Lagos Fashion Week S/S 2019 Day Two Review

Day Two of Lagos Fashion Week could be described as a day when reputations were cemented, more of later, but also big doubts with some more established names as to whether the hype, pressure or general hailing, that in our part of the world is par for the course had resulted in a loss of form. It is sometimes easier to keep churning out what is working or selling but it gets to a critical mass when not evolving can potentially result in stasis. Loyal customers who buy pieces by the half dozen are great for now, but a dicey proposition to rely on for the future, especially if growth beyond the domestic market to capitalise on regional, continent wide and global opportunities is part of a brand’s long term strategy.

Commencing proceedings were two Fashion Focus finalists: Bloke and Demure by Denike, with Bloke by far the stronger. Bloke’s Creative Director Faith Oluwajimi  entitled his collection “Collection About Nothing” with the colour white utilised as a starting and finishing point. Iterations of tailoring that would appeal to the younger man who wants to look pulled together but is also proud of his heritage were sent down the runway, and one is assuming the white face markings on models were a nod to indigenous religion.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

As earlier indicated some reputations were well and truly cemented and it was felt most in the area of men’s trad. Curiously, the two dominant forces, Ugo Monye and JZO, showed on day two, with both putting arguably their strongest showings yet. Over the years Monye has built a following who go to him for exquisite renderings of traditional attire, and today he pushed the envelope further with a series of long line tunics in cobalt blue with cardinal red accents. The long staffs the models walked with channeled the village elder of yesteryear, but one who has a side-hustle of being the style arbiter for the traditional ruler. The show stopper and indeed closer was a short agbada teamed with an Abeti Aja cap; even if one takes away the show’s ‘mood enhancers’ which in this instance included a full company of traditional talking drummers, the metamorphosis of an outfit that conceptually screams ‘wedding guest attendee’ into something that could be worn anywhere else was inspired. For men of a certain generation, wearing white trad indicates an elevation in station – mainly due to the fact that the dry-cleaning bill will no longer make your eyes water but also because it lends the wearer gravitas. Monye offered some alternative propositions: first evening trad – think brocades, tunics with chain fastenings and asymmetric tunics with contrasting and visible linings, and secondly black trad with texture in fabric combinations – black satin and cotton for instance – bringing the luxurious wow factor. Will black trad become the thing to step out of your G-Wagon or Bentley?  Very likely.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

In the instance of JZO their collection was an extension of a mandate that since 2014 Creative Directors Joseph Ike and Olamide Akindeinde have been refining which is how to make trad an active sartorial essential rather than a cultural obligation for the younger man. It’s a thin line between edgy and try-hard, but JZO have consistently created pieces that other designers might have a moment of wishing they had thought of the same idea first, such will the inevitable popularity be. This season, asymmetry in tunics and jackets which provided sexy hints of torso in addition to collars and doubled up sleeves turned the familiar into the unusual and covetable. Palette choice was strong without being obnoxious with cobalt, claret, and burnt umber tempered with black and white. When you’re on a creative roll such as this it is best to simply continue.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

Going beyond the shores of Nigeria, Senegalese brand Tongoro Studio and Ghanaian brand Studio 189 were a window into alternative African aesthetics. Tongoro Studio’s Creative Director Sarah Diouf in a previous interview with Elle South Africa has said the “The Tongoro girl is one of a kind; she’s an adventurer.” And travel sprang to mind in a collection that felt like wealthy woman on holiday rather than pieces you could throw on every day. Drawstring trousers, voluminous legged jumpsuits and roomy tunics in greys, blues and whites or lilac and lime prints accessorised with tiny totes or exaggerated cylinder-shaped clutches were not for the Monday morning meeting but were pretty nevertheless.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

 

Studio 189 also had a resort season vibe with a sunshine yellow and deep blue palette, yet even with the Soukous music  bangers at full volume it never fully took flight. It did however, have a celebrity moment with fashion blogger, and special editorial guest of Lagos Fashion Week Tamu McPherson taking to the runway.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

