~Togo Waves & Road Maps~ Emeka Chucks Alams

"We were traded from the gold coast by Europeans by our own African brothers. This trade has changed our world and reshaped our thoughts. Living by European standards throughout the African diaspora we have forgotten what makes our culture powerful, rich and unique. Here we strive for riches and neglect our families, we smile upon others while wishing for their demise, all things associated with the mind frame of those who began this trade.
Formerly - We would gather in large numbers to mourn with those who mourn and to rejoice with those who rejoice. We have forgotten that we came from a continent where guiding, correcting and rebuking children is everybody’s’ task; a continent with green forests, clean rivers and undiscovered natural resources abound. The continent is love. Still, you dont know or understand. This is my effort to get back to that."- A WEST AFRICAN 

Beautiful, inspiring words by Nigerian American,  Emeka Alams, the designer and art director of Gold Coast Trading Co. Although he was born in America, Emeka fondly says 'in his head, he grew in West Africa'. He started Gold Coast Trading as his medium to show the world the other side of his home.  I 'm drawn to the  vibrant colors he incorporates into his clothes in such a random, unexpected way, its like a breath of fresh air. I love the fact that his vision is clear, once i saw the photographs i thought of Africa but through a different perspective. I think the fact that he wasn't born in Nigeria worked to his advantage, because its always refreshing to see what African fashion means through someone else's eyes. The result of that being an African inspired line with (in my opinion) a 'london boy'/retro flare that gives his clothes a kind of spunky, quirky twist. Can you dig it? Cuz i am certainly digging it right about now. This collection is the Spring/Summer 2010 line called 'Togo waves & Road Maps'. There is something almost poetic about this line, that makes me just want to speak to him, hear about his inspirations, and what he has planned for next. For me, the Gold Coast Trading label is amazing in its simplicity, it is basic yet bold, it is distinct, colorful & fresh~ and i LOVE it.

Ps-  ♥ the different currencies in the shorts pocket. Spotted the N100 & N10 instantly :) xoxo

~Bam Bam Sha Bam~ OBSIDIAN presents "CONTROL".

Isoken Ogiemwonyi is the young woman behind the OBSIDIAN label. The word Obsidian rolls of your tongue like a firm statement, a strong word that can't be used in conjunction with anything else.  Hence my excitement when Isoken told me about her new Spring/Summer 2010 collection called CONTROL. A very befitting name for what Obsidian personifies in my mind. The dresses are simple yet chic, innovative yet wearable, young yet sophisticated. I love the fact that each dress is different, all telling a different story. This isn't the first time i've seen Isoken's work as i was fortunate to be around her while she worked on her first collection (the collage is a montage of my favorite pieces). I saw the amount of hard work and commitment she put in to follow her dream, not letting anything get in her way of pursuing what she loves. The fashion film below is fabulous, the editing is perfect and its symbolizes how creative Nigerians are & how far we have come. I'm happy to see her dream coming to life, she can only go UP from here. Below is an interview with the designer herself! xoxo

What inspires your work?

Ah. This particular collection referenced the film noir genre. In general though – inspiration can come from music, books, fabric, M.A.C Visuals. I know this is cliché, but I am inspired by life, life and beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I’ll qualify by saying that I am inspired by whatever is beautiful to me at a particular point in time.Occasionally when I have too many references that I am excited about, I sketch it all – edit to a point where I feel comfortable, and then produce the samples. Sometimes there is another pre-production edit – some things are beautiful but not necessarily in the same way as everything else in the collection! 

How did you come up with the theme for the new collection?

Aside from the general message of being in ‘Control’ of your image, I was fixated on Rita Hayworth’s character in ‘ The Lady From Shanghai’. Her grace and the mix of strength and vulnerability was something I tried to portray in the collection as a whole, from the fabric choices to the styling  in the film and photos (Bolaji Animashaun is a genius) . I like to think the collection is modern but with classic silhouettes and just something any woman can enjoy and relate to.

 Do you have a particular person in mind when you design?

The Obsidian woman – Strong, Feminine and self assured. She has a sense of humour and cool, but cool in a timelessly relevant way as opposed to a ‘flash in the pan’ hot today, nowhere tomorrow. She can interpret a trend in a way that stays true to her personal style, but not in a way that portrays her as an overly pretentious, stereotypical ‘airhead fashionista’.

How would you describe your personal style? 

