So we’ll admit that we’ve been on the fence for a while about high street retail brand Maju, mostly because we are so used to premium design labels trying to foist fast fashion quality clothes on us for premium brand prices. But after a few seasons and quite a few missteps we’ve come to accede that the brand is the real deal, allowing us to assess and appraise their clothes based on the merit of what they’re trying to achieve; quality alternatives to high street and premium trends at decent prices.
The editorial for the new collection fronted by Dedun Olobayo of super successful fashion/lifestyle e-zine StyleMeAfrica and long time muse of the brand Banke Su, is shot by the sea with jagged rocks framing a shoreline with blue as far as the eye can see. Anyone (and you’d have to be living under a rock or deliberately avoiding it) who has seen the visual album for Beyonce’s latest body of work, Lemonade will instantly draw parallels between the fashion from that film. and the pieces in the collection.
Maju tries its hand on a version of Beyonce’s scene stealing frilled Roberto Cavalli dress from the Hold Up video, the white lace bubble sleeved blouse from the 6 Inch video interpreted in organza. The rest of the collection draws from that airiness, with sheer lace, ruching and layering and off shoulder blouses and dresses (in line with the season’s hottest trend and the antebellum south).
This is a strong collection from Maju, far more cohesive than we’d usually associate with Maju. We do wish the accordion pleats from the last collection had been left alone, it is incredibly unflattering to the silhouette without some kind of structural support to give it body.
This is how you reference pop culture without crossing into mimcry.
Credits:
Models : Dedun Olobayo & Banke Su
Photography : Jerrie Rotimi @jerrie_rotimi
Make up: Yemisi bamgbose for LOG cosmetics @yemisibamgboye for @l.o.g_cosmestics_ng
Art Direction and Styling: Folakemi awobotu @fiolakemi
Hair: Jola for @mjaewigs