The evening closed with Lisa Folawiyo a woman who is not only one of the principal poster girls for Nigerian fashion but also by virtue of her business beginnings is seen as the standard bearer for print. In what felt like her most personal collection yet she referenced growing up in 80’s Nigeria and how that has informed the woman she has become today, with even the music choice of Old-School classic Odyssey’s “Going Back To My Roots” augmenting the point. The palette was very much tropical garden with orange, lilac and green prints, however, the sensory assault clashing was tempered by softer silhouettes that evoked care free summer days. Embellishment was by and large kept to a minimum and even the show’s opener of knee-length city shorts, off the shoulder bra top and over-sized blazer was a statement of intent; that Folawiyo known best for tunic shaped dresses and skirts could also bring fresh cool girl vibes to the table. Inevitably, there were contrasting textures; a signature that she has stayed true to and the orange neon trims referenced hair bands worn as a child as too did the corn-row hair-braid trim that featured on some of the dresses which varied in shape from bias cut to floaty midi with cutaways to hit of the night, judging by the cheers, a tulip shaped mini. The hemline variation was a business savvy one – depending on your age and figure situation, all could participate. Nostalgia can sometimes end up looking dated but in Folawiyo’s hands it was merely a tool to create pieces that chime with present times.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

For those who were there on the night, it is clear there are some omissions in this review, but it becomes difficult and somewhat disingenuous to praise collections that seem to have lost their way either in part or entirely. Whilst it is exciting and exhilarating when the spotlight is thrown on Africa, especially for those of us who live here, it is also important to temper the enthusiasm, and keep a critical eye so that in turn we can keep improving our industry. Just as it’s impossible to claim London is awash with talent on a par with the late Alexander McQueen or Paris has a dozen Yves Saint Laurents tucked away in each arrondissement, not every designer currently working in Africa is a prodigious talent. And one could counter, nor do they have to be.  Some are masters of garnering support from a particular segment of the market, still others are happy to court the media and be lauded even if the  sales sums don’t tally in the books. However,  it is the designers that are rooted in their identity  and who also challenge themselves artistically and dare to translate the complex layers that make up  the numerous contemporary African narratives, whilst simultaneously creating collections that are lusted after the world over, that will  truly endure.

Lagos Fashion Week S/S 2019 Day One Review

The French have a name for the new academic year – La Rentrée,  when students are brimming with excitement at the prospect of new learning. It also implies return, after all learning is continual, there is always more to discover and more to master, and if you love fashion there is always a new uniform to fall in love with too. Lagos Fashion Week kicked off what is now the creative season and includes contemporary art fair Art X Lagos, African Film Festival , AFRIFF, Aké Arts and Literature Festival and GTBank Fashion Weekend. Expectations were high this year not least because the legendary Fashion Critic Suzy Menkes Editorial Director for Vogue was in attendance.

Betty Irabor requires no introduction; as the owner and founder of Genevieve Magazine, a pioneering publication that has done much to alter the fashion landscape in Nigeria, her foray into presenting a collection seemed organic. Entitled “The Dew Collection” it was a collaboration with a host of brands including Mai Atafo, Style Temple and Needlepoint with an aim of promoting awareness on Mental Health. Rather evocatively of brighter tomorrows, the designers chose to use a sunshine palette of saffron, tangerine and white print with pieces that for the most part leant strongly to occasion wear including a number of red-carpet ready gowns. As it was for a cause, one cannot judge the collection by the same yardstick of others that followed. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how the brand develops but judging from the applause as she took her bow to Gloria Gaynor’s classic ‘I Will Survive’,  Betty’s own personal popularity will be  the fuel required and given that it’s expanding the conversations around the taboo subject of  mental health it is a worthy inclusion.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

A new name to not only watch, but to buy now, before the wahala of getting pieces when you want them gets too much is Lagos Space Project. Every fashion capital needs one: that designer that fuses intellectualism and culture to create pieces that are not only conversation starters but conclusions in and of themselves. Creative Director Adeju Thompson  was entitled ‘Project 3.1 AWO-WORKWEAR’  and he took as his starting premise what a modern-day Babalawo might need to go about his business. In turn we were treated to high waisted drawstring trousers with voluminous legs, overalls that were given a knife precision finish, long line tunics with outsize pockets that would render a handbag entirely optional rather than necessary and wrap adiire skirts with white shirts worn very insouciantly by both men and women. Granted, some customers might be put off from the lack of overt sexiness from the pieces, but to offer an alternative way of dressing in a tide of Slay Queen-age and Fine-Boy-No-Pimple and excessive fuss and flounce saturating the runways was refreshing to say the least.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

 

 

