ARISE FASHION WEEK 2018
“Metallics in every color were on display during Lanre Da Silva Ajayi’s show” - EuroNews
“Bespoke Couture designer Ozwald Boateng’s highly anticipated show didn’t disappoint, showcasing a mix of tailoring, styled with a modern twist.” - Associated Press
“Tinie Tempah’s capsule collection ‘7 days ‘Till Lagos’ played homage to his Nigerian roots, merging British style and African clothes in a complementary way.” - UK GUARDIAN
“At ARISE Fashion Week, .... You could almost point the camera in any direction and be guaranteed a good shot.” - Trevor Stuurman to British VOGUE
All grown-up true princesses must agree LDA speaks to their fashion fantasies like no other. Naomi Campbell led a train of gold lamé floor length dresses, hers a sleeveless tiered tasseled frock, capturing her movement with anti-pendulum swing. Brushed gold fabrics petering into black chiffon breaks, revealing a shimmer of legs, or model’s posterior, underneath. LDA’s collection spoke of a risqué princess freed of corset and hungry for fun.
The collection’s colour palette encompassed African nude to muted hues in purple and black. This SA team, never fail to deliver ‘beautiful’, this time channeling a woman who aims to take off the external sleeve of beauty to reveal the natural beauty underneath. The body featured prominently in this collection, at times feigning conservativeness, at others, revealing its true self. Naomi wore a purple print, feathery, three-quarter-length jacket (presumably with nothing underneath).
Adire was given a jolt of life and turned into a new non-ethnic signifying fabric, perhaps African, perhaps Japanese or even neither. Stripped Aso Oke jackets with a colourist’s colour matching skills took the fabric into a new luxurious space for today. Clearly a case of bright is right for this designer who is at ease clothing either sex.
If these clothes could speak they might say: Be not afraid of thy tone of flesh! Radiating from an obvious love of the flesh tones of Africa, this collection outlined the skin with barely-there chiffons and silks. An exotic eroticism was on display, though not profane. The clothing was a clever and at times, complex mix of fabrics joined to make an outfit.