Runway | Old Style by Molekor Old

29 Sep 2014

Fashion (…and my take) From The Nigerian Native And Vogue Fashion Week.

The Native and Vogue fashion week was a 3 day event organised for established fashion brands in Nigeria and Africa to show off their stuff and then offer a platform and an opportunity for new designers to also find an entry way into the mainstream of fashion in Nigeria and depending on the reach of this organization, I guess globally.

This they did some days ago and true to their word, there was a show of awesome pieces by the ‘already established’ brands. So while we are on that subject, first question: when we call a brand already established in Nigeria, what really do we mean? do we say this because most of us in the big cities have heard their names and seen their work on the runway for a long time? or do we say they are established because they record handsome amounts of profits at the end of each financial year and these numbers grow astronomically every year? more than that do we say this because we know that their clothes are in every high-end store or boutique in the country?or do we say this because they clothe our local celebrities which make up about 2% of our population? now which of these would apply to the brands shown below do you think? this is one question that has long been at the top of my fashion conscious mind begging for answers so forgive me if I seize this occasion to ask…

No doubt, our designers have worked hard over the years not only in showing that creativity is not exclusive to a certain region in the world but that we can come up with collections worthy of international acceptance; but we all know that it is not an easy feat for any serious designer who has not moved to the known fashion cities in Europe and America to become a globally accepted brand. It takes much more than being creative.I do not think starting out the right way is a problem for us here, the challenge begins in knowing how to expand and in a way that is accessible to your target market. What does it take for a fashion brand to be successful? that is a topic for another day but I will say this, any designer who wants to make it big and by big I do not mean in their city alone but nationally (let’s start there…)has to learn to be business savvy. It goes beyond the runways which by the way is a good way to be noticed and to get financial backing; and it also goes beyond clothing the really small percentage of celebrities and perhaps rich clients who can afford your products, I mean let’s be real, how many of them do we have in Nigeria? maybe if you were clothing this small percentage globally you would be driving to the bank in your limo like the Oscar de la Rentas and the Pradas of this world but can you do that in Nigeria? and really is there any fashion brand in Nigeria that has that wide a reach in this country? in their clothes, or accessories? A store that gets to retail your brand will only buy wearable clothes which they can sell to their customers and not the ‘couture’ we see on the runway. Are such negotiations being made?…um just asking…

Utilizing the social media,blogs, making affordable collections and items that will make money for you, lending your brand name to companies that make other products that you may not be able to produce like bed sheets, towels etc are only a few ways to get the money rolling. Everyday, designers around the world are looking for more ways to reach the ‘shopping masses’ for a healthy turnover. Are we doing the same here?

As someone who lives in Abuja which is a major city in Nigeria, the only way I get to know about these brands besides the use of social media and magazines are by word of mouth and blogs, I really cannot say if any of these ‘established brands’ go beyond that but I could be wrong… Granted, social media as well as online stores, blogs and magazines are the next level in getting any brand out there but in Nigeria folks, where our delivery system though we know is still on the way to ‘getting there’ is not as close as I would allow for my N300k (almost $1,900) dress or even N100k ($625)worth clothing, to be sent if I so decided to buy one online which could be my only given option. So, is there any hope of an average Joe entering a store say in Port Harcourt, no matter how ‘select’ the store may be, to shop these brands like we now do with indigenous make up brands? or do all of them only focus on making ‘bespoke’and ‘couture’ pieces that are made to order?

The big question remains, how established are they? I’ll leave you to answer that if you can, while I show you some really awesome collections shown off the runways of the 3 day show:

LuizDeLaja

Dumebi Onyejiaka

Zizi Cardow

Johnson Johnson

Luiz De Laga

Carpe Diem

Revamp

Ade Bakare

Yomi Casual

YomiCasual the designer

House of Bunor

House of Bunor the designer

Kosibah

DakVal

Vero Nora Couture

Naked Ape

KlukCGDT

Amos Ejiro Tafiri

Dumebi Onyejiaka

Wendys

…Like I said, really awesome! Zizi Cardow is a brand I heard about and loved years ago. She made me love the new ways of using the Ankara fabric to make contemporary designs for clothing. She seemed to have disappeared under the radar but here she is with her collection and again I’m in love. I like how she manages not to make her designs over the top but still infuses her creativity on her brand. Designers like Ade Bakare and Kosibah whose brands span across continents, give their designs a more international feel although they are more averted to designing wedding dresses, then there’s the House of Bunor who I think has a strong hand on evening gowns and the such… I love the simplicity and cut of this designer, Yomi Casual and the other African designers like KlukCGDT and Naked Ape also brought a refreshing feel to the show I think.

If you ask me I’ll say they were right when they used the term ‘…a fresh runway’. I like the new names like Johnson Johnson and Revamp. I think Revamp ought to follow-up on that butterfly concept for their retail pieces because I absolutely loved it every time they appeared on an outfit! … or maybe it’s because I love butterflies? is anyone with me on this? Well, if you are, send a comment OK?

Hugs:))

Molekor.

PS: Click on the photo you like to get a better view.

Photos: native and vogue.com

Posted in Runway and tagged AD, Ade Bakare, Agbani Darego, Amos Ejiro Tafiri, Carpe Diem, DakVal, House of Bunor, Johnson johnson, klukCGDT, kosibah, Naked Ape, Native and vogue Fashion show port harcourt, Revamp, Wendys, yomi casual, Zizi Cardow | Leave a comment

25 Sep 2014

More of My Fave Picks From The SS 2015 Fashion Week…

Yes there’s more and we are taking it all in! I’m sure you stylistas are eager to see more photos from the runways! Well, what can I say…There was that first outing of Giamba, the little sister to the brand we all know and love, Giambattista Valli, this collection designs with the young spirited girl in mind, perhaps the teenagers of our time. I loved the feminine yet chic looks in this collection. Jeremy Scott had fun with his life-size barbies at Moschino, Etro was another hit for me, very boho chic and there was Pucci in those colorful flowy jewel necked dresses which looked to me like they were from a city in Greece in the days of the Hanging Gardens… was that Greece? no?…Babylon?… history? Anyway, they looked beautiful and while each model strutted out in as many lengths and cuts as this beautiful collection could work, out comes Naomi Campbell! nice! Kendall Jenner made an appearance here also and her make up was so nice and clean, I absolutely loved it! and then Bluemarine… those colors…the sea….

Here are some more looks we love: