Monday, January 31, 2011

One of the Brightest Talents in Contemporary Nigerian Fashion, Bridget Awosika, Drops her Full Spring/Summer 11 Collection

Parsons New York graduate Bridget Awosika finally drops her first full collection –styled by yours truly- as a designer featuring architecturally sound pieces that bear traces of Africa without being gaudy. Upon first look at the pieces the amount of quality handwork and exactitude of craftsmanship is evidenced.

 The designer who values functionality and individuality -probably a trait she acquired working at Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani whilst in New York- worked with skilled Artisans in producing the collection which feature a range of interesting fabrics amongst which stands one that is quintessentially Nigerian in origin and African in nature, the ‘Aso oke’.
Many fashion insiders would argue that the African batik print is not indigenous to the continent but rather produced for the continent by Europeans and Asians. The Aso-oke fabric however is made for Africans by Africans in Africa, and it is slowly taking a reasonable chunk of the local fabric market, thanks to modern techniques involved in the production.

Asides the Aso-oke Fabric Bridget Awosika also worked with chiffon, tulle, dutchess satin, crepe and cotton fabrics.
Detailing in the collections displayed a witty use of accordion pleats, sexy drapery and cut out patterns on the fabric that had the skin disguised with tulle or in one case, exposed at one side of the hip. The signature cuts followed through on other pieces and appeared on the bottom of one of the trousers in the collection.

The colors palette was a mixture of neon pink, turquoise, grey, lime, white and the chic black pieces which were amongst my favorites. Black allows you to explore shape and texture to a degree that is often not possible with the presence of colour. The tonal range was executed wisely and fused with the vivid detailing which includes folds, accordion pleats, sequins and exposed zippers achieved cohesion. The intimate folds and lines of the fabrics against the body created a sexy vibe which the designer divulges unofficially, that she wanted to attain with the collection.

Texturally exciting fabrics, ostensibly harsh details and architecture come to mind when one views the collection. With many collections which come and go due to fashions frenzied pace and planned obsolescence, this would be one to struggle with our will, if only to retain a whiff of it in our minds.

You probably would not notice that the pink fabric in the dress above below is Aso-Oke
Aso-Oke in turquoise
Pleated Aso-Oke and custom dyed Dutchess Satin.

17 comments:

  1. Wow!!! Nice work bridget

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice work but it feels the clothes weren't tailored to fit Makida.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loving the colours...
    I especially like the white pieces and the black snake-skin short dress.
    Great work!

    http://lipstickboudoir.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. nice work..i luv the creativity.not to sure about the white pieces.
    my fav is the design in the second to the last picture. i love the pants and the black dress before the pic with the pants.
    there was somethin missin between the model and the clothes so i guess ill agree with noble.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now this is FASHION! Bridget Awosika is so creative! welldone fabulous collection...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great work generally, really creative. I don't particularly like some of them though. But a couple of black gowns and those trousers are hot! And, that blue dress is...interesting.

    http://wannabediva.tumblr.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. wow these are foward and so great.i love them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow! what a vision! Didn't like the fit of the 1st 2 but the others were def love at 1st sight!!
    Love the shiny loose tank and drainpipe-type trousers as well as the dress/tuxedo ensemble VERY reminiscent of Katy Perry... <3

    http://say-bleurgh.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dang. Bridget Awosika 'brung' it! I love! Precise and just so dreamy! xxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm sorry but majority of these items are appalling...stop lying. Be different but make sense with it. What is the last piece?

    Why does the model look so pissed off? Tell her to watch ANTM and learn to look pissed off fashionably. I could have liked some items but her look is offensive.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Now heres a young lady with real talent who knows what shes doing. Fantastic pieces! I'm well impressed

    ReplyDelete
  12. The pants and the aso oke dresses are beautiful....... makida is a great model,but she didnt do justice to some of the clothes. Eku Edewor looked fantastic in that blck dress at the future awards. Miss Awosika is talented!
    http://aduke-elesho.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. i love Bridget Awosika, i think she's majorly majorly talented and is usually 'ON POINT'.
    HOWEVER, Most of the white pieces here look atrocious. One in particular looks like a tiger clawed at it.
    The rest of the collection looks quite nice but it wouldn't hurt to tweak it a bit to fit the model for the shoot. Aso-Oke's quite pretty but the huge zippers are done.
    I still love Bridget Awosika. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. er...so maybe i am not that adventurous with clothes, but i only like the black pant ensemble and the first acid yellow(or is it green)dress. Ditto on the comments about the garments not fitting the model.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm quite impressed with the collection actually.
    Plus i totally wouldn't mind getting my hands on the aso-oke mini dresses. Any idea how they can be purchased and the prices?

    ReplyDelete

Constructive criticism is welcome as well as words of inspiration. Structure your point, no random bitching...