In my eyes, Amaka Osakwe, creative director of Lagos-based label Maki Oh, is the quintessential African artist. African artists in particular are keen to use their creative works to address relevant societal issues, and artists in general make culture popular by renewing old customs in refreshing ways that make new trends from established concepts. Ms. Osakwe always finds a way to do both, using her latest line to add breadth to the never ending versatility of ancient Yoruban fabrics and to address the question of what it means to be a black
Valentine's Day gift/shopping ideas for women, from some of your new favorite black-owned fashion & beauty brands:
Hello! I'm behind on my blogging but here a few pictures of my outfit for the day in Milan. I wanted to make sure that in packing for this trip, I stayed true to my own personal style while keeping my clothing fun and romantic to set the tone for the trip.
Maki Oh's S/S16 collection was designed with blessed hands and Ejiro Amos Tafiri's eponymous brand delivered designs that gave us the glory!
Although Amaka Osakwe, creative director of "Maki Oh," showed her S/S16 pieces in an exclusive release video for Vogue.com, her LFDW15 show was still eagerly anticipated by the crowd. Known for utilizing local fabric and taking native Nigerian aesthetics to a global stage, Maki Oh has strong supporters at home and abroad. This year's collection was inspired by the Yoruba custom "Arodan," a practice that parents use to distract pestering children by sending them in search of a thing that does not actually exist. Though native to Nigerian culture, Arodan is relatable to general philosophical inquiries into the absurdity of life and the planned undertakings of humans which often render results other than our intended outcome.
Lagos Fashion and Design Week concluded this past weekend and the collections shown have been making major rounds in the press. Vogue.com spotlighted its top five picks but I was dissappointed that the uber talented Mai Atafo wasn't mentioned...
Tsemaye Binitie launched his self-titled women's wear brand in 2010 and since then has consistently delivered on his founding principles of complex minimalism. Often incomporating traditional African aesthetics into contemporary fabrics and sleek sillohettes, Tsemaye produced clothes that are well-finished and wearable by any woman who appreciates a good dress
Olakunbi Oyelese, creative director of "April by Kunbi" has created a brand that is renowned in Nigeria for women's bridal and ready-to-wear designs. Her S/S16 line entitled "Intuxicated," catered
Folake Coker, creative director of the Nigeria-based brand "Tiffany Amber" is known to deliver lightweight, loose-flowing styles that are symbolic of the effervescence of the West African woman.
Weiz Dhurm Franklyn was another in the long list of LFDW participants who came to wow. In his own words, his S/S 2016 collection is "inspired by the baroque era" and "is filled with rich embroidery details and voluminous trains." In short, Franklyn's clothes this season were pure art! Innovative, avant guard and fresh, are a few of the descriptives that this collection brought to mind. Check out a few of my favorites below:
