African-Inspired Designs by naKIMuli
Posted on Thursday, April 28th, 2011 at 4:22 PMBy Ijeoma Ndekwu
Over the past few years, we have witnessed mainstream fashion embrace African prints, Gwen Stefani’s fashion label, L.A.M.B and Suno featured African-inspired pieces in its Spring/Summer 2011 collection, Marc by Marc Jacobs also sought to Africa for inspiration for its Spring 2010 collection. There are also the regulars such as BoxingKitten and ASOS Africa who primarily use Ankara prints.
The use of fabrics which are predominantly associated to Africa by non-African labels has generated mixed responses, although mostly positive especially when done right! naKIMuli is a label run by an African-American, who uses African fabrics in a very unique way. Her pieces are bold, everyday pieces, but have a certain counter-cultural feel to them.
I think I am loving the vibe I’m getting from these pieces, would love to know what you all think.
http://www.nakimuli.com
http://shop.nakimuli.com/
http://www.nakimuli.tumblr.com
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Follow me on twitter: @ijeomandekwu
Tags: African-inspired designs, naKIMUli
Not feeling this at all. The hair is better.
my thoughts exactly
I think I love the vibe too, edgy and feminine looking clothes, but certain pieces like dresses 1, 3, and the second to the last dress should be thrown out.
not bad but uhmmmmm please nigerians there are more things too do than being a “fashion designer” o.ah all this ankara craze sef *yawn*
I believe that the article specifies that the designer is African American, and not in fact Nigerian. Just pointing out that if you read the article….
I agree!!!
Nonsekable…abialahaoooo
Ngwanu…..
Onye obuna abugo fashion designer. Onye obuna ejigo ankara na akwa akwa. Onye obuna jili iru Fela eme ife solu fa… ma fa bu ndi Nigeria ma fa bu Akata ma Oyibo.
Ngwanu.
lol…Gwam Gwam Gwam…riddle time with Sugabelly. Biko hapu onye na akwa akwa maka na it is a free market. E na cho nsogbu? lol
Heh heh heh!!! ^_^ LOOOOL @ Gwam Gwam Gwam!
Mana N jikoro ndi na akwa akwa. Nkem bu na ndi Akata nine a jili iru Fela na kwanye na ife obuna fa na akwa bu nke N wotaro. Kedu ife jiko Akata na Fela bikonu? Fa ma onye o bu? Ko o maka Beyonce na Jay-Z tunye ego na musical Broadway Fela nokata Fela abuzigo onye America?
O di m ka o soso maka ego. O wero ife ozo. A fugo na afa Fela na akpa ego maka ndi madu na egote ife a denye Fela na akwa weta iru Fela; o ya na fa na akwa akwa na me onu Fela! Fela! ebe nine.
O_o. Totally rolling my eyes.
LMAO
Nne the thing gwulu ike! E nelam fa anya, si ogini bu ifa? Akwa ochie plus ankara= disaster o. Anyway, o dikwa ka ife akata ge yi naru, mschewww. Onye obuna abugo fashion designer. Chineke ga zuputa anyi o!
Not feeling it at all. Mama risi (around the corner) can do better than this now
IMO there’s absolutely nothing special about these pieces! Abegi jare, next.
Ihe nke a anyam n’ahu ajogbuole onwe ya na njo.
LMAO. this comment gave me so much joy. For the main fact that it is in igbo. it is so much funnier. Ezi okwu, nwa nne. Ngwanu. Ka’ anyi fu uzo biko. O dika o nwero mmadu ne’ eje ulo akwukwo anymore. soh soh mmadu bukwa tailor, onye ne’ eyi akwa ne’ eju ebe ni neh?
@this gurl the article does say she is african america. did u read it???
ummmm…Negative. Not feeling them.
Ummmmm……….I dont know**SMDizzyH**
Sorry not feeling these clothes ! Ogini?
nwanyi anambara 
@sugabelly Ina ede asusu Igbo ofuma mana obughi Igbo izugbe
Maka n na su Igbo anambara. Ide Igbo izugbe a da so m. N kwuo ezi okwu, m kpo ife nine gbasa Igbo izugbe asi. O da so m ncha. =/
Just to clarify I mean Kpo …. Asi as in Dislike, Hate, etc not Kpo = call and Asi = Lie.
