This is September. Hot Girl Summer is over, and school is now in session. Fashion Month is here, so be sure to take notes! This is the busiest time of the year for most fashion designers who wish to reveal their new collections (typically in New York, Paris, Milan, and London). But, in true OYE studio fashion, Lagos Fashion Week has been appointed class prefect. Throughout the next several weeks, I will be writing about some of my favorite African brands I hope to see at Lagos Fashion Week, what I love most about their work, and my predictions for their upcoming collections this year. First up: MEENA What I love most about Meena: The Meena brand doesn’t have...
Africa is art. Struggle. Triumph. Experiences. Environment. Art is fashion. Prints. Color. Shapes. Architecture. Africa is fashion. Culture. Storytelling. Creativity. Originality. Truth. Oftentimes, we see or read about “African-inspired” collections from European fashion designers. What I have struggled with is identifying what exact element draws the African “inspiration”. Is it the people? Our skin; our hair; our style; our interactions? Is it our struggle? Is it our triumph? Is it our history? Or could it quite possibly be our fashion? Our culture? Such inquiries should truly beg the question: why us? Perhaps it should be more complex. Where in Africa is the inspiration from? Was there a landmark that sparked said creativity? Was it...
