thestyleHQ Fashion Week Daily Day 2 by The Style HQ

TheStyleHQ FASHION WEEK DAILY

Table of Contents

Street Style Bolaji Animashaun Creative Director MARYAM KAZEEM Editor-In-Chief

DEYI DIPEOLU Business Development

Fashion Assistant Creative Debs Faridah Adebiyi Styling Assistant Aisha Bello Projects Project Manager Seun Awogbade Project Assistant Toni Aladekomo Project Assistant Bidemi Adesanya Production Manager Ibraheem Junaid

EDITORIAL Beauty Editor Lola Maja Fashion Contributor Noble Eze Contributor-at-Large Aisha Kazeem Editorial Assistant Elohor Omonenu Editorial Assistant Daphne Omonenu Editorial Assistant Oluranti Adegbola Assistant to Editor in Chief ChiChi Omolebele

GRAPHICS KOSOKO ADEKUNLE PHOTOGRAPHY Obi Somto Bernard Okulaja Tope Adenola Demilade Roberts Imole “Tobbie” Balogun

Inside Lagos Blowfish Hotel Stephanie Coker

Model Diaries

The Beauty Project

Uju Marshall

Runway Highlights

In the details 2

Street Style

Photography: Bernard Okulaja Tobbie TCD Maguire

The combination of the completely Nigerian inspired aesthetic combined with an outsider’s outlook produced something that was familiar, progressive and directional all at once. The humble dashiki transformed into a transcendent fashion object at his skilful hands, made asymmetric and relevant once more. I can’t wait to see what he does next and I hope he continues to be inspired by his home country. For this sort of thing to come from menswear is also a secret pleasure of mine and adds to my respect for his craft. Maki Oh: The collection was more streamlined and commercial than Maki’s previous collections, but that did not stop her from exploring some intriguing ideas about femininity, virginity and the fetishisation of the female as a sexual object.

Words by Yegwa Ukpo Photography: Demilade Roberts Kenneth is the wunderkind of Nigerian fashion. Fresh off an internship with Edun courtesy of the LFDW Young Fashion Designer of the year award last year, he delivered a collection that was full of nostalgia but was extremely forward looking. Using the traditional clothing of the Fulani as a starting point, he sent down trousers with delicately placed slits and well considered pockets in fabrics that are seldom (if ever) seen on runways in Nigeria. The fact that he had women in some of the pieces crossing the gender divide further cemented how future looking the clothing was.

Vulva prints over shorts, constellation prints done in adire style evoked a virgin bride’s last night as a single woman before going to her husband’s bed in order to consummate their union. Delicate pleats fluttered open and closed, offering glimpses of…something. Hidden. Secret. Intimate. As ever, a Maki Oh collection was a journey. This one was like a long awaited gift, the bows on some of the outfits begging for release to reveal a yonic paradise within. Dzyn: While inoffensive, again, I feel that brands like this do not need to be showcased on a runway. It felt like watching an endless procession of clothing based on the design of aso ebi clothing worn to weddings all over the country. One would have hoped that the designer could have used this opportunity to reflect on the inspiration behind this collection, making a commentary on the clothing women are expected to wear at these events, but sadly, this collec-

tion was presented as is. Clothing to be bought by people who spend an inordinate amount of their time attending various events around the country and require an entire wardrobe of them in order to avoid the “horror” of being caught repeating an outfit or being found outside the official colours of the day. Sunny Rose: The majority of this collection was pretty alright to begin with and I would have been very happy to focus on the above average construction and leave it at that. However, I think it went on for too long and the last couple of looks – including a cat suit with very noticeable camel toe and dresses that looked like they were made from doilies – really had no business sullying what was otherwise a pretty good collection for the most part. Sunny Rose tends to be known as a designer that presents large collections and I feel she should focus more on honing in on her strengths and dig deep instead of trying to spread her wings too wide.

Lagos I

Blowfish Hotel

magine a calm, serene and picturesque environment with pale pink and white walls; an environment that exudes an aura of finesse and style. Located right in the heart of the Victoria Island in Lagos, The Blowfish Hotel incorporates modernity and bold designs to give off an exciting atmosphere and ambience. The dĂŠcor though deceptively minimal is anything but cheap. TV personality, Stephanie Coker exudes an attitude that matches the atmosphere of the Blowfish Hotel. Wearing a white dress by Nigerian London based designer Tsemaye Binitie, paired with brown high strappy sandals, a yellow bag and a white umbrella for the perfect uber-chic look, Stephanie channels the simplicity and elegance which the Tsemaye Binitie brand is known for. Decked in white dress, she exudes sophistication and savoir vivre.

Words by Elohor Omenemu Photography: Obi Somto

Model DIARIES

shioma whose full name is Ishioma Onyebo is a svelte model that has graced the runways in various fashion shows. Her carriage and exuberant personality are just few of the reasons she’s gained so much success in her modeling care. Not one to shy away from sharing, Ishioma let us have a peek into one of her days at the LFDW despite her busy schedule. Ishioma: My days depend on if I have a big project, but typically I wake up in the morning and say my morning prayers. I know that’s a big cliché but I do! Then, I have a cup of green tea and I exercise for 30mins. When I’m done working out, I take a shower, get in the car and head here to the show. I make sure that I have lunch at some point after my rehearsals. After the show, head back home, have another cup of tea and chat with my boyfriend, then go to bed- and get ready to do it all over again! I don’t have a backstage ritual. I just make sure to stay relaxed. Nothing funny. I just sit pretty and wait for the show to start.

