A fashion season can come to feel a lot like the movie Groundhog Day—running from show to show, you find that even very disparate designers will touch on many of the same themes. Not so Lagos-based label Maki Oh, which operates well outside the fashion hive mind. This time out, designer Maki Osakwe s starting point was a Nigerian hairstyling technique called threading, an inspiration she elaborated into her traditional adire prints, including one of a girl with threaded hair, and hairlike fringe embroidery. As is her wont, Osakwe fused her Nigerian references with coolly elegant Western silhouettes, notably pencil-lean dresses; the standout look here was a velour sheath with inserts of sheer material that produced a seemingly magical hang. The circular necklines and seaming on other pieces echoed the effect. Elsewhere, Osakwe explored more laid-back cuts, executing boxy tees, lapel-free jackets, and pajama pants. Still, this was a typically natty affair, relaxed but not casual per se. Likewise, Osakwe s incorporation of heavier fabrics, such as the velour, and items fit for cooler weather, like the jackets, did nothing to diminish or distract from her unique point of view; Osakwe may be conceding to the seasonal needs of her increasingly international clientele, but she s doing it her own way.
