DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: MAKI OH Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear

HI!!!

Amaka Osakwe’s Lagos-based line Maki Oh is one of the brand’s up for LVMH’s Young Fashion Designer prize, thus fashion is officially crowning the label as one to be reckoned with. Her Fall 2014 collection pulled inspiration from love, madness, and the highs and lows of everything in between. she is known for basing her collections on a story, In her words, she explains,

''came from her imagining a woman at her mirror, reciting the song lyrics, "Tell me I'm the only one, even if you choke." As Osakwe went on to say, that vignette presents the question: Is this woman mad or not? And thus the collection toyed with themes of madness and un-madness, love and anti-love, and other states that fluctuate and are a matter of perception. All this was transmitted through Osakwe's most elevated and accomplished collection yet. This time out, she emphasized relatively easy silhouettes—a pair of track pants, a soft silk blouse, a lean tailored dress with some slouch to it. The clothes felt like clothes rather than looks. Further, Osakwe really upped her textile game this season, developing a traditional Nigerian aso-oke material with Lurex thread; pulling luxe gobs of fringe out of selvedge; and translating prints, such as her Yoruba translation of those song lyrics, into hand-appliquéd lettering. There's a certain naïveté to Osakwe's work and you sense the hand of the artisan, but the intelligence and aesthetic sophistication guiding her process is so keen, the pieces never come off as artsy-craftsy. Well done''.

 As you might have guessed, that means the lineup was high in romance, femininity, and dizzying details from fringe embellishment to eye-catching pattern play.

Athletic-inspired design is one of fashion’s pervasive trends, thus Osakwe put her own spin on it with quilted high-waist trousers (a luxe response to sweats) and a collarless jacket with the same sporty detailing.

The pieces were steeped in functionality: printed high-waist trousers for work and play, patterned shirts that could be worn with cutoff shorts or pencil skirts, and effortless silk blouses.

Where things got interesting was in embellishment and hand-appliquéd lettering sprawled across high-waist pencil skirts, ankle-strap sandals, chic blouses, and colorblock frocks.

I love the pants and the printed blouses so much, I am thinking of getting myself two pieces for a mid year birthday gift..lol

This is an amazing collection, and for ready to wear I hope its affordable too.

What do you guys think of Maki Oh’s latest?

xoxo

D