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The right idea today is to think of fashion as
art--not necessarily
as something to adorn oneself with but something one can
appreciate at a fiscally respectable distance! We have long
coveted the creations of Duro Olowu, the Nigerian-born lawyer
turned London designer whose work takes the idea of fashion as art
to marvelous lengths. There has been a recent resurgence in the
use of African prints in both fashion and art and Olowu uses them
to much effect in his designs but his influences truly tend towards the
global--in 2007 he said that he was inspired by "the colors of
the great jewels of the maharanis of India, the Baroda pearls,
emeralds, and rubies." He patchworks prints that he has
custom-made with recycled couture fabrics and patterns to create a
sophisticated collage of pattern and color. A modern distinctive
haute-global aesthetic, always glamorous and imbued with fantasy and
whimsy.
In 2006
he made a splash with his now trademark kimono-style empire-waisted
dress with different patterned textiles defining borders and
sleeves. The idea of pattern on pattern was taken to the maximum
to create a subtle but slightly off-kilter beauty. For Spring 2009
he cites the influence of the films Black Orpheus and The Red
Shoes, as well as West African masquerade traditions, in creating
a collection with a marvelous palette of green, red, and orange
that is offset by black and white, with dramatic and layered
tribal necklaces and accessories There are
two marvelous shows in New York at the moment that reflect the
growing awareness of African textiles and their increasing use as
an element in contemporary African art. The Metropolitan Museum's
current show The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without
End has 19th century African textiles contrasted with pieces of
contemporary art and The Poetics of Cloth: African Textiles/Recent
Art at New York University's Grey Art Gallery, focuses on the use
of traditional textiles in contemporary art.
L'Afrique,
c'est chic!
Discover:
Duro
Olowu
Visit:
The
Poetics of Cloth, NYU's Grey Gallery
Read:
The
Essential
Art of African Textiles, the Met
Tags:
fashion
india
africa
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