No tones here.
thanks for the clarification, was a bit hard to understand had to read twice
like the Fela shirt…pretty cool!
don’t like at at all.
nah…
umu nne m, e kwenyere m n’ihe nile unu kwuru maka akwa ndia. anyi aga agbapuru ‘ndi dizina’ n’obodo a? chineke zoba anyi .
What’s with these division? pls comment in the language others can read. Bella is dis sit for Ibo speaking peeps now?
Heh heh.
Bava ask your Igbo friends to translate for you
Lol!!! I can’t read Igbo either, all the Igbo I know is udelu, udala, udansida, but I find it hilarious that this post has become Igbo-central. I’m turning the next appropriate page into Yoruba central!
It’s amazing how some Nigerians think. People communicate in their language and the first thing you can say is division? I’m not Igbo but I personally enjoyed seeing the Igbo comments because it shows in this age some Nigerians are still bilingual and have the ability to speak the “Queen’s” English and their mother’s tongue. It was a beautiful sight especially because I can’t speak my own language. I found it rather refreshing. Also, it’s one thing to speak a language, it is even greater to be able to write in it. Keep it up folks
THERE IS AN IGBO PARTY IN HERE. hahahahaha, funny stuff.
@ BAVA relax, loving the igbo floating around even though i dont understand a thing.
@ sugarbelly. Nwanne mmadu supuru m igbo….onwero ife na-eme
hia, o o o o. gini bu ihe na? what are these?
Dis is real ibo cult..I like d slim model..
i love Nakimuli… she was doing designs using these gorgeous, vibrant fabrics long before many of these mainstream folks were. and when the trends end? she’ll still be paying homage in her beautiful, distinct way. shoutout to folks who blaze their own trails and SUPPORT others who are doing the same.
There is something very saddening about how it is easy for people to criticize when they are not the ones on the chopping block. The saying that reminds us to treat people the way we want to be treated rings true even on a blog. Everything you put out is energy, and it doesn’t disappear when you snap your fingers or close a window on a screen, it is all encompassing and it becomes a part of you. I applaud anyone stepping outside of themselves and embracing their inspiration and being bold enough to share it with the world.
ah ahn!!Sugabelly and friends pls translate biko.I have a feeling i will be reeling with laughter if i could read what y’all are saying .
Anyway, me no likey.At all at all
Haha! Okay Bukky, I was saying that it’s weird how everybody is now using ankara to design and how people are just using Fela’s face to profit whether or not they know anything about Fela or are even Nigerian or have any connection to Fela or our culture. I’ve seen a lot of Fela merch coming from Americans so I said I don’t know whether it’s because Beyonce and Jay Z funded the Fela musical that suddenly Americans think it’s okay to just appropriate him to sell their stuff in spite of not even knowing the struggle that he and his music stood for.
Nice clothing but which kind photographer take all the pictures? The designer should do a proper photoshoot abeg and put better models.
is it just me or the girls bowlegs hold no appeal for the clothes?
Se eyin omo Nna yi gbadun sha? Nibo le ro pe e wa yi? Aba le pe ibi yi ni? Oshisko!!!
Too much drama going on on most of the costumes, ooops, i meant attires, lol…..
not feeling this at all!
+Haba belle fashion commentators, i was expecting a B.I.G NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Kia wetin be this. Other 9ja base wey post their design wey good, u yap am say e no good. This wan wey make me cover my face say nooooooooooo nobi our ankara be dis. Well dem talk say na america wey wan try resemble her express her african root. Well she try something sha, she go get her market wey them dey dress like thing. U try o american african , i know say next time he go better. Come o, abi she wan follow Vivenne Westwood stlye ? No that wan sef de kolo small but don refine am as time pass…..wetin? kolo na kolo. African sister we accept u o, but no follow kolo line!!!!Sogbo?