Bono's entrepreneurial wife Ali Hewson – she and her man are the creative forces behind the Edun fashion line which benefits the poor in Africa – showcased the brand’s latest wares during New York Fashion Week last Sunday.

Minus Bono, who’s currently in Africa, Ali was in the front row with pals including Julian Lennon and supermodel Helena Christensen.  Her mission this time around, she explained to a fashion blog, was to "toughen up the image of Edun, to show that we can present strong and commercial fashion that sells and that people really want to wear.”

Edun is seven years old now, a tribute to the hard work and dedication Bono and Ali have poured into the brand. 

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“The fashion business makes the music business look like child’s play. It’s been a tough mountain to climb, but it’s great to see how much change we’ve been able to affect. So many more factories are there now, and we’re really helping to develop an industry in Africa,” says Hewson.

The fashion show received some glowing reviews. “Very young and fun and edgy,” said Teen Vogue’s Andrew Bevan. “And the garments feel really good on, too.”

Lennon, for his part, thought it all went by too fast. "It seems like an awful lot of effort for 10 minutes of show," he said.

The show featured 37 outfits, all for fall of this year, with 29 of them made directly in Africa.  The continent also provided inspiration for the clothes themselves.

“Among the most striking fashions -- a graphic zebra print in a shoulder dress, draped prettily over one shoulder, or a silk safari print shirt dress, or a springbok (gazelle) silk twist dress, or an electric blue leopard-mix print dress,” wrote a reviewer for the Associated Press.