She also views the project as a way to preserve her grandmother’s legacy. “It’s important to love your grandparents fully because one day, we’ll be just like them,” she told the BBC.
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Chola herself sees the photos as a message of empowerment. “I hope these pictures inspire people to live their lives without fear of being judged by society,” said Chola, who had to leave school at 12 and was married off to an older man due to her family’s financial struggles. “I believe it’s important to forgive yourself for past mistakes. You can’t change your past—but you can always change your future. Today, I wake up knowing that so many people around the world enjoy seeing me.”