Saturday, May 9, 2009

KOSIBAH BY YEMI OSUNKOYA

Yemi Osunkoya is the creative mind behind KOSIBAH, a distinctive but yet contemporary couture bridal wear label.

Their signature use of corsetry and draping creates gowns that flatter and enhance every woman's figure no matter her size or shape.

Kosibah Creations makes the wedding day distinctive by designing elegant, contemporary gowns that blur the distinction between bridal and evening wear.

He gave me an interview as per below.





FS: Fashion is....
YO: Fashion is a term applied to a prevailing mode of expression dictated by trends which lasts for a period of time which is different from Style which is a more personal form of self-expression and has nothing to do with trends.



FS: Why did you choose the name Kosibah?
YO: Kosibah is a derivation of my mothers name Cosiba. My mother was and has remained a very supportive and nurturing influence in my path to becoming a designer and I decided to name my label after her as a tribute. The name is the Day Name given to a girl born on a Sunday by the people of the Republic of Benin where my mother originates from.


FS: Is Yemi the person different from Yemi the Kosibah designer?
YO: I don’t think so because I think my designs reflect a little bit of my personality. The sense of structure and control, the desire to make people feel (and look) their best and restrained elegance can both describe my designs as well as myself. I however like to concentrate more on my designs rather than myself personally which is one of the reasons I decided to call my label Kosibah rather than Yemi Osunkoya Couture or something like that. I had also known I wanted to become a designer from such an early age that it’s a bit difficult to separate myself from what I do.


FS: Why is bridal wear your focus?
YO: Because of my couture training, the creation of my gowns are quite labour intensive involving hours of work that ends up hidden within the garment unseen but crucial to the fit and control of the garment produced that I am able to achieve and the fact that my designs lend themselves to Special occasion wear, Bridal wear seemed the natural direction to head down to. I was really pleased recently to be selected by the highly respected http://www.confetti.co.uk/ bridal website, to feature as one of The Best of British Couture Designers. (http://www.confetti.co.uk/article/view/7194-8241-0-Confetti_Couture_Designers_Wedding_Dress.do )


FS: Your signature is using corsets and drapes in your designs, what made you also focus on this?
YO: My main goal/ end point to my designs has always been the desire to enhance the figure of whomever is wearing my gowns and over the past 18 years I have come to develop and hone certain techniques that achieve this effect and corsetry and draping help to achieve this. I believe every woman, whether she is a standard model size, plus size or stick thin should be able to look great in a bespoke gown and that is what I try to achieve. So, sometimes I minimise certain areas and sometimes I enhance certain areas depending on the figure type I am dealing with at the time. The end result is a client looking in the mirror in a pleasant disbelief of what I have been able to achieve.


FS: What is the inspiration behind the Yemi O collection?
YO: I recently launched the Yemi O by KOSIBAH line of shorter more directional pieces.
The Yemi O by KOSIBAH semi-couture line aims to target the clients that aspire to want couture pieces but cannot afford the cost by giving them an essence of the Kosibah experience with less complicated designs using less expensive fabrics but not compromising on the fit and quality making the garments beautiful yet inexpensive.


FS: When did you first realise that you were very passionate about fashion design?
YO: From quite a very early age I had always been very good at Art in general and drawing in particular. At about the age of 6 – 7 I started sketching recreations of whole bridal parties of weddings I had attended with my parents from the Bride through to the flower girls. Later on, I started drawing figures dressed in clothing from my imagination. I was nurtured and encouraged by both my parents and Art teachers for which I’m now extremely grateful.

FS: So your parents were supportive in your career choice then?
YO: Yes they were both supportive, which at that time for Nigerian parents was quite rare and as I said in one of my previous answers, is one of the reasons my label is named after my mother.


FS: How competitive is the fashion world?
YO: Very competitive but I think that’s quite healthy. As a designer, you should have a strong Point of View and Unique Selling Point that sets you apart from other designers. It can be a certain silhouette, technique, choice of fabric etc.


