Last week we announced that Africa Fashion Week Nigeria had chosen Farida Atelier and PJJD by Agatha Moreno to headline this year’s event and spoke at length on our misgivings about this decision, primarily because both labels while somewhat successful in their fields are still relatively upstart and have not achieved critical acclaim and/or success to enable them headline an event of this heft.
Well, someone must have listened because the showcase has put out yet another update, relegating Moreno and Farida Atelier to second string and announcing the celebrated Ade Bakare Couture as their headlining designer.
Even better, Bakare is debuting his new Cruise 2016 collection at the showcase, rather than rehashing some old collection. This is good news because Bakare always draws a lot of attention and brings his loyal fandom to the showcase. Plus, it’s a cruise collection, the most glamorous of all seasonal collections, what’s not to love?
About Ade Bakare’s Cruise Collection
Ade Bakare has designed a capsule Cruise Line Collection for summer 2016, influenced by his constant travels between London and Lagos where he maintains his design studios and boutique respectively with the word, ‘cruise’ evoking travel, luxury, style, boats, yachts and summer.
The Cruise Line has been greatly inspired by his clients on both sides of the Atlantic who desire something colourful, modern and ethnic to wear while abroad. To satisfy these demands, Ade Bakare came up with an exquisite range of vibrant jackets and dresses in neoprene textiles and ‘adire’ in modern geometric and circular designs embellished with his unique signature style of wood and glass intersected with beads that sparkle.
High-necked coats with eyelets that are roped with silk ‘adire’ and large balloon sleeves, capes and empire-cut jackets are teamed with straight silk ‘adire’ dresses, some cut off the shoulder, whilst sleeveless shift dresses and halter neck styles are all shown in bright effervescent colours such as neon pinks, yellows, deep purple and cobalt blues.
Bakare is exactly what the showcase needs to add an air of legitimacy to it (especially in Nigeria where it is often lovingly referred to as the second most important showcase in the country). Scoring big designers will incentivize younger designers to up the ante and show better, more structured collections, and will draw in the much needed buyer market, that is needed to turn any fashion showcase from an empty gala to a financially viable marketing channel.
The countdown continues.