Our Dark Envy: Styling April Love by Geleyi

MAY 2013

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3

Our Dark Envy: Styling April Love

contents Editorial Ditching Western Cliché with a Splash of African-Themed Caps Wicked Obsession with Black Coffee Break Out the Ankara tees An “African Queen” Look to die for! Your Dark Envy: “Love April” The Hidden Secrets of “I Do” Fire Up Your Style and Passion, Maki Oh! Don’t miss Africa’s Summer Style Rage Flatter your Curves like ‘Mad Men’ The Amazing Story of Capulana How to Arouse Random Awesomeness Raw from Ghana: Be an Asofo Prints Soldier A Tale of Stylishly Conscious Bags Get the African Royalty Looks without the Fuss! Break Hearts and Necks with Bags Made-To-Fit Brighten Your Summer With Hesey Bags! Unleash Your Wild Soul!

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To our beloved readers,

ur lives move in fast forward. This is no secret. It’s hard to believe our third issue is already out and being read by African fashion lovers and newcomers to the game alike. Aside from the different lives we live, the team at gèlè is dedicated to sharing the good news of the microcosm of both highend and obtainable African fashion, reflecting our love for Mother Africa and the resources she constantly pours out for us to benefit and make good with. Knowing that our art and dedication to this magazine is proving fruitful is enough to express thanks to supporters everywhere. The cover photo is from the young label Love April, who has just released their new spring/summer 2013 collection, influenced by the collision of masculine and feminine counterparts. As for what’s inside, you will find caps that throw traditional Western looks out the window, a love for Black Coffee, secrets of “I Do,” some Mad Men inspiration, and a whole section called ‘Online Finds,’ dedicated to featured pieces to be bought, well, online. Bringing you the best of African fashion, as always, is our mission statement. No matter what obstacles we may face as a magazine, the end goal is always you, the reader. We make sure your product is delivered. Stay tuned and turn the page. We promise you won’t be disappointed!

Welina Farah Editor-in-Chief

gèlè Ditching Western Cliché with a Splash of African-Themed Caps

unfere Koroye, the brains behind Fusion Kelvar, recently joined forces with Lagos-based artisans to create a 5-panel hat in 3 different prints. They are not available online to buy quite yet, but if you’d like to help fund the project, it’s on Indiegogo. “Often I think to myself about morphing the Nigerian aesthetic and all that comes to mind is the practical tribal representations as opposed to the uncomfortable western ideals that have turned into clichés. Sometime last year, my associates and I spoke about creating proper hand crafted goods with engineered African wax prints that wouldn’t be a cliché piece of clothing. We settled on a five panel, as some know is tough to make, which is why it took nearly a year to realize. After working closely with a skilled Nigerian menswear tailor here in Lagos, it was realized gloriously in 2 weeks. We plan to keep pushing quality dry goods that stem from innovation, function and culture. This project is now on Indiegogo, for anyone willing to share and donate to the cause. This is just the start of my better ideas to come, supporting this project will lay down a foundation for a stronger republic.” via OneNigerianBoy

...the joy of African Fashion

A Wicked Obsession with Back Coffee: Spring/Summer 2013 Collection Coverage The first night of South Africa’s summer Fashion Week made me want to ditch the rest of the shows! After seeing Black Coffee’s summer 2013 collection, I’m afraid I’ll compare the other designers mercilessly to the perfection that was Black Coffee's collection.

Images are courtesy of Ivan Naude from ‘Planet Ivan’

Titled ‘Imprint,’ this line was made up of form fitting mesh garments, matched with handmade patterns created through applique (a needlework technique where pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto another piece of fabric to create designs, patterns or pictures).

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It was a work of art. A dance team opened the show and dropped the yellow petals you see 1on the runway. via teeteeiswithme

gĂ¨lĂ¨ Breaking Out the Ankara tees

oldman Supply Co. is a casual tee shirt brand based in Lagos, Nigeria. All of the products are sourced and supplied locally, giving way to African print on cotton tees and tanks. Their debut spring/summer 2012 collection features tanks, shorts sleeve shirts, and 3/4 sleeve baseball tees. All tees have finished waxed fabric (also known as Ankara) pockets and fold-up patches. Check them out on Facebook for more information. via OneNigerianBoy

...the joy of African Fashion

An “African Queen” look to die for!

nfluenced by the 1951 classic “The African Queen” starring Katherine Hepburn, Liam Fahy, Zimbabwean designer of shoes, has released his spring/summer 2013 collection entitled ‘Congo’ after the film location. Fahy adds a feminine touch to a masculine loafer by giving it a bit of heel and uses a mix of materials for the collection, all to make the perfect shoe assortment.

