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Geometric shapes. Exquisite lines. Ankara trimmings. But let us forget all of those things for a moment because the parts of something are not always the equal of the sum.

Laurence Airline’s spring summer collection for 2016 is a fine example of the above. When confronted with all 12 pieces displayed as viewers of the show were, the strength of the collection is apparent. It’s laser sharp and so clean that it’s almost pristine.

Prints are often used to represent vibrancy and noise but at the hands of Laurence Airline they gain new meaning. They broke up the loudness with panels of colour, delivering timeless silhouettes with deep African Roots.

The looks are simple but not so plain as to be thought of as boring.

LFDW 2015 – LAURENCE AIRLINE Geometric shapes. Exquisite lines. Ankara trimmings. But let us forget all of those things for a moment because the parts of something are not always the equal of the sum.

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The second day of Lagos Fashion and Design week ended with Maki-oh’s Spring Summer 2016 collection. The collection found it’s beginnings in The Myth of Sisyphus, a philosophical essay by Albert Camus. More specifically, Amaka Osakwe the brand’s creator referenced the quote, “our life is built on the hope of tomorrow, yet tomorrow brings us closer to our death.”

In the video created specifically for this collection, Osakwe revealed another source of inspiration, arodan. Arodan is a Yoruba trick that parents and adult relatives play on the young where they ask them to find something that doesn’t exist. In the video the examples given are cloud 9, and the proverbial elephant in the room.

The translation into her garments isn’t literal, but the pieces created give more of a sense of freedom than any of the brand’s collections before this. The fringe dress worn by Uju Nwobodoh to close the show is a fine example of this. As brilliantly as the clothes present themselves still, they work even better in motion. The feathers, fringe, mesh and distressed edges all move well, adding a lightness to the weighty contemplations that created the collection.

With Maki-Oh you are forced to pay attention to the details, knowing full well that every scalloped edge, constrained arm and print mix means something. The brand’s clothes were never meant to be just cool.

  Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – MAKI-OH The second day of Lagos Fashion and Design week ended with Maki-oh's Spring Summer 2016 collection. The collection found it's beginnings in…

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – KINABUTI Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – Mo’Fari Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – ZAPEL Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – O’Milua Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – Onwuchewkwa Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – GREY Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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LFDW 2015 – AMEDE

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Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

  LFDW 2015 – FUNKE ADEPOJU Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

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Kenneth Ize is perhaps best known for its unisexual nature. Their past collections had a level of appeal that defied the constraints of gender and this one was no different.

This year’s presentation incorporated several themes. There was a touch of the Fulani, mixed in with the larger than body sentiments of the hippies of the seventies, and there was definitely a Saturday Night Fever Travolta leaning in the trousers which were mostly fitted around the waist and thighs and flared at the ankle.

The collection felt now. In it his influences are visible. There’s a touch of Europe and more than a touch of Africa, and it’s cerebral in a way that several other collections that showed at Lagos Fashion and Design Week this year were not. If the efforts of Kenneth Ize, Maxivive, and Orange Culture to make garments that are more than clothes are anything to go by then it is likely that the menswear designers will out-do the womenswear designers this year.

Together, Kenneth Ize’s pieces may seem daunting, but once taken out of the context of the runway, their efficacy is apparent. Of course, hardly any of it will make it to your 9 to 5, but there’s no reason why they can’t make it into your 5 to 9.

Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 – Kenneth Ize Kenneth Ize is perhaps best known for its unisexual nature. Their past collections had a level of appeal that defied the constraints of gender and this one was no different.

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LFDW 2015 – MI-LE

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LFDW 2015 – ORANGE CULTURE

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There is something to be said for execution and presentation even if does come at the cost of innovation. There is also something to said for wearability and convention especially when the pieces created are exceptionally tailored. For the most part Sophie Zinga succeeded at this.

Sophie Zinga was inspired in part by “Peetaw” more popularly known as cowry shells. The reference was literal. It showed up clearly in the embroidery of some of the garments shown. It is also visible in the whites and the off whites that dominate the collection. Sophi Zinga said, “The cowry shell until this day holds great significance in culture, fashion, and indigenous religious beliefs all throughout Africa.”

There was a bit of an issue with most of the pieces with plunging necklines. They never quite seemed to sit where they should. However the vast majority of the brand’s SS16 collection looked expensive and very ready to wear.

Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

Quick note to lagosfashionanddesignweek.com, the brand’s name is spelled Sophie Zingai on your website. The i at the end of it should be absent.

LFDW 2015 – Sophie Zinga There is something to be said for execution and presentation even if does come at the cost of innovation.

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In their first showing at Lagos Fashion and Design week Luvita paid homage to culture and tradition as is evident in their first look, where the model is decked out in the creative director’s traditional regalia, carrying a totem and wearing a head-dress. The pieces that follow show the brand’s understanding of some of the trends that dominate Nigerian womenswear today.

Most notable is the ninth look with the ink blot Roscharch test reminiscent ankara print. It’s an ensemble that will appeal to a wide range of women on the continent and beyond.

Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015 FASHION FOCUS: LUVITA In their first showing at Lagos Fashion and Design week Luvita paid homage to culture and tradition as is evident in their first look, where the model is decked out in the creative director's traditional regalia, carrying a totem and wearing a head-dress.

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POC was one of the entries in the Fashion Focus initiative run by Lagos Fashion and Design Week. Their collection showed a range of tunics which were all paired with skinny trousers of no great variation and gladiator sandals.

A black and white tunic will always be appreciated, but there’s only so much that can be said about ten remarkably similar ones back to back. They did however make for a dashing silhouette.

  LFDW 2015 FASHION FOCUS: POC POC was one of the entries in the Fashion Focus initiative run by Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

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This was Maxivive’s second outing at LFDW. While the label’s first outing was shocking, its second tapered the shock value with nuance, wit, and a sense of humour. The humour is evident in the first look. The hem of the trousers resembled shirt cuffs, and more of the same displacement could be seen in later pieces.

In addition to this the brand tempered tradition with modernity creating new interesting pieces from more orthodox conservative designs. Their reimagination of the Dashiki was clever, and their take on the jumpsuit was convincing.

It was above all a play on tailoring and tradition.

Copyright Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna)

LFDW 2015: MAXIVIVE This was Maxivive’s second outing at LFDW. While the label’s first outing was shocking, its second tapered the shock value with nuance, wit, and a sense of humour.