FS: I am an African because......?
YO: I am African because that is the heritage of my parents and their parents before them. My father is Nigerian and my mother is a nationalised Nigerian originally from the Republic of Benin (formally Dahomey).


FS: The African Fashion scene is slowly but surely rising with African fashion designers gaining attention from the rest of the world. What do you think about this?
YO: I think it is fantastic and about time too. African influences have been used by International designers such as Yves St Laurent for decades, so it’s quite right that African designers claim their own heritage in terms of fashion influences. Designers such as Deola Segoe from Nigeria and stoned Cherry from South Africa are certainly making their mark internationally and the various Fashion weeks in African countries are helping to promote designers to International Press and Buyers.

FS: If you were not a designer, what else would you have loved to do?
YO: I certainly would have been involved in something Artistic, so perhaps a Fashion Illustrator or Stylist. I’ve never really wanted to do anything else I’m afraid!

FS: Who or what has inspired your life?
YO: From a personal point of view my parents have been a hug of inspiration to me. Their sense of fair play, the wonderful education they gave me and the vision to try to do whatever I wanted to do to the very best of my abilities. From a professional point of view, I’ve been inspired by designers such as Dior (from the 50’s) and Antony Price (from the 70’s) because of the way they took an almost architectural approach to garment construction to produce gowns that almost defied gravity and reality to achieve amazing shapes for their clients.


FS: What are the qualities needed to succeed in life, in your opinion?
YO: The ability to remain focused and determined to succeed and reach your goals despite whatever challenges may come your way, and certainly the will.
For more info, please check his site here: http://www.kosibah.co.uk/
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I hope you enjoyed reading...thanks for checking my blog.
Stay fashion-ABLE!
Fahschyonysta!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

VIRGOS LOUNGE...IS THE VINTAGE LOUNGE

Virgos lounge is a vintage brand created by three virgos, Fioye Akinsola, Oyeyemi Wemi-Akinsola and Adenike Ajanaku. They aim to supply classic vintage pieces. What makes them different from others is that some of the pieces have been altered to give a modern day and fashionable twist.


FS: How did you 3 meet?
VL: Fioye and Oye are sisters and Nike and Fioye met through Nikes cousin a while back and not a long while after Nike and Oye met in a little village called Steyning, where they unfortunately had to go to school..lol.


FS: Why did you start Virgos Lounge?
VL: Virgos Lounge started on a random day in summer 2008, vintage is something we are all passionate about so we decided to start a business selling vintage clothes. Also, alot of people tend to like vintage clothes when they see it on others but cant be bothered with going through the heap of junk in most vintage stores. So we decided to do the hard work for you guys but we enjoy it anyway..:-)


FS: Who are your style inspirations?
VL: Mine is a bit of a random mix of people- Princess Diana, The Olsen twins, Kate Moss, Rihanna, Alexa Chung, Aunt Viv and Hilary Banks from fresh prince...lol (Oye).
I like Rihannas style alot but i dont have any particular style inspiration. I get inspiration from everywhere (Nike).
Solange, Olsen twins, Rihanna (Fioye)


FS: Why vintage fashion?
VL: We love vintage because of its unique nature and really most things in stores right now are being recycled from another decade, alot of vintage inspired looks on the catwalk so we thought why not go straight to the source.


FS: For the 2 of you who are still in Uni, how do you manage to combine these two?
VL: We are all still in Uni, its not really difficult to balance the two because its something we really enjoy doing we all love fashion and dont mind spending all our free time developing our brand.


FS: For Fioye who runs the real hair boutique...why do you think black women (or women in general) are so obsessed with their hair?
VL: From a personal point of view, i think having fabulous looking hair can turn a sour day into a fantastic day. Having good looking hair, be it natural or hair extensions adds to a womans confidence (Fioye).


FS: What is / are your goals in life?
VL: My goal is to be a very successful business woman and mother and i also aspire to be a wardrobe stylist alongside my dear friend Oyeyemi. (Nike).
My goal is ultimately to be a great wife and mother. Also, to be successful in all business ventures I take part in especially in relation to fashion. I hope we are able to take Virgos Lounge somewhere even beyond my imagination (Oye).
My goal is to be the best i can possibly be with the help of God (Fioye).