Seated by the pool, with box braids swept to the side, she gives off certain poise and grace that brings out the softer side of her vivacious personality. As Stephanie adds a pop of colour to the setting of Blowfish, we imagine ourselves in the empty seat at her front enjoying the calm, and a cocktail after a rainy day. The Blowfish Hotel is located at No 17 Oju Olubun Street, Off Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

When I’m waking on the runway, in my head I just think ‘I own this show.’ I’m the best thing in the show. I’m making the show happen. I have to rock this out fit and make the designer really proud. To help myself get in the mood I try and stay focused, walk and give it my best. Words by Elohor Omonemu Photography: Obi Somto

TheBeauty Project

Well my skincare regime is nothing too serious. I exfoliate three to four times weekly, I steam twice weekly and also do a mask whenever I exfoliate but only with a very thin mask. I drink a lot of water as I try to eat healthy. I’ve also been trying to transition into more organic products.

Uju Marshall

I have a scar on my left face, very close to my nose. It’s a scar I got from chicken pox when I was 8 and it hasn’t faded since then. But it’s kinda cute, I’ve grown to like it! This face was made for the camera.

Designer Spotlight WASHINGTON ROBERTS Words by Elohor Omonemu Photography: Obi Somto SHEER

N Runway Highlights

The runway report on LFDW Day 2 brought about the best in vibrant prints, bright colours and monochromatic fashion. Here are some of our faves.

PRINT BOLD COLOUR

othing says success like Washington Roberts who went from being a graduate of the Igbogbi College, Yaba to an international renowned fashion designer. His interest in fashion stemmed from his grandmother, a seamstress who taught him how to sew and pay attention to detail. And it comes as no surprise that his grandmother is his source of inspiration. His ‘fashion moment’ came as a result of him deciding to design a blazer for himself for his 23rd birthday party. This marked the beginning of what is now the “Washington Roberts” fashion label. He’s shown his designs throughout New York City, several issues of Hype Hair Magazine and on Envision Style & Substance during NYC Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. His label which is purely for women and can be described as ‘modern and edgy’ has featured an eclectic mix of dark solid colours, stripes, pastels and other fabrics. Roberts recently showcased his SS15 collection at the New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Of his new collection, Roberts says his inspiration comes from the structure of the “Aomori Nebuta House Museum in Japan”. The buildings’ exterior made of twisted steel ribbons inspired the idea of pleating fabric as contouring to frame the female form. Washington’s childhood dream of being an architect comes to life with this collection.

In the details...

Studio Jewels in Savannah We hit the streets of LFDW knowing it was going to be close to a circus. Over the years, the rise of a movement known as “street style” is definitely one of the highlights of any fashion week around the world. The streets of Studio during LFDW are relaxed as always, paved with prints & pastel. We’ve been drawn to pastel since an early age, who didn’t love those Lovehearts sweets? Ore - Kimono (H&M), Top (Topshop), Jeans (Topshop) Teni - Top (Topshop), Skirt (H&M)

Photography: Obi Somto

anayo: I am working with two designers tonight, Maki Oh and Mi-le. Mi-le’s collection is very fun, flirty and colourful. There’s a little bit of everything for everybody both muted colours and bright colours. It’s a very flowy collection that moves with the body and she also has pants and shorts, something to make you feel sexy yet playful which is fun. It has embellishments in it, which also adds to the fun factor. She kept it very feminine with the beading and embroidery. And then Maki Oh of course impresses with a fusion of everything in there from sporty to chic, she really keeps to aesthetics with lots of playful skirts. She plays with a lot of Ankara, Adire, sequence and mesh. She also has fun dresses which give you the 50’s feel with the mix of the modern twist so it’s like bringing the 50’s into the this century with an African feel. It doesn’t get better than that and you can get a bit of

everything, so you are timeless and international! It’s also fun and flirty as well. It brings a lot of attention to the female body which is good because it moves with your shoulders, waist and legs so there are a lot of things to play with there. For both designs, you have to take into consideration the collection that is showing, how they want to showcase it. I thought it was very important that of course the strongest piece of collection has to come at the end, but you also want to open strong, just a bit more subtle. I took that into consideration when putting together pieces and arranging the order of the shows- also colours and prints. You don’t want to mix too much so people won’t be confused and you want to make sure people see every detail that is in the fabric. The details are what makes the whole collection because when a designer takes time to put in all those details into fabrication, it’s definitely meant to be seen.

Stockists

Designers Sunny Rose Poosh Lagos 15 Ologun Agbaje Street off Saka Tinubu, VI Lanre da Silva Ajayi www.lanredasilvaajayi.com 1B Lanre Da Silva Close, Off Hannat Balogun Dolphin Extension, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria Phone: +234 (0) 8023941463 Instagram: @ldacouture