Photo credit, Luxury Media Zambia
A grandmother from rural Zambia has become a style icon and internet sensation - after agreeing to play dress-up and swap outfits with her fashionista granddaughter.
Margret Chola, who is in her 80s, is known around the world as "Legendary Glamma" - and adored by 225,000 Instagram followers for her striking and playful fashion photography.
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"I feel different, I feel new and alive in these clothes, in a way I've never felt before," Ms Chola told the BBC. “I feel like I can conquer the world!”
The bimonthly Granny Series was created in 2023 by her granddaughter Diana Kaumba, a New York-based stylist.
The idea came to her during a visit to Zambia to mark the second anniversary of the death of her father, who she said inspired her passion for fashion because he always dressed well.
During this visit, Ms. Kaumba did not wear all of the outfits she had carefully selected. So she asked her grandmother – or “Mbuya” in the Bemba language – if she wanted to try them.
"I wasn't doing anything at the time, so I said, 'OK, if that's what you want to do, let's do it, why not?'" Ms Chola added: "You'll miss me when I die."
“You will miss me when I die and at least this way you will remember me.”
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Ms Kaumba wore Mbuya's top and a "chitenge" - a piece of patterned fabric wrapped around her waist. Mbuya's first outfit was a silver pantsuit.
"I thought it would be nice to dress Mbuya fashionably and then photograph her in her natural habitat," Ms Kaumba told the BBC.
This natural habitat is a farm located in the village of 10 Miles, just north of the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
Most often, Ms. Chola is photographed in all her splendor outdoors, often sitting on an elegant wooden chair or reclining on a leather sofa.
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In the background are exposed brick buildings with corrugated iron roofs, plowed fields, mango trees and corn crops.
“I was so nervous when I posted that first photo. I left my phone for 10 minutes and in those 10 minutes there were 1,000 likes,” says Ms. Kaumba.
“It took my breath away. The comments were pouring in and people were asking for more.”
It was in April 2024 that the "Granny Series" really took off, after Ms. Kaumba posted a series of photos of her grandmother wearing a red Adidas dress, several chunky gold necklaces and a sparkling jeweled crown.
“I was surprised to learn that so many people loved me all over the world,” said Ms. Chola, who does not know her exact age because she does not have a birth certificate.
“I didn’t know I could have such an impact at this age.”
Ms. Chola poses in clothes that are a mix of bright colors, textures and styles.
A green American football jersey, paired with a frilly red dress layered and styled as a skirt - in the colors of the Zambian flag to pay tribute to 60 years of independence.
A blue, black and green sequin top, accompanied by a gold snake necklace and bracelet.
I had never worn jeans or a wig before - so I was happy and dancing."
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And Mbuya's favorite: jeans, a graphic T-shirt with his image and a blonde wig.
“I had never worn jeans or a wig before, so I was happy and dancing.”
Ms. Kaumba, who has been a stylist since 2012, says her grandmother has "courage, grace and she pulls off every look."
All looks reflect her maximalist-chic aesthetic, which celebrates the joy of excess, eclectic combinations, the big and bold, and clashing patterns and colors.
At the heart of it all are eye-catching accessories: bold sunglasses, oversized hats, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, rings, gloves, bags, blonde wigs, crowns.
This influence comes directly from her grandmother, who “always loved pearls and bracelets”.
In a particularly playful scene titled GOAT - short for greatest of all time - Ms. Chola appears with a goat - which is adorned with Mbuya's beloved pearls.
Other accessories also reflect Chola's personality and history.
In some photos, Mbuya is holding her beloved radio which she carries around all day and takes with her to bed.
She also holds an "ibende", a long wooden stick that she has used over the years to pound millet, cassava or corn.
She smokes a pipe or holds a metal cup filled with tea, and hangs from the edge of the arm of the chair a "mbaula" or charcoal brazier that Zambians often use for cooking - especially since the country is plagued by severe power cuts.
Photo credit, Kooma Jnr
Ms Kaumba hopes the 'Granny Series' will highlight the fact that older people still have a lot to offer - and that creating memories together is an important way to "leave a mark for the next generation".
“Don’t write them off the map, love them until the end, because don’t forget that we will be like them one day.”
Following Mbuya's photoshoots, Ms Kaumba was hired by four granddaughters to do the hair of their grandmothers, aged between 70 and 96.
Ms. Chola hopes that the "Granny" series will inspire people to "live their lives without worrying about being judged by society."
She invites people to "always forgive themselves for the mistakes they have made. You can never change your past, but you can change your future."
The photo shoots brought granddaughter and grandmother closer together, and through this special bond, Ms. Kaumba learned much more about her Mbuya's often difficult life.
Ms. Chola was raised by her grandparents, went to school until she was 12 or 13, and then, for economic reasons, was forced to marry a man in his 30s.
She had three children, started drinking heavily and eventually escaped marriage.
This trauma still haunts her, but her unexpected worldwide fame has given her a new taste for life.
“I can now wake up with purpose knowing that people around the world love seeing me,” Chola says.
Penny Dale is a freelance journalist, podcaster and documentary filmmaker based in London.
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