LAGOS FASHION WEEK 2012: Keeping It African

I grew up thinking every guy at a fashion show was gay. Well, blame that on Hollywood. Models, designers, makeup artists, photograpgers, all gay. That of course was till my "BarBaric STYLE" handler, Bunmi Ologe, and The Borographer went AWOL on me. Thence did my journey begin which to me, was akin to flying outer space.

Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012 has come and gone, and while it lasted, made a believer out of a fashion stereotyper. I come now with the gospel: flipping through pages of "Elle" or "Vogue" does not compare to being right there, au temple de la mode. The flow of the gowns, the scent of the fresh fabric, it can't be captured...it just can't.

That said, I promise those of you who missed every single day of the Lagos Fashion Week, the photos you're about to see will never take the place of all you missed, but well, when did beggars start having choices?

The exhibition was very colourful, with my favourite stands being the those of Konfidence Fashion ( big brother Confidence. remember?), and the Leather Designers Of Nigeria.

The very first collection  to light up a spark on the  runway came from a name I'd never heard in Nigerian fashion previously, but it was nonetheless, eye-catching:
                                                             KINABUTI

So sitting there all aloof, yet trying real hard to fit in, the collection which called out my indifference was by the Ghanaian, ANITA QUANSAH. This was the real beginning of LFDW2012 for me, and you should see why:

It got a tad bit drab after that, and suddenly, Shades Of Blue by MAI ATAFO, followed by "Weddings By MAI" which together just blew me off my seat. As a fact, all I kept thinking as each model hit the runway was "I need money...I need money". Gentlemen and ladies, MAI:

                         

The runway had gotten so heated up, and Ituen Basi had no plans of cooling things down. Her colourful sassy pieces:

Other designs who made a memorable impression were:

                                                                 ICONIC VANITY

                                                    JEWEL BY LISA

                                             LANDRE DA SILVA AJAYI (LDA)

Then there's this man, Emmy Collins, creative, unconventional, and bold:

...and finally, the guest designer of the Lagos Fashion Week 2012, none other than the English designer, Mathew Williamson.

Yet again, that still is not all. There were awards for enterprising youths in the fashion industry, most important of which was the Young Designer Of The Year Award won by Udiminue Joshua of JOSH SAMUELS

                               

O yes! That's four million Naira on the cheque, plus other prizes. One thing I can say personally about his pieces is that when I tweeted all the pieces from all the finalists, his got the most retweets and comments.

The Model Of The Year Award went to Roots Odufola from Beth Models, taking home a cheque of one million Naira, and various other prizes.

The pictures have said as much as they can, in a few more words, I'd say I enjoyed myself in a way I'd not done ever before. The Lagos Fashion week 2012 was an experience I'll cherish for a very long time. My eyes are now open to what Nigerian designers can do, especially with the leather designers. I'm still in awe.

If I could mention some minor disappointments, the first bubble to burst would be that of the lead sponsors, MTN. Inadequate publicity of the event meant the first day saw less than 50% butts on seats. They really should have done more. We're aware the sort of PR they unleash on us when they sponsor concerts.

Time too was not duly considered while planning the event. A press conference in Lagos at 10 am? On the Island? On a week day?

During the event, there were a few prizes given away, and somehow one of the organizers was winning a BlackBerry device. Seriously, we should just grow up!

My greatest regret at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012 was the desperate attempt to be "Oyibo". The designs tampered with some African inspiration, however, the organization of the event, the coordination of the runway, and worst of all, the models. The sharp contrast between those attending the event and the models was too extreme. There was too much eagerness to be European. Would it have been so wrong to see such a beautiful African model on the runway of an African Fashion Show?