Haitian designer Stella Jean’s new Fall 2016 menswear collection follows in the brand’s style of vibrant celebrations of Dutch wax prints better known as ankara. This season she looks eastward to India for inspiration. The new collection seems to marry British silhouettes with Indian opulence, featuring knee high boots and jodphurs, layered three piece suits belted at the waist by multi-coloured scarves. She uses velvet and corduroy, alongside cotton and tweed for her pieces eliciting both cultures, finished with electric blue bindis.
Stella Jean’s collection is a welcome change from the West’s gaze on African culture, mining it for new fashion perspectives, and her influences are respectful, not exploitative. The brand is stocked at Reni Folawiyo’s luxury store, Alara in V.I, Lagos.
