Meet Margret Chola: A fashionista 'Glamma' styled by her granddaughter who became an icon

Clarence Ford speaks to Primedia Plus Digital Content Editor Barbara Friedman about trending online stories.

[Skip to 05:08 on the audio player below for this story.]

Margret Chola is a grandma or rather fashionista 'Glamma' in her mid-80s from rural Zambia.

Chola's also known to the online world as 'Legendary Glamma' - and adored by 225,000 Instagram followers for her striking and playful fashion photographs. 

She coined the name and thousands of online supporters/followers with a fortnightly 'Granny Series' which was created in 2023 by Chola's granddaughter Diana Kaumba, a stylist who is based in New York City.

The series is based on playing dress-up and putting Chola in her granddaughter's outfits that are a mix of vibrant colours, textures and styles with rural Zambia in the background of the images - after the first post, Chola became an internet sensation.

Kaumba, who has been a stylist since 2012, said her grandma has 'courage, grace - and nails every look.'

The 'Granny Series' aims to highlight that older people still have a lot to offer - and making memories together is an important way to 'leave footprints for the next generation,' Kaumba reportedly said.

'It surprised me to hear that so many people around the world love me... I didn’t know I could make such an impact at this age,' Chola has been quoted saying.

People on social media are calling Chola, 'the Iris Apfel of Africa' - reminiscent of the New York style icon who died in March 2024 at 102 years old.

"I think this is just so so sweet... she's an internet sensation on the cover of quite a few fashion magazines, she has hundreds and thousands of followers who comment on her posts with rural Zambia in the background... there's something cool about this juxtaposition, it's very artistic."

- Barbara Friedman, Digital Content Editor - Primedia Plus

Here are some of Chola's looks below: