In conversation with Eva Sonaike, the queen of Afro-prints
THROUGH her use of traditional West African textiles, pattern and colour, journalist-turned-designer Eva Sonaike is a forerunner in the world of luxury African design. But rather than just art for art’s sake, her work draws on a deep and nuanced connection to her Yoruba and continental heritages, married with an astute understanding of the modern business of interior design.
Piet Smedy: How did your career as a fashion journalist, TV producer and PR give you an edge in the interior industry?
Eva Sonaike: When I started the company in 2009, I was under the impression that my role as creative director would involve a lot of design and creative work. But I quickly learned that I was running a business and could apply the skills that I had acquired in my previous media career. Meeting tight deadlines was familiar to me, I could write copy for my blog and knew how to write a press release that caught journalists’ attention. Most importantly, my career in fashion journalism, TV and PR developed my creative eye and the hunger to develop my own brand that told my story.
PS: Your offering has remained firmly in textiles, home decor and accessories – why are these the ideal vehicle for your creativity?
ES: From a very young age, I have been obsessed with interiors. I decorated my dolls’ house with African fabrics, which I found in my mum’s wardrobe and, when I was a teenager, I redecorated my room every month. I love expressing myself through the way I dress but feel that I can express myself on a deeper level through interiors and the way I live. When I started the brand I had some fashion items but very soon decided to focus solely on interior items. And that is still the case now: a luxury African-inspired interiors brand.
PS: Over the years at your eponymous label, how has your understanding and appreciation of African textiles – the production, the colour and pattern applications, the tradition – evolved from your first ‘Ankara’ fabric collection?
ES: It has expanded immensely. I started with the ‘Ankara’ fabrics, which I sourced from various retailers around the globe, but already knew back then that I had to create my own textile range to be commercially viable. Over the years this has developed and incorporated other African textile traditions. There are so many textile traditions on the African continent and I am by no means familiar with them all but I think it is my responsibility to continuously expand my knowledge of these fabrics and also act as a catalyst that introduces people to this culture.
PS: Take me through your design process – how do you conceive of an idea and grow that idea into a physical collection on shelves?
ES: One of the most important aspects of my work is colour. So I start every collection with a palette; even before I know the exact aesthetic of the collection. The inspiration for my designs come from my travels and experiences on the African continent and, in particular, my West African Yoruba culture and traditions. I am a very visual person, so I find inspiration where other people don’t see the value. For example, my ‘Falomo’ collection is inspired by Tropical Modernism, the West African architectural style of the 1940s to 70s, which came from my obsession with derelict mid-century buildings in Lagos. I have hundreds of pictures on my iPhone and am dreaming of buying one of these houses in Nigeria and bringing it back to its former glory. I can see that my work has matured over the years, but I assume that, if you mature as a person, both personally and in business, you also mature as a designer.
PS: Your West African heritage has served as a deep well of inspiration, with previous collections including ‘Ojo’, which references your childhood memories of the rainy season in Lagos to ‘Eko Eclipse’. What part of your Africaness is inspiring you now and what are you planning for future collections?
ES: Africa will always be at the heart of my work. But I think what makes my work different is my ‘transcultural’ approach. I was born and raised in Germany and have lived in the UK for half of my life. I see myself as a ‘Thirdculture African’ and I think that’s why my work speaks to a variety of people from all walks of life and cultures.
PS: As an entrepreneur, especially a first-time business owner, there’s bound to have been moments of trial and error, of setbacks and victories – what is your advice to designers wanting to break into the industry?
ES: I have made so many mistakes and, to be quite honest, am still making them now. When I started, I had an impression that running a creative company meant mostly designing and sketching. But I quickly had to learn to put on my CEO hat to sustain a profitable company. This included brushing up on my financial knowledge, sales planning and learning to distinguish what is right for your business at the time. But the most important thing is to utilise everything you have learned or been before – all skills are transferable and can come in handy when you think about it.
PS: Over the past few years we’ve seen the industry – particularly in the West – appreciating African design, and African identities, not as monolithic or fetishised, or dismissed or diminished due to its provenance, but as culturally significant and, indeed, as a luxury commodity. How do you see yourself and your brand in the larger global conversation around African design?
ES: It is a great feeling that the African narrative and aesthetic finally gets a seat on the table. I feel immensely proud to be part of this and hope that many will follow on the path that we all have created together.
THERE’S a never-ending supply of SUVs on the market, ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. Audi has been a strong player in this realm for years with its popular Q range and despite a limited number of SQ8 TDI models entering the country, the “normal” Q8 proudly straddles the range.
We got to drive the turbo-diesel option in the form of the Q8 45 TDI quattro and, while you pay a premium for the diesel, I reckon it’s well worth it.
SMOOTH, EFFORTLESS PERFORMANCE
The 3.0 litre V6 turbo-diesel engine seems to have no end to its power when you decide to use all of its 183kW and 600Nm of torque and, as with all of Audi’s gearboxes, the eightspeed Tiptronic fitted here combines perfectly to push the heavy SUV along effortlessly.
It provides a relaxed drive that isn’t too hard on the pocket when it comes to fuel consumption and, with that amount of torque, towing anything large like a fully loaded horsebox wouldn’t provide much of a challenge.
The styling people at Ingolstadt have also managed to get it right for what they classify as a SUV coupe, the fact that it has four doors notwithstanding, that nomenclature indicating two doors having long been discarded by manufacturers.
It’s visually striking to be sure and won’t ever be considered a wallflower. With the optional S-Line Platinum package fitted to the test car that had 22-inch alloys, red brake calipers, adaptive air suspension and some nice-tohaves on the exterior, the Q8 drew many curious glances.
STARSHIP ENTERPRISE VIBES INSIDE
It gets even better inside, where you feel like you’re in the Starship Enterprise, including the comfortable seats and driving position.
It’s quite confusing at first with two screens and the Virtual Cockpit facing you with a myriad menus and
options to choose from but once you get the hang of it it’s easy enough and as an owner you’ll have plenty of time to explore it.
The two touchscreens in the centre have haptic feedback so when you select an option it gives a “click” like you’ve pressed a button. The top screen houses most of the functions while the second screen takes care of climate control and ventilation. As you would expect Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are supported.
The black and brushed-metal surfaces and outstanding finishes give it an air of proper sophistication.
HANDLES WELL FOR ITS SIZE
We took it on a lengthy drive around the Cradle of Humankind that included some dirt tracks, highway driving and twisty sections.
Sure it’s not exceptionally fleetfooted, and it’s not intended to be, but for a car this size in Dynamic mode it handles itself exceptionally well and it never waivered while the steering is direct and reassuring.
On the dirt you can raise the ride height to 254mm so it will take on some difficult tracks but if you intend to do regular visits to game parks I would suggest staying with the standard 20-inch higher profile tyre.
Its bread and butter though is highway cruising or long stretches of tar.
Curfew was a lot earlier than it is now and a friend and I had to be back after we had helped a mate with some repairs to his car.
The roads were almost deserted and while there may be a slight turbo lag on take-off once the big Q8 gets up to speed the engine feels like it’s never going to run out of torque while it hunkers down and willingly gobbles up the kilometres in extreme comfort.
We averaged just under 10km/L during our time with it and considering the size and weight of the car, that’s very impressive.
As you would expect in a car that’s priced at over R1.5 million there’s every safety feature you can imagine if things go awry as well as Matrix LED headlights that shine into tomorrow while adjusting themselves to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. Sound is courtesy of a 3D Bang & Olufsen set-up and many of the options are easily controlled from its well-fitting steering wheel.
VERDICT
The Q8 45 TDI quattro isn’t cheap by any means, and it doesn’t have the option of fitting seven seats but it’s an incredibly smooth operator and as the halo product in the Q range it wears the crown proudly.