Who Wore What: Ituen Basi

Nigerian designer Ituen Basi is well-known for print-on-print wizadry and her distinctive look books filled with pretty faces and clothes. One of Ituen Basi's models (above, left) who has featured in several of her ads is the leading lady in alternative artiste Bez's new video, More You, a sombre ode to love lost. Naturally, she wears Ituen Basi - bright prints for happier days (notice the earrings and bracelets, too!) and a black Ituen dress and head piece for a funeral scene:

Beautiful.

A couple more Ituen Basi sightings below:

Bez wears a fedora with a strip of print as seen recently at Africa Fashion Week on some very cute little men:

See the Ituen Basi necklace below?

A similar piece also makes it into this shot. Granted, it's very squint-or-you'll-miss-it but we squint so you won't have to :-)

We love us some Ituen Basi and we love her subtle and not-so-subtle appearance in Bez's brilliant video!

Shop Ituen Basi here.

XO

Photo 1: Ituen Basi

Screen Shots by Shop Liquorice

Images from Africa Fashion Week courtesy of Simon Deiner

P.S. Silly us, we got so carried away with the fashion that we didn't quite give Bez his due praise. We can't gush enough about this rising star on Nigeria's music scene! We had a chance to see him live this summer at three different events in Nigeria and he was CRAZY D-O-P-E. Definitely the next big thing. We hear his album's dropping in September...while we wait, enjoy our favorite Bez song, "Zuchiya Daya (One Heart)" and spread the word:

Who Wore What: Kadaria Ahmed x Ituen Basi

The May issue of TW Magazine features Kadaria Ahmed, Editor of NEXT Newspapers, decked out in a colourful array of distinctly Ituen Basi accessories. Needless to say, very few designers have the balance of traditional and contemporary down pat like Ituen Basi, whose work ranges from elaborate and intricately detailed frocks to multi-purpose bows.

Kadaria Ahmed won many hearts when she moderated Nigeria's NN24 Vice-Presidential and Presidential debates. She wore Ituen Basi both times, so the choices for her TW cover shouldn't be much of a surprise.

Each piece Kadaria wears is available online courtesy of our friends at My Asho, so your  first or next Ituen Basi purchase is just a few clicks away. Happy shopping here.

- SLiq

TW Photo courtesy of TW Magazine

Photos and descriptions in collage courtesy of My Asho

Collage by Shop Liquorice

STYLE NOTES: Ituen Basi//Nigeria [DAY 1, Africa Fashion Week 2010]

The Ituen Basi brand usually invokes certain very specific images - African Print/Ankara deconstructed and reconstructed, shredded, transformed, beaded - making it the go-to brand for a certain timeless, classic look. Her latest collection, bright, beautiful, and bold as it is, is a fascinating study in Ankara's unprecedented ubiquity. If Ituen Basi pushes the boundaries of Ankara , it is in transforming it from the commonplace, the everyday and the trendy into something of a permanent lifestyle fixture. From chic purses, to flats, bangles, and brooches to mono-print dresses and separates, nothing is immune to Ankarization.

Having followed Ituen's work closely, there's a sense of deja vu we get with this collection - we've certainly seen many of the prints and concepts explored before. One particular highlight, however, was her re-interpretation of the iro and buba (traditional top and wrapper) with charming results. That said, Ituen Basi's use of rich prints that often evoke eras gone has become a hallmark of her work in the last few years and we wonder how long the love affair can, will and should last. It'll take fine-tuning the balance between being known for a certain aesthetic and finding ways to creatively and constantly push the boundaries. We're not convinced that was completely accomplished with this collection but being the fiercely talented designer she is, we're sure there's more to come.

See the entire collection here.

XO

african designers online: ituen basi

goodness, we've discovered quite a few exciting new websites this week. up next, we have the fabulously talented ituen basi! her 2009 ankara and beads collection has been spotted at several events and we can't wait to get a piece of the action. her Arise Award for Innovation in Craftsmanship is certainly well-deserved and we eagerly anticipate her future collections.

happy exploring!

website: ituen basi

facebook: ituen basi

e-mail: ask@ituenbasi.co.uk

shop online: myasho

xo

Look Alike: Jumoke Oyewole in Ituen Basi

[Photo courtesy of Ituen Basi, by way of Wale Photos]

In a few short years, Ituen Basi has created her own distinct, instantly recognizable brand. While her pieces arguably require minimal accessorizing since they're so bold, we love how Jumoke wears a rich variety, allowing her own creativity shine through. Thankfully, you can channel Jumoke's look, courtesy of myasho.com and our nifty little collage:

SHOP NOW:

a) necklace

b) skirt

c) bangles

Hope there's lots of colour and fun in your lives this week. Thank you for supporting our blog :-)

XO

Who Wore What: Folake Kuye Hutton in Ituen Basi

We'll confess: we spend an unhealthy amount of time on the webternets seeking "inspiration" (*coughs*) and a particular corner of it has had our hearts a-flutter this week. Folake Kuye Hutoon - super blogger & brains behind WeWe Clothing - started her week in faraway LA with an ultra cool Ituen Basi iro and buba. Since then, it has been one Ituen Basi look after another and it really shouldn't come as a surprise that we secretly wish this could go on forever. In any case, we'll take what we can get and we'll keep visiting her blog to see what she wears next and how she wears it. Are you smitten yet?

