legendary_glamma / Instagram
A grandmother from a rural area of Zambia, in southern Africa, became a style icon and an internet sensation, after investing in costumes and playing dress-up with her fashionista granddaughter.
In his 80s, Margret Chola is known worldwide as “Legendary Glamma” (an English portmanteau of the terms “grandma”, “glamorous” and “legendary”) and is loved by 225 thousand followers on Instagram for her striking and fun fashion photos.
“I feel different, I feel new and alive in these clothesin a way I’ve never felt before,” Chola tells the BBC. “I feel like I can conquer the world!”
The bi-weekly Granny Series was created in 2023 by her granddaughter, Diana Kaumba, a fashion designer living in New York.
Kaumba came up with the idea while visiting Zambia on the second anniversary of the death of her father – the person she says had inspired by his passion for fashionbecause he always dressed well.
During this visit, Kaumba had not worn all of the carefully chosen clothes for the trip, so he asked his grandmother – or Grandmain the Bemba language – if she wanted to try them.
“I wasn’t doing anything at the time, so I just said, ‘OK. If that’s what you want to do, let’s do it – why not?‘” said Chola.
“You’ll miss me when I die, and at least then you’ll have something to remember me by.”
Kaumba put on his top Grandma and a “chitenge” – a piece of patterned fabric wrapped around the waist. And grandmother’s first outfit was a silver set.
“I thought it would be interesting dress up Grandma with haute couture and then take photos of it in its natural habitat,” Kaumba told the BBC.
This natural habitat is a farm in the village of 10 Miles, north of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
Margret Chola is often photographed in all her outdoor elegance – often sitting in a sophisticated wooden chair or reclining on a leather sofa.
In the background, there are exposed brick buildings with zinc roofs, plowed fields, mango trees and corn plantations.
“Eu I was so nervous when I published the first photo. I left my phone for 10 minutes and, in that time, I already had a thousand likes”, says Kaumba.
“I was shocked. The comments were booming, and people were asking for more.”
It was in April 2024 that the Granny Series really took off, after Kaumba posted a series of photos of her grandmother in a red Adidas dress, several large gold necklaces and a sparkly jeweled crown.
“I was surprised to learn that so many people around the world love me,” says Chola, who don’t know your exact age because he does not have a birth certificate.
“I didn’t know I could make such an impact at this age.”
Chola poses in clothes that are a mix of vibrant colors, textures and styles.
In a green American football jersey, combined with a red ruffled dress worn as a skirt – in the colors of the Zambia flag, in honor of the 60 years of the country’s independence.
A blue, black and green sequined top, complemented by a gold snake-shaped necklace and bracelet.
And my personal favorite Grandma – jeans, a shirt printed with his image on the front and a blonde wig.
“I had never worn jeans or a wig before – I was happy and danced.”
Kaumba, who has been a stylist since 2012, says that her grandmother has “courage, elegance – and rocks every look”.
All looks reflect your aesthetic maximalist-chic – which celebrates the joy of excess, eclectic combinations, the big and the bold, and clashing patterns and colors.
At the center of it all are eye-catching accessories – bold sunglasses, hats oversized (large), necklaces, bracelets, pendants, rings, gloves, bags, blonde wigs, crowns.
In a particularly amusing image called GOAT – an abbreviation in English for greatest of all time (greatest of all time) – Chola appears with a goat (which is goat in English), adorned with the beloved pearls.
Other accessories too reflect the personality and history of Chola.
In some photos, Grandma he is holding the beloved radio that he carries all day and takes to bed.
Or is she hold an “ibende” – a long wooden stick that, over the years, she used to pound millet, cassava or corn.
She is smoking a pipe or holding a metal cup full of tea, and hanging from the arm of her chair is a the stove – a charcoal brazier that Zambians often use to cook, especially now that the country is suffering from severe power cuts.
Kaumba hopes that Granny Series highlight that older people still have a lot to offer – and that making memories together is an important way to “leave footprints for the next generation“.
“Do not discard them, love them the same until the endbecause remember, one day we will be like them.”
As a result of the photo shoots of GrandmaKaumba has already been hired by four granddaughters who wanted to style their grandmothers, aged between 70 and 96.
Chola hopes that the Granny Series inspires people “to live their lives and not worry about being judged by society” and encourages people to “always forgive themselves for any mistakes they have made. You can never change your past – but can change your future“.
The photo sessions brought granddaughter and grandmother even closer – and through this special bond, Kaumba learned much more about the often difficult lives of his Grandma.
Chola was raised by her grandparents, studied until she was 12 or 13 years old and then, for economic reasons, was forced to marry with a man in his 30s. She had three children, ended up drinking excessively, and then managed to escape her marriage.
That trauma still haunts her, but her unexpected global fame gave him a new breath.
“Now I am able to wake up with a purposeknowing that people around the world like to see me,” says Chola.
