The MAKI-OH SS12 collection is rooted in the painter, Henri Matisse’s ‘primitive’ Fauvism views. Matisse’s colour theories and fascination with indigo, his ability to shock with the strong statements of his work, his fascination with African Art, his keen interest in the human figure, and his ability to adapt the tribal for the avant-garde are all emblematic of the Maki Oh ethos and her SS12 collection. Specifically, Matisse’s fascination with painting odalisques in different countries directly inspires Maki Oh’s fictional trip into the world of metropolitan African seduction: into the world of the the Lagos ‘Reds’.
This journey leads up the road of the brazen, tapers into African allure and the hedonism of youth, and finally peaks at courtesanal elegance. The simple lean silhouette of the collection serves as a blank canvas for each of these reds to express the artful ways of her seductive wiles. Disheveled elegance is reflected in lush silk velvet and silk charmeuse
cut-outs. and negative space is explored with silk chiffons and silk organzas.
Angular embellishments adorn the figure and take direct inspiration from Matisse’s interest in the African masks at the Musée du Trocadéro. Maki Oh’s signature use of the traditional dyeing method ‘Adire’ in this collection, along with her customary incorporation of an indigenous feature, in this case, the Nigerian local sponge, further amplify this imagined lifestyle of the Reds.
Images shot backstage at the just concluded MTNLFDW
Maki Osak
www.maki-oh.com
Tags: African Designers, African Fashion Designers, African seduction, Amaka Osakwe, Lagos, MAKI OH
