Comments on: Phunk Afrique Evolves

By: Rowz

Rowz — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:57:59 +0000

All u haters cant u just admire and let it b.so what if she got her style from here &there,every 1 does it once in a while.Funke,dont let them bring u down,u r doin great,relly great.tumbs up dear,keep it up

By: Mochi

Mochi — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:44:05 +0000

I toatally agree with Pam. A designer cant design in isolation but outright duplication of local designers doesnt make sense to me. That yellow dress is on Deoa Sagoe,s website in the exact same colour!

By: Z.M.A

Z.M.A — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:42:05 +0000

you say this styles are a an exact replica of of various designs that people have made over the years but then again isnt everything we wear a copy from yesterday or two decades ago.

There is a trend for every season and each designer #produces it in thier own way. Funke has done hers perfectly maybe you should give it a try and let us see how you would produce it since you remember how others did theirs.

Style and fashion are meant to be recreated and made to look better and as long as she has acheived that(which she has) we dont want hateration small or big, give kudos where it is due.

Let Mr skinny jeans, Mrs shift dress or Auntie Maxi dress come and arrest everybody.

By: jiji

jiji — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:01:57 +0000

pam! don’t be a hater! Phunkafrique is really good and very impressive.her designs are fabulous and truly african. she has her own taste! All those other designers u named strted small and are now house hold names. the same will be said soon about Funke! God Bless her and i hope she makes it even bigger in the fashion industry!!! WELL DONE FUNKE ur designs are LOVELY!!

By: Tade

Tade — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:57:58 +0000

d yellow dress is lovely

By: bob-ij

bob-ij — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:51:11 +0000

I like the very first piece. The fusion of patterns screams style!…And the yellow dress with patterns…Phunk Afrique really did well with this. But are these only sold in Nigeria, I’d love to order!

By: tomi

tomi — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:23:11 +0000

I agree that not that many nigerian women do “groundbreaking” but that is no reason not to have your OWN aesthetique. There is a label called exclamation that makes simple well priced linen tops that sell to the middle classes. Not high fashion but I know their look and if I ever want that kind of thing they’d be top of the list.

In a bad economy, being a “copy designer” is bad business for several reasons but the 2 most obvious are.

1. If you are copying Tiffany Amber and Deola Sagoe, why cant I take magazine pictures to my tailor and copy them by myself avoiding your markup?

2. If Im watching my spending Im not going to shell out for things that look like what I already own. I’ll save my pennies for something special.

By: tomi

tomi — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:09:54 +0000

Actually, it was the other way round. Both Gaultier and Mcqueen started producing avant garde collections that sold very few pieces but confirmed their talent. They remain edgy till this day but are much more commercial now. Only AFTER paying their creative dues can they rest on the laurels of perfume and handbag sales which is where the real money is.

These clothes are pretty but the styles are all over the place, and the market is already saturated with similar items by better known designers, with more accessible sales channels and less well known designers with lower price points, so why do the same. Im not talking about art I’m talking about business.

When Lanre first started she was “advised” by several people to change “the nonsense Victorian style” but she stuck to her guns and is laughing all the way to the bank.

All Im saying is there is very little reward to be had at the end of the path well-trodden

By: pam

pam — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:44:09 +0000

hmmmm this is not being mean but ill have a go.
i feel its wearable, great to look at, will flatter a range of body types but as others have said its not ground breaking.

the first pic looks like a tiffany amber from 2-3 yrs ago

the second classic nikki khiran

the third lanre da silva

the yellow dress deola sagoe

and so it continues

Naija fashion really very conservative with reinterpretations of existing templates and adaptations of foreign trends. Is that a problem? Not for us oh!

again do enough nigerian women here do “groundbreaking” to keep your business afloat? If you dont have access to clothing the pace setters whom people copy (like Lanre) your business may die before it picks up.
Having said all this turenci the clothes as they are would certainly sell.

By: Olangela

Olangela — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:57:14 +0000

Yes, fashion is art, but what good is art if you cannot sell it? Gaultier and McQueen had to start SOMEWHERE to draw attention to themselves and, as they made money and gained popularity, then they started with the unique pieces. Crawl before walking, oh.

By: Olangela

Olangela — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:50:54 +0000

These are absolutely gorgeous!!!!

By: Abeni Ebony

Abeni Ebony — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:44:39 +0000

How in the world can we get this in New York City?!?!?

By: tatafo!

tatafo! — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:39:48 +0000

busted!!! lol
other than that really great designs =)

By: nm

nm — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:35:37 +0000

true..i thot of that deols sagoe outfit when i saw that yellow one…i think bellla even has it as her blogger facebook profile pic or something

By: nm

nm — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:32:51 +0000

i cannot even hate…this is hawt

By: tomi

tomi — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:21:09 +0000

I agree with you on every level, but you only have to read the comments on this site to realise that a lot of nigerian women are quite resistant to change. The designers that can afford to push the boat out creatively are the ones who can also afford not to sell any of their pieces. Deola Sagoe’s label did not do well for being too “one-kind” until she won the Anglogold award, THEN people got on board.

Without being cynical, a lot of young ladies get into fashion because they think it will be lucrative and easy, and when they discover that its not, they promptly get out again, so its generous on your part to assume they had a creative vision in the first place.

However, when I saw the way nigerian women responded to Lanre Da silva when she first came out, I new that people were hungry for something new and she is the proud owner of a very profitable business. So for you budding designers taking the plunge, take some risks, the market might surprise you.

Best of luck girls!

By: xoliquoricexo

xoliquoricexo — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:07:14 +0000

e-mail: phunkafrique@yahoo.co.uk
phunkafrique’s showroom: 23, bishop oluwole. victoria island.

you can also contact the designer via facebook. her name’s “funke ogunde”. prices vary from 14,000 to 45k and up, i believe.

By: aosgrl

aosgrl — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:14:45 +0000

The designs do look good. But like someone else pointed out i feel like i’ve seen these designs already on numerous lagos fashonista’s. Nothing too ground breaking. To a certain extent i feel some of the up and comer’s play it too safe. they worry more about what they can sell now than the future of their label. Fashion is an art. Show the level’s to which you can take your craft. Alexander Mcqueen and Jean Paul Gaultier show almost unwearable items for their shows, but you know what they show me that they can make their materials move or mold in a certain way i never thought possible. Show me that you think like someone who still expects to be here in five years. There are so many people around doing the basic with local fabrics, what sets you apart.

Good luck with everything.

By: Uzo

Uzo — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:04:25 +0000

Ooooooooooh..Omilola and Bukky…Very nice.

So where do we get the designs?

By: shi

shi — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:51:35 +0000

absolutely stunning!