Outfit’s Detail

Look at me rocking my Johanna Ortiz influenced ballroom Skirt
Made by Bunmi (08030868601)
T-shirt by J.Crew
Earrings by Gorjana

All these jargons about cultural appropriations when it comes to clothing flies right over my head. Everyone is accusing somebody for copying something that is related to their world fashion-wise. Everyone is looking for some sort of acknowledgement. Are y’all kidding me? We want to make noise about Stella McCartney and her use of Ankara prints and one to zero representation of African models on her Spring/Summer 2018 runway. I can’t even believe we are still talking about this matter.

Okay o. Ummmh! The things that Chioma and Wale worry about sha. In Nigeria, people are suffering left and right. Children are hawking on the streets running in front of cars just to sell gala or pure water and we are worried about what Stella McCartney is doing with Ankara prints. Rather than appreciate. Some people are even asking whether the proceeds from the designs would go to an African NGO. Jokers!

In case you do not know, Nigerians are also part of Stella McCartney’s customers. Oh! So you think “dem rich” Nigerians and the “not-so-rich but love-to-rock designers” ones only go to Wasiu or Sikira the tailor? Do the rich even go to Broda Wasiu? Some are even offended at the price tag. H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S! Have you checked out Deola Sagoe’s price tag for the aso-oke your aunty down the street wears since you think your aunty rocked the ankara print before Stella got ‘woke‘ this summer? Last year, Onalaja’s Spring/Summer 2017 designs had a double breasted dress (could pass for a metallic aso-oke to me) that had something like a patch on it for over $2,000 and another piece for almost $10,000 on Moda Operandi. Maki Oh had a trunkshow on Moda Operandi and this simple, very, very simple adire dress with scalloped edges cost about $1,000. Are Onalaja and Maki Oh designs not influenced by the West? Are those outfits made by our local seamstresses not copied designs? Keep throwing stones o. What about those beautiful and well made outfits we wear to our parties?

Gucci was also accused of appropriating the Sikh turbans. *sigh* How many aunty mi leko or sisi ni Lekki or Surulere wore the turban style or are still wearing it? Where did buobuo (caftan/kaftan) even come from sef? How many stones have we thrown so far?

While you might not be able to pay for a Stella McCartney ankara dress, be rest assured some Nigerians with money have one or two of those designs in their closet. You might wanna check with Temi Otedola (blogger) or Nimi Nwofor (@nimsdefabulous). I am sure those two will appreciate Stella McCartney’s “culture appreciation“. In 2013, with the help of Louis Vuitton “Ghana-must-go” bags walked the runway. So what is the noise about again? Fashion has been evolving before we were born and that world is being influenced by many things including architecture and technology from around the world.

Have you noticed our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters and myself no longer grab styles from those big posters we used to see on the walls of our local tailors back in the days. What about those borrowed styles in Ovation magazines? A lot of us no longer add satin or chiffon to our outfits, all thanks to swarovski crytals and some hella bad West designers. We now look to magazines, websites and runways for inspirations from the Western world. Look at the designers from Africa, how many of them are influenced by Elie Saab or Zuhair Murad?

Thanks for visiting!

Sade Lewis

1 Comment
1083