Fashioning February: Kiki Kamanu

Interview with Kiki Kamanu at Fashion Mavericks.
I was gutted to miss Kiki Kamanu's catwalk show at Fashion Mavericks which consisted of bling jacket dresses robes, high waisted dresses and glitzy shirts all made in bright and vivid colours. It went down a storm and was one of the strongest collections of the event especially the goody bags which were handbags and slouch bags made out of Ankara material. Kiki describes her collection as unconventional and eclectic and her designs have been featured on various runways in Africa and featured in international magazines and TV. What makes her collection so special is the blend of different styles, textures and fabrics from around the world which she meshes so seamlessly together. Think of Italian leathers mixed with Thai and Indian silks with elements of Dutch wax prints and embroidery by West African artisans. Kiki who has lived in Nigeria, USA and France gave up her job as a corporate event planner to set up her label when she found that her itch to stitch  would not go away. I was fortunate enough to go backstage and take a peek at Kiki's amazing collection and I also got to interview her about her collection and inspirations.

Check out the Armcandy Bag below made out of Ankara material. Look how cool they.

Check out Kiki's website.

Fashioning February: Enya Patricia

Enya Patricia from ondolady on Vimeo.
Every good lady needs a clutch for those occasions when you are out on the town. Right now I am enjoying a love renaissance with fur - ok faux fur, I mean I don't want a bucket of blood thrown over me like poor Samantha did in Sex and the City: The Movie. At London Fashion Week I kept seeing fur everywhere as jackets, gillets and satchels and they looked really cool in a luxurious way. So when I came across a faux fur clutch at Enya Patricia's stall during the exhibition of Fashion Mavericks I was taken by it. Enya Patricia is a brand owned by Enya Patricia Mooney who started designing in her spare time while she was studying Child Psychology. She also showed her lovely collection at Fashion Mavericks which was feminine with a dash of sexy, we saw elegant dresses draped with leather or fur accents. I grabbed Enya for an interview so she could tell me more about her classy collection.

You can check out Enya Patricia's website.

Fashioning February: London Fashion Week February 2011

I wasn't planning on doing a round-up post for London Fashion Week AW11, I was just going to post reviews of certain shows and events but as I have had such a crazy few days I decided it would a shame not to tell you about it. LFW 2011 was definitely the best I have ever experienced, from the moment I went to pick up my press pass in the congested registration area of the British Fashion Council (BFC) tent it was go, go, go.

Friday
First of all it was the obligatory pop in to the press room to pick up press packs and do some people watching. I forgot that it was BYOL aka Bring Your Own Laptop and the room was packed with journos and bloggers tapping out their copy. I rushed over to Holborn for The Look Show (review over here) where I bumped into fellow bloggers Archna from PunchBowl Blog, Nneoma from twentyteneightyfour and Muireann from Bangs and a Bun.

Sunday
I planned to spend the day hopping between Fashion Mavericks at Strand Palace Hotel and the BFC tent but before that I had more important matters to attend to, such as getting my make up done at the MAC booth. After that it was the Jasper Conran show which offered us a monochrome feel with sleek A line dresses and skirts with jersey tops and blazers. I made my way to Vauxhall Fashion Scout to see Jazzkatze where I saw loads of floaty, chiffon material in the form of blouses, shorts and cutesy dresses. What I loved most about this collection were the hair which were lovely up dos with a string tied round sections of it. Then it was onto Fashion Mavericks where I saw up and coming designers such as Enya Patricia (interview with her coming up shortly) and Hamra Alam. There were both great but I was gutted that I missed Kiki Kamanu because she had some brilliant designs including handbags made out of Ankara cloth. Watch out for an interview coming out with her very soon. I managed to catch the Jaeger London show which was a special event for Vodafone VIP customers. It was hosted by T4's Jameela Jamil and displayed what the line does best; smart structured tailoring but this collection had splashes of vibrant colours interjected amongst the muted ones. Then it was off to my final show A La Mode at Charing Cross Hotel. The event had been running since Friday so Sunday was the last day. I was treated to collections by Lunar Skye which was a selection of wedding dresses, Omar Mansoor which comprised of some glorious evening dresses, Zed Eye which was more directional with fantastic mix of different fabrics and Eveae West by Egypt which were a treat of short sweet dresses.

