allure 17 September 2019

By Odun Ogunbiyi
MY LAGOS
ADVENTURE
...Oddbod & The City
The first day back at school went by without a hitch despite the torrential
rain, and I ended up an absolute wreck the day before. The madam and
I realised that she did not have a suitable rucksack, and
the store I would have run to had closed down behind my
back! There was an ensuing mad dash to Lekki and the
school kit shop where I found myself in the company of
several other parents in a similar predicament. Well, all’s
well that ends well. A new phase begins!
This is Oddbod and the City – My Lagos Adventure.
Savage x Fenty
idia aisen
speaking
at DFA
Launch
New York Fashion
week marks the
beginning of the
month of fashion week.
I don’t know how I used
to keep up before the dawn
of Instagram, I spend hours every day being
inspired and learning new things.
I followed the exploits of NYFW through the
feeds of some of my favourite accounts, Eva
Chen, Susie Bubble and WhoWhatWear.
Who needs to stay up and live stream the
shows? Catch them on Instagram stories with
the front row views, edited picks and behind the
scenes access to the after parties.
As expected, the shows in New York were
packed with socially conscious commentary
(Gurung dressed models in a sash that asked
“Who gets to be an American”) and the runway
models are as diverse as they will come in terms
of body positivity, diversity and non-traditional
models.
I waited with bated breath to catch Rihanna’s
Savage x Fenty show. I am going to have
to exercise patience because our fearless
leader saw fit to confiscate all phones! So no
sneak peeks. We are going to have to wait
till September 20th when the show will air on
Amazon Prime. The spectacle has been likened
to a live video shoot with performances from the
likes of Big Sean, Migos, Fat Joe and DJ Khalid.
A dance performance led by Normani, Laverne
14
/ September 15, 2019
It’s the
fashion
week
month
Zimmerman
Michael
Kors
Cox strutting the stage along with people of
all shapes and sizes, skin tone, genders and
abilities.
At this point the Victoria Secret executives
will be weeping quietly into their tissues at the
funeral of their once epic brand.
What Spring/Summer 2020 looks should I
be looking forward to? Statement shoulders
inspired by Michael Kors, textured broderie
anglaise items as inspired by Zimmerman, and
huge taffeta skirts as seen at Christian Siriano.
As usual, I will be waiting on good old Zara to
make a version I can afford and failing that …
We all live here in Nigeria; I don’t have to spell
it out.
DFA launch
Last week Tuesday, I honoured a mysterious
invitation to an event at the Sky Lounge at the
Eko Hotel and Suites.
We were invited to come dressed for the
cameras, to attend the biggest fashion unveil
of the year over canapés and cocktails. I
would usually be all shades of suspicious at
the deliberate vagueness of the invitation,
my first-class investigative skills (gained from
the prestigious school of the Law and Order
series), unearthed no further information. The
location was a winner, so I slipped on my high
heels and made my way down there to get the
gist.
And, was it worth it! It was the unveiling of
Design Fashion Africa’s (DFA) maiden edition.
With a mission statement “to change the future
of fashion design in Africa”, DFA plans to
highlight and nurture the best of African fashion
and broadcast it to the world. Successful
applicants will receive training opportunities
and conferences to fill the knowledge
gaps on how to run a successful business,
while attending fashion boot camps with a
televised competition, fashion shows and an
accompanying marketplace, where guests can
buy clothes and accessories.
I support everything this initiative stands for,
up-and-coming fashion designers and all the
peripheral supporting cast members such as
models, makeup artists and hairstylists need as
much support as possible, to actually have a
successful and lucrative career in their chosen
profession. When it comes to the fashion
industry, there is more than enough room for
more platforms to display talent and take Africa
to the world.
This project is a bold undertaking and I wish
them all the luck.
The boot camp is expected to open on the 3rd
of October..
For further information about my
adventures check out my Instagram,
@le_Oddbod.