FS: Where do you hope to be in 5 years with this brand?
VL: In five years time we hope to have concessions in major stores worldwide and a massive store in Lagos selling vintage pieces ofcourse and a whole range of other things.


FS: Where do you get your vintage pieces from?
VL: We source our vintage clothes from different places across England, from London to the Midlands and even all the way up in Yorkshire.






FS: When is your website live?
VL: The website is expected to go live in June, 2009

What do the Virgo girlies look like, well check out their profiles below :-))

Fioye Akinsola- 23 yrs old.
Graduated from Keele University with a degree in human resource management and business adminstration. Currently studying for a masters degree at LSE (london school of eccononics). She has a business called the real hair boutique (suppliers of hair extensions) http://www.therealhairboutique.com She's the one who keeps it all together. She also loves and knows about her hair and make up

Oyeyemi Wemi-akinsola- 20 yrs old.
Currently studying for a degree in psychology at Aston University (to graduate in June). She is addicted to vintage and has a great eye for putting clothes together. She's an aspiring stylist and also the creative one who comes up with brilliant concepts and ideas.

Adenike Ajanaku- 21 yrs old.
Currently studying for a degree in International Relations and economics at Loughborough University.She has a passion for fashion and is also an aspiring stylist (both Nike and Oye are starting up a fashion styling company). She makes the whole experience alot of fun with her great sense of humour.
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For more information on purchasing the clothes visit http://virgoslounge.blogspot.com/
Models: Ijay Onumonu, Omowunmi Wemi-Akinsola, Simisola Falae, Noella Ndukwe, Mama Musa, Tayo Olabiran, Foluke Onamusi

Make-up By: Fioye Akinsola
Hair Extensions supplied by; The Real Hair Boutique, http://therealhairboutuque.com
Stylists: Oyeyemi Wemi-Akinsola, Adenike Ajanaku.
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FS: Fah-schyon
VL: Virgos Lounge
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whatever you do, stay Fashion-ABLE
Fahschyonysta!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

VLISCO BRINGS YOU "ECLAT DE NATURE"

An "outburst of Nature" it certainly is. The fabrics portray a magical world, a world of nature where greens meet yellows and reds and blues, an explosion of colours in different tones and shades creating a beautiful canvass upon which we can use to express exquisite and timeless designs as the ones below....who says AFRICAN FASHION is NON EXISTANT?

Check out these sizzling hot works of ART and make up your mind for your self.
For more designs, check out bella naija: http://www.bellanaija.com/2009/05/04/eclat-de-nature-nature-reinvented-by-vlisco/














Salivating....well go on and get creative!!
Fahschyonysta!

ANKARA....MORE THAN JUST WEARABLE!

Ankara fabric is a fabric widely associated with Africans. It is very eclectic, busy, colourful and eccentric. For many years, we (Africans) have mostly used it as a garment making fabric however in recent times with the explosion of artistic creativity newer ways of using this material is emerging.
See some designs below. These products were on show at the Milan Furniture Fair which took place on the 22nd-27th April 2009. It was commissioned by Moroso & Burks.









Fah-schyonysta!

Friday, May 1, 2009

AFRIK LUX....BY KIRETTE COUTURE

KiRette Couture is the brainchild of two Cameroonian young ladies by the name of Anrette Ngafor and Kibonen Nfi.

Just short to being 4 months since this duo launched their sassy, sexy and sizzling hot "Toghu" inspired label, they have gone on to creating a massive wave amongst their communities and beyond.

Their new spring/summer collection was unveiled a few weeks back at their first ever fashion show in the US.








Here is a link to an interview they gave Dulce Camer, a "to know" blog which showcases talents from Cameroon: http://dulcecamer.blogspot.com/2009/05/kirette-couture-introduces-afrik-lux.html
Hope you have a great read!
Whatever you do, stay fashion-ABLE!
Fahschyonysta