XO

who wore what: genevieve pink ball '09

genevieve magazine's pink ball has come and gone and here are some runway pieces from nigerian designers that made it to the red carpet:

o o o

- first up, we have the always dazzling funmi iyanda in a Deola Sagoe piece, first seen at her Africa Rising show in DC last year. funmi iyanda definitely gets major cool points for stepping out in such an unexpected but ultra fabulous choice:

ms. iyanda also seems to be wearing the highly coveted satin manolo blahnik pumps that she blogged about here:



super fly!!

- next up, we have a piece from Ituen Basi's ankara and beads collection. we're digging this adapted ankara-style flapper dress and the creative use of beads as straps.

- finally, here's another attendee in an adapted deola sagoe piece, as seen on designer deola sagoe herself, courtesy of elan/234next.com:

loving the mish-mash of iridescent fabric and ankara.

xo

photos courtesy of:

bella naija
elan/234next.com
google
ituen basi
wire image

ARISE AFRICA FASHION WEEK: DAY 1 - - ITUEN BASI (NIGERIA)

IN BRIEF:

in this 8-piece* collection, ituen basi continues with her "ankara and beads" theme which looks set to remain her aesthetic direction this season. here, we see a variety of techniques -- from flapper-style shredding, to ruching, and mixing-and-matching. beads and ankara-covered bangles dominate her accessorizing, while some outfits show ankara hair accessories.

o o o

all things bright and mish-mashed




mono fabric with flapper-style shredding (look 1) and ruching (look 2)



patchwork-style



an amalgamation - shredding (sleeves, hem, neckline) + multicolored fabric

IMPROVEMENTS/FINAL THOUGHTS:

ankara is a great resource but this collection mainly shows the mastery of one technique (layering and mishmashing) and not enough variety. a potential customer may only select a few pieces to avoid repetitiveness.

thoughts?

xo

* numbers may change as more photos become avialable

photos:

ladybrille via Simon Deiner/SDR photo

Event: Africa Fashion Awards 2010

[Bunmi Koko and her partner, Francis Udom, as she accepts the award for Best International Emerging Talent]

It has been a long but enthralling look at Africa Fashion Week over the past week and to wrap things up nicely, the Africa Fashion Awards held this evening in South Africa. Thanks to the Twitter, we felt like we were there live with fashion's finest as each winner was announced. A big, big congratulations to all the nominees and winners! [Please note: We may need to edit the names of the categories a little later on when we get an official list.]

o o o

INTERNATIONAL DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Duro Olowu

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR (AFRICA): Black Coffee

TOP MAKE-UP ARTIST AT AFRICA FASHION AWARDS: Pat McGrath

BEST STYLIST: Edward Enninful

BEST FASHION COMMUNICATOR: Bella Naija

BEST INTERNATIONAL EMERGING TALENT: Bunmi Koko

EMERGING AFRICAN DESIGNER OF THE YEAR (AFRICA): Ituen Basi

STYLE INFLUENCER (MALE): Michael Jackson

STYLE ICON/INFLUENCER (FEMALE): Grace Jones

MENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR (INTERNATIONAL): Ozwald Boateng

MENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR (AFRICA): Stiaan Lowu

MODEL OF THE YEAR: Sessilee Lopez

MOST OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICAN FASHION: Marianne Fassler

TOP HAIR DIRECTION: Saadique Ryklief

MAKE-UP DIRECTION: Pat McGrath

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY: Koto Bolofo

ACCESSORIES DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Albertus Swanepoel

RETAILER OF THE YEAR: Africhic (http://www.africhic.com)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaia, Joseph Ettedgui

[See last year's list of winners here.]

A special congratulations to Ituen Basi (who won the award for Innovation in Design last year), two of our personal favourites - Bunmi Koko and Duro Olowu -, and Bella Naija!!!! We thought Deola Sagoe should've won something...alas, it wasn't to be. 

Any winners you're especially excited about? Any surprises? Please share!

