First Look: Lanre da Silva Ajayi S/S 2012 Lookbook

Fresh off an appearance at Arise Magazine's Made in Africa Collective in New York, Lanre da Silva Ajayi presents a closer look at their offerings for Spring/Summer 2012, featuring America's Next Top Model alum, Aminat Ayinde. A thrilling melange of lace and layers and brights set the stage for a summer worth looking forward to.

First Look: 11 Previously Unseen Looks from Asibelua

Fati Asibelua's latest venture, Asibelua, is not to be mistaken for her better-known Momo. While the latter is headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, the former, Momo's sister label, 'focuses more on ready-to-wear collections for the international market' and is based in London. Same use of exquisite, luxurious, custom prints, same 'African signature', but catering to the demand for pieces that capture the essence of contemporary Africa outside Africa's shores. 

Last season saw a flurry of floral, animal and tie-dye prints boldly announcing the arrival of Asibelua. In a few hours, Asibelua will showcase its third collection at the Made in Africa show at New York Fashion Week. Before then, Shop Liquorice brings you a first look at previously unseen Asibelua pieces, courtesy of the brand new asibelua.com. The website is still a work in progress, but at least we all get to sample the brand's essence before we meet it on the runway.

(Screen capture from asibelua.com)

- SLiq

FIRST LOOK: Bunmi Koko Bridal

There are moments and there are moments -- that split second when we laid our eyes on the first looks from Bunmi Koko's new bridal range, especially with the backdrop of the day's breathtaking grand royal wedding, has turned us into piles of mush and desire. We're always beside ourselves when it comes to beauty and everything about these looks is exquisite and everything but ordinary.

Bunmi Olaye and Francis Udom have always had big dreams for their Bunmi Koko label, approaching it as more of a lifestyle brand than a ready-to-wear line alone. With their expansion into bridal territory, evening wear and men's accessories, their dreams are certainly taking shape, and we're charmed by them, to say the least.

Are Bunmi Koko's pieces making you reconsider your go-to designer for your wedding dress?

- SLiq

Photos:

Bunmi Koko

Lookbook: Lola Faturoti A/W 2011 [Ethnic Modernism]

Regular readers may have caught our sneak peek early last month and had their appetites whet in preparation for the main course - which itself makes us wish Lola Faturoti would hurry up and give us e-commerce already. She always brings a distinct sophistication and mastery to her treatment of print and her Fall 2011 Ethnic Modernism collection juggles everything from 60s Op Art to leopard print and polka dots. Silhouettes are at once relaxed and fitted, giving ample room juxtaposition and movement. Other highlights include her toughening it up with leather and fringe (our alter egos would totally wear the Maureen Jacket), the darling bows and pleats, and her use of coral, which we wish we got a little more of.

Thoughts? Any pieces in particular calling out to you?

FIRST LOOK: Omer Asim A/W '11 [Sudan/UK]

Passionate as we are about Africa's blooming fashion scene, there have been few moments when we've been moved to tears (well, almost) and such irrational bouts of extraordinary excitement that we thought we'd explode. Sudanese designer Omer Asim accounts for a great percentage of those moments - his boundless creativity, his keen eye for detail in the most unexpected places, and the lingering sense that he brings something no one else does to the table make him the object of our obsessions season after season.

Omer Asim's A/W '11 takes it back to black with touches of sheerness and velvet as well as his signature take on pleats and draping. As expected, Omer Asim once again tows the line between perfect and imperfect - while each creation is exquisite, we often oscillate between feeling each piece is perfectly incomplete. A certain wordlessness abounds when one attempts to describe the most beautiful things, so allow the pictures to take on a life of their own for you:

FIRST LOOK: NEW AFRICAN FASHION BY HELEN JENNINGS

It's only a matter of time before coffee table books - and encyclopedic volumes, perhaps - on Africa's blooming fashion scene become commonplace -- you only need look at the rapid growth of magazines and blogs centred around this bloom (or boom, if you like). This summer, Arise Magazine editor Helen Jennings is set to release New African Fashion; 288 pages on Africa's historical place in fashion, its contemporary relevance, trends that continue to define this movement and, in a nutshell, "why African fashion is having its moment in the sun".

Sounds like required reading for Team SLiq. Are you looking forward as much as we are? [Release date: Sept. 30, 2011. More info. here].

- SLiq

First Look: Momo Spring/Summer 2011

After a year of silence from one of Nigeria's most notable brands (last we saw from them was at Arise L'Afrique-A-Porter last March, and they were noticeably absent from the recently concluded Arise Magazine Fashion Week in Lagos), Momo returns with a Spring/Summer 2011 collection as rich in colour, variety and tradition as it is striking and memorable. Momo has always celebrated femininity in their silhouettes, and has always understood what a plausible take on "Africa meets contemporary" might be, so it's no surprise that underlying mood seeps through and sets the direction of this collection. Momo's words offer greater insight:

First Look: Coming soon to anitaquansah.com

Meet Dion, Obi, Asa, and Lewa -- four exquisite signature pieces from Anita Quansah's pocket-friendly range soon to be debuted in their upcoming e-store. Known for their extraordinary craftsmanship, Anita Quansah pieces don't come cheap -- and understandably so. However, if you've had an Anita Quansah craving and not enough cash, here's a new range of pieces to suit your budget:

First Look: JbyLisa is here!

[The Tribal Safari Dress from JbyLisa]

It's finally here, folks! We're excited to bring you the first look (anywhere on the webternets!) of Jewel by Lisa's diffusion line, JbyLisa. This is Jewel by Lisa's world of print and embellishments toned down and made significantly less expensive and thus more accessible. The pieces are not only versatile, summer-worthy and printastic, they've also been "ethically crafted using local African cotton fabrics and embellished using sequins, beads and leather, which are all carefully hand sewn onto the fabric." [MyAsho Press Release]

The pieces retail from 55-120 pounds and should be available on myasho.com from May 24, 2010. Interested in further discounts? Join the myasho Facebook Fan Page here.

Peep more pieces below:

[Cocoa Bean Shorts]

[Embellished Pom Pom Skirt]

[Jewel Blue Wrap Dress]

[Tribal Nights Romper]

Are you more likely to take the Jewel by Lisa plunge if you haven't already? 

Many, many thanks to our friends at myasho for granting us this exclusive first look :-) You rock!

XO