Things like medieval leather sword belts, Java prints, Congolese mask designs, and furry pom-poms all represent Fahy’s cultural experiences from his travels and living in Zimbabwe, in some way or the other. via Shadders

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Your Dark Envy: “Love April”

s a new label, ‘Love April’ is really showing off with the level of creativity going into each piece. It is a very flexible brand, blending antique with modern, masculine with feminine, telling a unique story with each piece. “This season we followed our natural instinct and creatively produced bold tribal prints. Our muse was that of historically illustrating African womanhood. Our motive was to not only harness the Love April woman’s natural female form through dramatic tribal prints, but to also uniquely contemporize the look and feel of each piece. Inspired by the world history generations of women and androgyny artworks, the Love April’s collection plays on the mixture of masculinity and femininity. Our exaggerated seamlines emphasize our cling to modern culture. Our true, bare, and chic necklines keep us in the realm of ancients. Our abstracted textured prints will ultimately immortalize the classic style and feel of a woman.” - Nina Barkers-Woode, CEO and creative designer via Style Cravings Shop the Look

...the joy of African Fashion

Break Hearts and Necks with Bags Made-To-Fit

n the Swahili language, furaha means ‘happy.’ Socially conscious East African brand Furaha was created in 2010 and uses the skills of local artisans to create their works of art. The brand is best known for their “Kikapu,” a traditional hand woven raffia palm basket covered in eclectic African prints and textiles. The baskets are hand-woven by women in rural villages in central Uganda,

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receiving all their income from the production of the bags. Given the circumstances, Furaha started an initiative called “Weave Out Poverty” to promote basket weaving, a common and traditional skill, as a home-based industry. The ultimate goal is to provide opportunities to generate income as well as sustainable employment for the weavers. These entrepreneurs eventually go on to create their own small businesses, secure loans allowing them

to expand their workshops, and weave a proud future. Bags can be bought here. Via CiaAfrique

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The Hidden Secrets of “I Do”

...the joy of African Fashion

ove, Tims” is a line of wedding gowns by Nigerian wedding company “I Do Weddings”. The founder, Timi Ejiwunmi, tells us the story behind the company: “‘I Do Weddings’ is a weddings solution company. The name speaks, one says ‘I Do’ after they exchange vows and we literally do weddings as a business. The company started off primarily with wedding planning (which we still do) and has now expanded to other services including a new bridal line, which we’re extremely excited about.” The line is called “Love, Tims” because each dress is a labor of love. As a love letter to each bride, each dress is signed off with ‘Love by Tims’, the designer’s nickname. The line also includes bridal accessories, like veils, bridal sashes/belts, and other wedding necessities. ‘Love, Tims’ also takes into consideration their home country of Nigeria and the tradition for brides by offering boleros and cap/illusion sleeves. “[Love, Tims] is for the bride who has a taste for finer things,” says the website. “[The bride who] wants to look elegant but doesn’t want to have to fly abroad or break the bank. There is no reason why beautiful wedding dresses cannot be purchased in Nigeria and so we bring in a fresh injection of glamour, elegance, class and timeless beauty.” The dresses are not yet available online, but Ejiwunmi tells us they are on their way. via BellaNaija

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gèlè Fire Up Your Style and Passion, Maki Oh!

igerian fashion label Maki Oh is taking her individuality and putting it all over fashion in her fall/winter 2013 collection. Featured in Vogue Magazine and Vogue’s Style.com, this label has

captured attention from all over the world with its conversational pieces, technical structures and detailed construction. The label’s new collection, inspired by hair threading, uses adire material to create exquisite pieces in white, lilac, and blue tones. The pieces have uneven hems, a couple of jackets to appeal to southern hemisphere habitants in their fall season, and signature sheer detail, typical of Maki Oh designs. via LadyBrille

...the joy of African Fashion

Don’t miss Africa’s Summer Style Rage

ith summer right around the corner, the African online store Sapellé has reloaded their lookbook with warm dresses and light, airy outfits to fit the mood of the season. via CiaAfrique

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gèlè Flatter your Curves like ‘Mad Men’

ith the taste of the words ‘classical movie’ on our lips, we are reminded of the TV show “Mad Men” and all the ‘modernized women’ we see. This feel comes with Tai Adeboyeku’s autumn/winter 2013 collection. Adeboyeku has worked with some big names like Derek Lam, Donna Karan, and Catherine Malandrino. Each piece is its own timeless classic with a design tapered and created in order to flatter the curves on a woman. Fringe, backless dresses, trimmings, monochrome sections, and lemon, bright pink, and grey frequent the collection. via BellaNaija

...the joy of African Fashion

The Amazing Story of Capulana

ozambican designer Taibo Bacar has just released his latest autumn/winter 2013 lookbook. It features amazing pieces mostly made with a specific African print fabric called "Capulana.” If interesting in finding out more about Taibo Bacar, visit his website. via CiaAfrique

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gèlè How to Arouse Random Awesomeness

zar (pronounced ‘zar’) is a Nigerian brand specialized in shirts.