Monday
I was going to take this day off to rest but an impending interview and more scintillating shows lured me out of my house. At Somerset House I headed to the screening room to catch the short film by Fred Butler Style and was taken away by the wonderful cinematography. After that I headed off to see Todd Lynn in the BFC tent where I saw some really lovely fur stoles in the collection. This was the first collection I had seen that contained both men and women's wear and he did it very well. There were a lot of muted colours here with a couple of bright red outfits, cool knitwear as well as biker jackets. Then it was back to Fashion Mavericks where I saw designers Susana Bettencourt, Sarahi House of Fashion and the end of Fabryan. Then we popped across the road to The Savoy to see Paul Smith; the lavish surroundings of the venue was perfect for what is regarded as one of the country's finest brands. Tinie Tempah may have kicked off the black thick rimmed glasses trend but Paul Smith was definitely legitimising it when he sent his models (male and female) down the catwalk rocking the preppy come Englishman/lady look. From the understated style of Paul Smith to the flamboyance of Bunmi Koko who showed at Vauxhall Fashion Scout later that evening. All I can say is wow! Out of the shows that I have seen that was the one that blew me away in terms of creativity, vibrancy and the use of colour. Bunmi Koko is one to watch for the future. My last stop was Samantha Cole London which was just upstairs and this was a dark slightly Gothic collection of dresses made in leather, velvet and jersey. This was a really dramatic and powerful collection which was exacerbated by the fact that the show took place in two different rooms with the models flowing from one room to another.

Although LFW is scheduled over six days I am afraid I only lasted three. I know it sounds like a cliche but rushing round to fashion shows is such hard work darling!.

Fashion Mavericks

I did a lot of running around during London Fashion Week attending a lot of events that were off schedule. One of the fashion shows that I went to was Fashion Mavericks which is a collection of emerging designers. It is organised by Jacquelline Adhola and was a two day affair taking place at the Strand Palace Hotel and it featured artists such as Anya Wilkinson, Elizabeth Dunn and Sara Shimasue. Jacquelline took five minutes out to give me the lowdown on Fashion Mavericks

What made you decided to set up Fashion Maverick? 
Fashion Mavericks was set up after discovering there was a need for an event that provides a strong platform to support new and independent designers during Fashion Week. As much as there is a number of other great events that occur during this time there is even more great designers out there that aren't provided a chance to 'show off' their latest collections and creative skills in solo independent shows. Fashion Mavericks is a great place for new and; independent designers as it provides them with a great venue in a great location. More often than not fashion week is dominated by the big labels and the small ones don't get noticed over the noise when they are just as good or better.

How many people work on the project with you? 
It depends on where I'm at in the project life cycle. I tend to do most of the strategic planning myself and then have others designated where necessary. As the event is still in its early stages I can pretty much handle most of it but as I have greater plans for the event I'm currently looking for other professionals to head certain areas. How do you select which designers to approach to show at the event? Designers apply to showcase while some are referred to me for review by stylists and others I source myself

The Strand Palace Hotel was an amazing venue, how did you get them on board? 
It's a case of building relationships but I pay for the venue so in this case its a case of them giving me a service.

What is your work background?
Work background varies but its in my professional field. I have a degree in Marketing and a CIM. I've worked in events, sales and retail. My last 9-5 job was at Emap for Drapers & Retail Jeweller Magazine. I don't have vast 9-5 experience but my strong business acumen, intuition, passion, drive and natural entrepreneurial skills makes me love and enjoy my work and all that I do re Sunshine Grace.

What do you do when you are not working on Fashion Mavericks? 
Fashion Mavericks is owned by Sunshine Grace which is a PR, Marketing and Events Consultancy. As well as this I'm also a personal stylist. So my main operations are with SG. Through this I have a number of private clients who I style and offer a personal shopping service to of sourcing new or certain items. I also consultant on projects with designers and businesses.

Which designers do you admire? 
I admire all designers. The work they do is enormous. From the initial stages of concept and theme, sketch designs, material sourcing, production there is a lot to do. Not including the pattern cutting, sleepless nights and many lattes.Generally I like and admire hard working people especially when they create innovative products that meet public demand or meet the needs of their market. To get that right is the key to a successful business and that is admirable.

You can check out Fashion Maverick here.

London Fashion Week September 2010

I was planning on attending New York Fashion Week but well that didn't work out so I decided to make the most of being in the UK and spend a few days at London Fashion Week. Unfortunately I didn't apply for tickets for the main catwalk shows and I wasn't in the mood to gatecrash so I decided to attend the events I did actually have an invite to. All of these events were off schedule (which means shows that are not taking place at the British Fashion Council tent) and darted across different parts of London. On Thursday there was Fashion Diversity at Islington Metal Works, Friday was The Look Show at The Saatchi Gallery, Saturday was Fashion Mavericks at The Strand Palace Hotel and Monday was Untold at The London Design Museum. I will be covering these events during the next few posts and filling you in on all the details.