Deola Sagoe, Black Coffee and Loin Cloth & Ashes set to dazzle via ARISE Africa show at New York Fashion Week

Its that time again.

African fashion is migrating to New York for the New York Fashion Week.

Last year, ARISE broke new ground with the ARISE Collective at the Fall/Winter New York Fashion Week in February 2009 and maintained the momentum with the Promise of Africa Collective show at the Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week in September.

In 2009, designers including Tiffany Amber, David Tlale and Jewel by Lisa shone on the international stage.

We totally expect the “class of 2010” to do the same.

Nigeria’s Deola Sagoe, South Africa’s Black Coffee and Tanzania’s Loin Cloth and Ashes will be showing brand new collections at the show which will be presented in Bryant Parkat 8pm on Saturday February 13th 2010 .

Anticipation is exceptionally high as fashion lovers are looking forward to viewing the new collection from Nigeria’s creative queen, Deola Sagoe.

Deola Sagoe’s collection titled “Above the Fray” is a seamless fusion of elements found within the African and Western militias, fashionably remixed with a blend of ethnocentric accents and military silhouettes.

According to the designer, “I have always been fascinated by military gear and wanted to create something that would look like African body paint, but not tattoos, an elegant, chic and somewhat formal representation of what this body paint tends to look like,” The collection features signature scissorwork, resulting in clean stripped, sliced, shredded detailing. The stripes are a take on geometric body markings found on the bodies of Maasai warriors within Eastern Africa.

We are also really excited about what Black Coffee and Loin, Cloth & