Daria Shapovalova Picks the 6 Standout Collections from Lagos Fashion Week Inline
Photo: Kola Oshalusi1/6Gozel Green
“Gozel Green is a Nigerian label created by twin sisters Sylvia and Olivia Enekwe in 2010. Gozel Green is known for strong silhouettes, a mix of different textures, and a blend of folk and modernity. My favorite looks were a skirt and top with big, round, colorful details, and a white dress with red strings.”
Photo: Kola Oshalusi2/6Loza Maléombho
“I am really glad that I had a chance to discover the work of Loza Maléombho. Loza relocated to her native Côte d’Ivoire in 2012, after establishing her studio in New York. Her current collection, Zaouli, is inspired by a Guro princess called Djela Lou Zaouli. The collection explores the aesthetic of Zaouli dancers with fringe trimmings in bright colors and a mask figure in a very stylized fashion within the structures of some of the garments. I especially loved the fabrics—natural burlap paired with woven kente, linen, and polyester. Statement dresses paired with bright standout sandals made a perfect mix. It was rare not to see a bright print, which made this collection so different from everyone else’s. And of course, I should mention the saucy details—cutouts on both sides of the dresses, as cool as they come!”
Photo: Kola Oshalusi3/6Maki Oh
“One of the LVMH Prize 2014 semifinalists, the label Maki Oh is designed by Nigeria-native Amaka Osakwe and has certainly already occupied its firm place on the world’s fashion map. Osakwe’s current collection was exclusively reviewed by Vogue.com, and her prints are so strong they are already becoming recognizable worldwide. The Maki Oh collections are symbolic and multilevel, with a strong connection to the designer’s native region and its culture. My favorite looks were a black jumpsuit with a delicate beige top-meets-shawl and a dress with a teardrop print and a white and blue perforated hem. The show started with a video that was shot on the streets of Lagos and inside the studio, with a projection of the prints featured in the collection—and the whole experience only proved the complexity of Maki Oh’s brand’s philosophy.”
Photo: Kola Oshalusi4/6Meena
“Meena, a brand created by designer Uju Offiah, was one of the standouts of Lagos Fashion Week for me, as I loved her easy-to-wear and authentic designs. The dresses with cutouts and folds, statement prints, classic costumes with slouchy silhouettes—I can see myself wearing looks from this collection and having the best street style ever during major Fashion Weeks.”
Photo: Kola Oshalusi5/6Orange Culture
“I first scouted Orange Culture two years ago at Pitti Uomo in Florence. Their collection was featured in the section of young talents and was so different from everything I saw at the time. After Pitti, the brand was chosen for the semifinal of the LVMH Prize, and its founder and designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal came to Paris to showcase his collection to the industry s top insiders. Adebayo’s brand is well established on the local market, despite the high competition in menswear during Lagos Fashion Week. Adebayo Oke-Lawal describes Orange Culture as a ‘movement’ more than a clothing line, for a creative class of men who are ‘self-aware, expressive, explorative, art-loving nomads,’ which was proved in his current collection.”