Created from the love of prints and galvanized by the ethos of the ‘metrosexual man,’ this brand gives us their debut collection entitled, ‘Random Awesome.’

With loud and bright blends of colors, bold prints, and the unisex feel, these tee shirts are sure to be successful. Just think of all the wardrobe possibilities available! via Uberchicmichi

...the joy of African Fashion

Raw from Ghana: Be an Asofo Prints Soldier

. Sauvage, a British/Ghanaian designer, has dropped his spring/ summer 2013 line, featuring signature camouflage prints and Asafo (dancing) prints. A. Sauvage has established its visual by working Ghanaian heritage with British simplicity. The collection is available online with some up for pre-order.

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via OneNigerianBoy

gèlè A Tale of Stylishly Conscious Bags

ineta Sanor, an emerging Senegalese-French ethical fashion brand, has released their new spring/summer 2013 collection. The brand has changed their name from Diablotine, so if you’re looking to buy anything from their new line, be mindful of the name change. The following is pulled from their website: “Fashion should be used for something. To meet the standards of this statement, Bineta Samor has opted to purchase all their fabrics in Africa- mainly Senegal- in order to partake in the development of small local businesses.” via CiaAfrique

...the joy of African Fashion

Get the African Royalty Looks without the Fuss!

aven + Etomi, a brand started by three best friends, has rolled out their debut collection for the masses: KINGDOM IDIA luxury tee shirts. Pulling directly from their website, the ladies are “… inspired by their heritage, culture, and historical artifacts. The idea behind the shirts is one of accessible luxury, combining fashion and function …each shirt holds a piece of African history in the form of a historical artifact and in it is woven a story that is long forgotten; with meanings tied in ritualistic and social importance and of course, status. This powerful symbolism not only shares a piece of history with its wearers, but creates an aura of African royalty.” Caven + Etomi had another photo shoot for their lookbook in Lagos, Nigeria. The IDIA tee-shirt collection is the first from the label. It taps into Benin and Edo origins, all the while incorporating contemporary aesthetics like Givenchy. via OneNigerianBoy

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gĂ¨lĂ¨

Brighten Your Summer With Hesey Bags!

esey Designs, created in July 2012 by Eseoghene Odiete, is a Nigerian brand creating bags for women with West African infused prints.

Following a number of success stories and experiences on the fashion scene (featuring in Lagos Style Week, 2011 and working with fashion platforms like dealdey.com and as well as offline magazines like Business Day Newspaper, Guardian Life Magazine), After all of the success stories, experiences on the runway (including Lagos Style Week 2011), and published articles (featured on dealdey.com, Business Day Newspaper, and Guardian Life Magazine), Hesey Designs is currently focused on growing their accessory line, which includes shoes, bags, and slippers. And of course, all designs are inspired by the African culture. Catch a flash sale on Facebook or drop them a line to inquire about making a purchase. Via Uberchicmichi

...the joy of African Fashion

Get Your Wild Soul On!

ou may think to yourself, “Uh huh, that’s nice, good to know,” when you hear a brand has donated to a

cause.

But what do you think when a brand allows you to choose where the money will go? wEnter Wild Soul sunglasses. “Wild Soul was created on the premise that there are causes greater than our own that can and must be supported. We are dedicated to giving supporters of Wild Soul a platform to help the causes that are close to their heart. That is why when you buy a pair of Wild Soul Sunglasses, a portion of your purchase goes to a charity of your choice, contributing to health, societal and environmental initiatives. We choose to be part of something bigger; creating a product that allows anyone to be part of something bigger too.” Created in November 2012, Wild Soul aimed at helping customers ‘fulfil their souls’ by allowing them to choose where their money goes, all while feeding their ‘wild’ side with products called Owl, Lion, Elephant, and Rhino. If interested, these sunnies can be purchased through their Young Republic page. Via UberChicmichi

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The production team

Director Bamidele Omotosho Editor-in-Chief Welina R. Farah Design and layout David Jérémy Delonnay

Special thanks We here at gèlè would like to thank the following blogs for their determination, hard work, and dedication to African fashion. Without them, we would not be here. Thank you.

OneNigerianBoy CIAAfrique BellaNaija Ladybrille Magazine

COVER PHOTO CREDIT: LOVE-APRIL