OSOGBO

As we roll out our latest collection for Spring/summer we decided to document part of production process. Late last year I travelled with photographer Ima Mfon to Osogbo (Pronounced Oh-sho-gboh), Nigeria to work with our master dyer.

Osogbo is the state capital city of Osun state (A state named after Oshun, the Yoruba god of love and beauty), which is located in the southwest region of Nigeria. The industrial city got its second name Ilu Aro (translated to "Home of dyeing" in Yoruba) due to its rich history with adire tradition.

We began our 5 hour trip from Lagos with a van full of imported fabrics sourced from Portugal and England. When we got there we began working on a few on the shirting fabrics. 

This is Kayode, our Master dyer. He oversees all production and works with me in developing the collection. Our sessions are intense and usually take hours. His 30 years of dyeing experience has played a vital role in Post-Imperial's development. 

There are alot of moving parts within the organized chaos. We first start off going over every design already in work to make sure they are as consistent as can be. The beauty of a process like adire is its artisinal handiwork. While we embrace its wabi sabi nature, we try as much as we can to control it within our design framework. Kayode then works with his team  of dyers to dye, and wash the fabrics. 

These fabrics are then shipped to the US and cut and sewn into clothing. This season our standard shirts come in two patterns:

The broken stripe

The galactic pattern

both items are available for pre order on our webstore