Kiki Kamanu’s collection was entitled ‘Sisi Eko’ and was a love-letter to the women of Lagos, although this being Kiki it was the women of Lagos who are as fearless and expressive as the eponymous designer. Silhouettes varied from body skimming to trapeze for dresses and slimline to drop crotch harem shaped for pants, a touch that thankfully made participating in the Kiki Kamanu aesthetic not dependent on body shape or size. Slogans on pieces is nothing new to the designer who gave us the ‘Pepperdem’ dress, but this season as well as a return to the evergreen ‘LoveLagos’ hooded dress this time in a pencil silhouette and with contrasting fabric on the hemline.  We also had a cheeky top with ‘Take What You Need…’ with an assortment of options and an asymmetric hemline and clashing fabric skirt. As always there were accessories aplenty including large trapezium fringed tote bags that are sure to be a hit. The former runway model took her signature walk to Drake’s megahit ‘Kiki’ and yes, the crowd definitely still loves her.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

Anyango Mpinga was new to the roster but the Kenyan native definitely made an impact with an assured collection. A series of white lace dresses opened a show and if you are an existing Self-Portrait fan, you would have found more to lust after and purchase. Pretty prints were most definitely a thing with an asymmetric free shaped frilled  and pleated dress garnering a flutter of applause as it made its way down the runway. Equally well received were a series of red silk bird printed dresses with text that had ‘love’, ‘freedom’ and other positive words adorned to replicate newspaper headlines. Styling details such as the straw hats worn at a jaunty may have divided the crowd, but they spoke to a designer who possesses clarity of voice.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

Maxivive is definitely the Marmite of the Lagos Fashion scene with as many who love as those who dislike Papa Oyeyeni’s work, but that is oftentimes the price you pay for singularity of vision. The Collection entitled ‘How to Marry A Billionaire’ opened with some ‘look away now those of delicate dispositions’ slogan sweaters, t’s and pants, a collaboration he has created with Funmi Fagbemi. Some might say completely obscene, others will counter merely provocative. And indeed, the notion of using your more carnal charms to get what you want, whether it be a partner who can lend you the Private Jet for a quick shopping run in Paris, or for people to see and desire the real you were present in all of the pieces. Lurex, sequins and iridescent finishes indicated a continuation of the ‘Glistening’ theme explored in the previous collection, and the palette was as broad as one’s tastes or orientation may be. In the midst of the show flourishes including an unconventional bride and groom closer, were pieces that Maxivive is known for, with knitwear, shirts and trousers that were covetable and simultaneously spoke to the genderless agenda that is being championed globally. Since the show, there has been much talk that the brand went too far, was too controversial and is not representative of the prevailing norms and values of a country that for all it’s flamboyance is conservative. But beyond selling clothes,  isn’t this the point too of a fashion show and other outputs from the  creative industries be they books, film or art; to hold up the mirror to society but also to push the proverbial envelope? Amidst the hoop=la there was a lot for the existing and new Maxivive customer to wear, and whether one wishes to admit or not, apart from offering covering, clothes play many roles including denoting power and aiding in seduction.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

Closing Day One was Kelechi Odu. Full disclosure; the designer is a close member of my family. However, like a child at Christmas who doesn’t unwrap presents early even when you know where they are hidden, I was as surprised and delighted as those who persevered with the crazy-have-to-have-been-there-to-believe-it late commencement of the programme itself; a situation that had a knock on effect for all who showed, especially the designers later on in the schedule, who were seen only by hardcore to the death fashion lovers, family and friends or those who are partial to driving the streets of Lagos post-midnight on a weekday. But if you were there you were given a masterclass of executing a concept, distilling your message and leaving an audience stunned to the point that they might just not only consider but also wear what you’re proposing tout-suite. The collection was entitled ‘Automatic’ and the silhouette was a throwback to the 1970’s when men wore flares, stacked heels, open shirts or no shirts at all and had swag for days. This being Kelechi Odu, exquisite tailoring, origami folds on shirts, conceal and reveal elements on tops and the show stopper closing jacket, as well as slits half way up trouser legs meant to truly ‘dress and oppress’, the gentleman in question might need to head to the gym first. Footwear was a hybrid of then and now with wooden heeled sandals that had leather, suede and and gortex finishes. In a sea of streetwear, logo drenched mania and it-trainers, is the time ripe for the modern man to do a volte-face? If you were up for it here was your solution.

Photo Kola Oshalusi
Photo Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi
Photo: Kola Oshalusi

Overall, there were a lot of take-aways from Day One. There is no doubt that there are not only green-shoots but fully developed talents working in Nigeria and other parts of Africa right now. Has the time come for winnowing? Perhaps, especially as there was almost too wide a range of competency levels and experience on show in one evening. It’s for this reason other fashion capitals will have showcase stages or separate events on their calendars for emerging talent thus allowing buyers or members of the media who need to focus and make immediate business focused decisions on what is currently commercially and critically ready for the domestic and global marketplace.