Sweet Tooth: Red hot

Lately, we've been seeing red and so have some of our favourite African designers. For this themed collage, we bring you our top picks from Anita Quansah, Sunny Rose by Maureen Okogwu, Bunmi Koko and Eyola. Granted, they come with hefty price tags, but since when did fashion equal affordable? Dream a little...

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a) Opulence, Anita Quansah-style. Her recent trip to the motherland inspired her use of African beads, swarowski crystals and vintage bits and pieces in a new collection that expands the concept of "tribal chic". Luxurious, stunning, Anita-mazing. [POR - info (at) anitaquansah (dot) com; see snippets of the new collection here.]

b) Feathery, fun, bold -- what's not to love? This evening clutch from Sunny Rose is delightful. [835 GBP, Couture Lab, see here.]

c) We literally gasped when we saw this one. More than enough to dazzle, wow and possibly cause a small conniption. Nicely done, Eyola. [1125 GBP, see here.]

d) You'll remember this piece from Bunmi Koko's Matriarchy collection. Strong, structured shoulders, silk, tie-dye -- the perfect statement piece. [POR - sales (at) bunmikoko (dot) com]

e) Yes to tassels, yes to Eyola. Always. [475 GBP, see here.]

XO

Love: Eyola Online

We've blogged about this wondrous corner of the web before but we think it bears repeating. We've lived through the eras of the statement necklace and the statement pump at every corner, but if you're serious about sourcing the most expertly-executed couture pieces that don't look much like anything else you've seen before, make a pit stop at Eyola's online boutique and prepare to be blown away by piece after piece of statement luxury. The Merrasuq Octave (above) is our obsession of choice and the very height of perfection.

Happy shopping!

XO

Shop Africa: Eyola

The magical world of Eyola thrills us to no end. And now, a touch of that magic is only one click away. Introducing Eyola's new "time-limited" e-store, where 8 select looks at a time get 8 weeks in the spotlight. 

 We love the Ertaw Octave (above, 695 pounds) and its masterful execution and chances are you'll find something you'll love, too.

Shop Eyola online here.

XO

ARISE L’Afrique-À-Porter: The full list of designers!

[Model wears a look from Eric Raisina at Arise Promise of Africa collective last summer]

o o o

Thanks to ifashion, we now have the full list of designers showing at ARISE L'Afrique-A-Porter this Friday. We've brought you press releases from Tiffany Amber [Nigeria], Jewel by Lisa [Nigeria], and MOMO [Nigeria], and in this post, we added Kluk CGDT [South Africa], Lunar [South Africa] and Clive Rundle [South Africa] to the list. ifashion.com tells us that the following designers will also be making appearances:

David Tlale [South Africa; our guess was right!]

Eyola [Nigeria]

Eric Raisina [Madagascar] and

Christie Brown [Ghana]

So there you have it! 10 designers, 5 pieces each and 50 looks we can't wait to see! Which designer's work are you most looking forward to seeing?

XO 

spotlight: EYOLA debuts new collection "TARCOTSIRA"

we introduced the remarkable craftmanship and victorian sensibilities of eyola designs to you a while ago. subsequently, she went on to wow us all at arise africa fashion week. eyola randomly crossed our minds today and we thought we'd look around for new developments with the brand. we then bumped into the amazingness that is her new collection, TARCOTSIRA - a play on 'aristocrat.' in the words of the nigerian designer, Ayole, "the concept of tarcotsira is to recreate, with a modern twist, the lavish lifestyles of the aristocrats of the victorian period." and here you have it:

outstanding...and as many other superlatives as you can imagine. there just isn't a single piece we're not lusting after.

learn more about the inspiration behind this collection here.

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explore the eyola brand:

website: eyola

e-mail: info@eyola.com

twitter: eyola_ltd

SHOP ONLINE: not just a label

xo

photos:

notjustalabel

prettystylishlondon

ARISE AFRICA FASHION AWARDS: THE WINNERS

[kenya's ajuma, winner of the ARISE FASHION WEEK model award]

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ARISE AFRICA FASHION WEEK ended on a rewarding note at the ARISE AFRICA FASHION AWARDS show last night, celebrating winners in the following categories:

1. ARISE Designer of the Year - tiffany amber (nigeria), david tlale (south africa)
2. ARISE Emerging Designer of the Year - christie brown (ghana)
3. ARISE Award for Innovation in Design - ituen basi (nigeria)
4. ARISE Red Carpet Award - KLûK CGDT (south africa)
5. ARISE Fashion Business Award - maponya mall of soweto, south africa
6. ARISE Award for Fashion Creative - anglo gold, susan hayes (south africa)
7. ARISE Model of the Year - oluchi onweagba (nigeria)
8. ARISE Fashion Week Model Award - ajuma (kenya)
9. ARISE Most Promising Designer Award - heni (south africa), eyola (nigeria)

a huge congratulations to all the winners, and a special congratulations to tiffany amber and david tlale (ARISE designers of the year 2009) who will be showing at New York Fashion Week this fall!

xo

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ARISE AFRICA FASHION WEEK: the countdown - - eyola designs (UK/nigeria)

[ from EYOLA's "acrifa octette" collection]

we're pretty familiar with many names out-of-africa but, much to our regret, we hadn't heard of eyola designs until this morning. founded by the UK-based ayole adede, EYOLA (a play on her first name, ayole) strikes us as a celebration of all things sharp, chic, and wearable...but with an air of delicious unpredictability in tow. she speaks of being influenced by the victorian era (like fellow nigerian designer, lanre da silva-ajayi) and of being inspired by africa in an unconventional way:

"...designs from Acrifa Octette mirrors the riches of mother Africa- a continent full of rich resources. The focus on the choice of fabrics and the detailed shapes and cuts take inspiration from Africa looking at the continent from a different angle. Instead of the typical African inspirations designers employ in their collections from traditional prints and textiles, Eyola’s Acrifa Octette adopts a different approach. The choice of colours celebrate the African culture married with the Victorian flavor both of which coexist very well..."

here are some pieces from her "africa octette" collection:





here are some pieces from her other collections:







[see more here]

from what we've seen, we can continue to expect incredibly striking, expertly-executed pieces. the influence of couture is apparent but this is the kind of couture that doesn't make one wonder: "who wears this stuff, why, and where to?".

we're MAJORLY excited to see her work at Arise Africa Fashion Week and we know you probably are too after reading this!

stay tuned for more exciting posts throughout the day :-)

xo