Mythmaking Towards New Worlds: Humanizing Velvet
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Velvet has been one of our favorite materials to collaborate with. The first time we used it was in our FW17 collection.
For this collection, we worked with a deadstock cotton velvet that we found in Virginia to introduce three new/updated styles.
For fabrics like velvet, which have napped, fuzzy surfaces, we have to take into consideration the type of designs that we can do.
The first time we worked with this type of fabric was a corduroy that we used for FW16.
This motif is a traditional adire pattern titled family house.
It was one of our best selling patterns for that season. And even though we were satisfied with the results, it was such a messy process that made things difficult not only for the dye artisans but also the fabric itself.
So we had to step back and listen to what the fabric wanted us to do.
The next season we introduced velvet and realized that if we made the motifs bigger and spread them out, we would have something just as beautiful but less strenuous on the fabric and the dyers.
Below is the first-ever velvet print we dyed.
It is just as beautiful, but it is made with much more love, and less pain on the dye artisans and the fabric itself.
The velvet options in this collection speak to the dressier side of Post-Imperial.
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The Ikoyi Jacket is an updated version of our standard jacket.
We reduced the number of buttons disconnecting the uptight associations that come with the sports jacket.
The adire-dyed deadstock velvet cotton still gives it an elegant touch, but the unconstructed body allows for you to dress it down as well.
This is important for us as though we like to dress up, we want our suits to feel like pajamas.
The Ikoyi Pant is a combination of past styles (the Lagos pant and the standard pant). It is named after Ikoyi, which is located in the island part of Lagos.
We added a pintuck crease to keep its elegance, while the elastic waistband and extra room in the thigh area make it easy to wear every day.
The Ife Scarf is our house scarf consisting of velvet with silk backing. It has been an in house staple for a couple of years.