XO

Photo courtesy of Simon Deiner/SDR Photos

Special Thanks to DeGorgeous1 & JMyburgh on Twitter!

blog/link lovin': bella naija, ituen basi, chichia london, nike akinola

[model wears a piece from chichia london's spring/summer 2010 collection, 'made in dar']

***

links worth clicking...

a. fashion africa unveils chichia london's spring 2010 collection

b. ladybrille interviews uche eze (bella naija)

c. elan interviews ituen basi

d. nike + chris okesola of nike akinola as entrepreneurs

***

blogs worth visiting (our new favorites)...

a. the skinny (forever 21's blog)

b. lipstick boudoir

c. olivia palermo daily

d. where did you get that

happy reading :-)

xo

pimp my african print: of christmas

loveeeee ituen basi's pimped out christmas tree! is there nothing african print can't transform? oh, and while we're celebrating ituen basi, don't you just love her african print/ankara bows?

wear them as brooches, clip them in your hair and look oh-so-fly whatever you decide to do! get yours here.

remember, african print shouldn't everrrr be boring! pimp it, pimp it, PIMP ITTTTT! lol.

xo

sources:

myasho

facebook

EVENT: AFRICA FASHION WEEK (JUNE 2010)

We recently blogged about the upcoming Africa Fashion Week kicking off in Johannesburg in 53 days (enthusiastic MUCH?)! We finally have a list of who and who's showing -- 26 designers in all! Needless to say, we're deliriously excited. Lots of new names and old favorites in the bunch...a few usual suspects missing in action...but we're not complaining too much.

o o o

 [A look from Boudoir D'Huitres' Spring/Summer 2010 collection "Medusa is Blooming"]

o o o

Abigail Betz (South Africa)

Boudoir D'Huitres by Mimi Plange (Ghana/USA)

Bunmi Koko (Nigeria/UK)

Carducci Woman (South Africa)

Christie Brown (Ghana)

David Tlale (South Africa)

Deola Sagoe (Nigeria)

Errol Arendz (South Africa)

Gloria Wavamunno (Uganda)

Heni (South Africa)

Ituen Basi (Nigeria)

Kluk CGDT (South Africa)

Koketso Chiepe (South Africa)

Korto Momolu (Liberia/USA)

LaQuan Smith (USA)

Marianne Fassier (South Africa)

Mataano (Somalia/USA)

qUmi Bespoke by Leslie Kofi Danso (Ghana/UK)

Sakina Msa (Comoro Islands/Paris)

Sandra Muendane (Mozambique)

Soucha (Tunis/Egypt)

Stiaan Louw (South Africa)

Stoned Cherrie (South Africa)

Suzaan Heyns (South Africa)

Thula Sindi (South Africa)

Xuly Bet (Senegal/Paris)

Read their profiles here.

o o o

Lookbook: Tiffany Amber Autumn/Winter 2010

First word: WOW. Tiffany Amber's Autumn/Winter 2010 Lookbook seems very much like a coming-of-age project and a stunning testament to a designer that continues to be one of the dominant players in Africa's fashion scene 12 years after she started. Now, we don't say 'coming-of-age' to be patronizing or facetious -- we say it to pay homage to a designer who has fine-tuned her point-of-view and seems to be saying with this collection "I know what works for me."

Taking off where she left off in Paris and featuring a scrumptious platter of draped silks, watercolor print with a dash of solids, batiks and exquisite beadwork, this collection oozes relaxed sophistication and a maturity that's completely secure in itself. The dress code for the Tiffany Amber woman is jumpsuits, separates, and signature grecian-style dresses fit for her glamorous undertakings, helped along by signature Ituen Basi necklaces. Without further ado:

A. These looks feature dresses with watercolor and floral prints prints + beaded waist and neck detailing:

Spread Love: Gossip Girls//Pride Magazine June 2010

'Tis the summer of all tribal any and everything but amidst the flurry of editorials set to the backdrop of  typically Africa-inspired aesthetics, Pride magazine offers something a little different this June - different because:

i) no one's chasing lions

ii) the setting is fun and believable

iii) it features the work of young, upcoming and of-the-moment designers (shoutout to Zed Eye, Tina Atiemo, Ituen Basi and Afromania by Nkwo)

iv) said designers are actually African (...)

v) there's lots of African Print but it doesn't smack you in the face and give you motion sickness :-)

Here's a glimpse into the world of ultra modern vintage-lovin' "Gossip Girls" who wear pieces from some of Africa's hottest designers like they should be worn: pieces that fit right into our everyday lives, not fanciful tribal costumes that don't always translate easily from editorials into real life -

A bloomin' brilliant effort. For information on the Creative Team behind the shoot and the pieces featured, visit Pride Magazine online.

XO