Haha – A year or two ago I would have said fun, expressive and experimental. Now I'm working so hard the one thing I think of at ALL times is comfort. I still enjoy dressing up from time to time but I definitely go for a simpler more classic silhouette now.

What is the hardest challenge you've had as a up and coming designer?

Hmm. It’s hard to choose one really. There have been myriad issues to be honest. Nigerian designers don’t get as much support as they should, so the little you do get is treasured! I’m not saying we should accept mediocrity, but I think it’s important to give credit where credit is due, and really think before we make unfair judgments, baseless assumptions or harsh critiques. Ultimately, I find that as a people we love to associate ourselves with success – so I guess until I ‘make it’ lol I shouldn’t expect any overwhelming support. Production has also been a thorn in my side – the tailoring in this part of the world is not always amazing. So quality control is a problem, I am naturally a laissez-faire type manager but to get the work done to a standard I am comfortable with I have to micro-manage. It can be exhausting, but I think at the end of the day (as is true with any entrepreneurial endeavour) when you love what you do, it makes it all worth it.And of course constantly trying to push yourself, to innovate and take risks, learning to listen to criticism constructive and otherwise without taking it too personal. It’s definitely a steep learning curve. 

Where do you see Obsidian in ten years?

The dream or the business plan? LOL.  I'll tell you the dream then – If you can conceive it you can achieve it abi? *wink* Stores in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Accra and Capetown. Stockists in London, Paris, Milan, Stockholm, New York and LA. A strong brand in general with brand extensions in other luxury sectors! (That’s the ‘SparkNotes’ version) 

Describe your line in three words. 

Detailed, Feminine, Strong

~ The Ladies who Lunch ~

I came across this cover of Elan (free Sunday style supplement for 234next) on the internet and i fell in love with the photo. The first thing that came to mind was my blog header picture (the ladies are Nigerian btw) ~ fabulous ladies who lunch. What's even more amazing is the lime green suit is made out of aso-oke. A lime green aso-oke suit? Who would've thought those two could ever be in the same sentence! Loving the purple and white hat, they make the ladies look timeless. The dresses were made by Kemmy Oguntosin Solomon (owner of KemKem studio) and retail for N69,000. Not bad, at all. Need to find out whose responsible for the styling. Fabooshness!

Images re-blogged from Xolqrcexo.

~Bleeding Fashion~ OPÉ the Style Artist

Opé is a Nigerian American fashion stylist, creative director of fashion photo shoots, image consultant and personal shopper based in NYC. Yep, a mouthful of amazingness!! Surprisingly, she has no formal training but says she has been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil. Before getting into styling, she worked for designer Betsey Johnson for a number of years and  considers Ms. Johnson an early influence but sites designers Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood  as inspirations.  Her styling is so over the top & avant-garde, i find it breath taking. Her creativity shines through her shoots as each picture depicts a different story. I love seeing different kinds of art and ope is a reiteration that art truly comes in different forms. She paints and sketches and describes fashion styling and creative direction as a 'way to extend artistry on to the canvas of real life'. 

When beginning work on a project,  Opé  issues the following caution: “When cut, I bleed fashion…” Argh, loves her!!!

Check out her website: http://www.opestyle.com/

                                                                                                ❤

~Too Cool For School~ Oroma Elewa

Nigerian born, Oroma Elewa is the editor and creative director of Pop'Africana Magazine. The magazine is an extremely innovative perspective on art, fashion and style. There has been an international anticipation and buzz that has been bubbling for over a year now about the mag and has even been described as the African VOGUE. Oroma started the magazine herself with no external funding which i think is truly commendable and applaud worthy. 

However, this post is not entirely about the her magazine, as fabulous as it is, its about the girl herself. Her style to me is so chic, its sinful. Her individuality is reflected in every single thing she wears. She's not afraid to look silly, taking risks with shades of lipstick I could never have the balls to rock but somehow, she always gets it right. There's something authentically fabulous that she has going on, that made me inclined to do this post about her and share her distinct dress sense with y'all. Check out her blog ~http://popafricana.com & be sure to pick up the FIRST edition of Pop'Africana which she describes in three words as ~ 'bold, inspiring, and distinct'. Loves her.

 The Official First issue of Pop'Africana hits stands in New York, Paris, London, Berlin on the 29th of April 2010. Cannot wait to pick up mine- as they say in Nollywood; 'GRAB YOUR COPY, NOW!!!!!' :-D

Link: All images are from http://popafricana.com -