FAH-SCHYON LAB ONE O ONE: NDANI COMES TO LONDON

Sunday, December 23, 2012

NDANI COMES TO LONDON

Hello dear readers, it's been a while. I hope your preparations for the party season is coming on fashionably well.

Today I will be writing about my trip and review of the much talked about Ndani pop up shop here in London's most significant shopping venue.

Sandwiched between luxury brands Joseph and Roland Mouret on the second floor of world renowned shopping mecca Selfridges, is the pop up space termed Ndani.

Ndani; the Nigerian Fashion Project orchestrated by Omoyemi Akerele and her Style House Files team with the backing of GT Bank; presents key handpicked Spring Summer 2013 pieces from well established as well as emerging Nigerian designers from the Young Talent showcase at this year’s MTN Lagos Design Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria.

Those selected included Jewel by Lisa, Lanre Da Silva, Odio Mimonet, House of Silk, Ituen Basi, Eki Orleans etc.

The news of this collaboration has rippled far and wide and especially for those interested in the development of the African fashion industry, this has definitely been a step up. Giving some of our main designers a recognition and acceptance as major contributors in world fashion.

The pop up space stands out with its explosive colours, Ankara fabrics fused with silk from Eki and Jewel by Lisa and lace from Lanre da Silva. LDA’s pieces stands out completely with her intricately and elaborately designed dresses and tops. One could easily see the amount of work which the designer and her team had fed through each piece on show. House of Silk had bright coloured pieces on the mannequins which created an excellent focal point both for the pop up and the brand.

The key criticism for the pop up so far has been the pricing strategy. It is true that the established designers on here are at the very top of their profession and on the wider scale can even be compared to the Guccis and Pradas of the mainstream world. Also, being on the women’s wear floor surrounded by major brands including Chloe, Isabel Marant, Pucci, Tom Ford, Missoni, Erdem, Christopher Kane, it is only fair for them to play in the big boy’s league too which includes high pricing!

At Roland Mouret, there were beautifully distinctive cut dresses that were from 650 pounds and above. At Erdem, their beautiful floral dresses were from 700 to 3000 pounds and at Christopher Kane, their gorgeous floral dresses were from 725 pounds and upwards. I was able to find a 95 pound woolly hat at Joseph however their eccentric blue coat which seemed like the most expensive item on the floor was at 2000 pounds!

In the big boy’s league, high pricing usually goes with quality and distinctive craftsmanship as well as brand reputation. In this respect, we could easily see why LDA’s pricing was high. For some of the other brands on show at Ndani, there was some compromise on quality and finishing and even fabric choice.

All said and done with the pricing matter, it is clear that the target market here is not the average African brand wearer like most of us as the pieces there were from the mid thousand pounds and above. That is a monthly salary for some fashionistas around London!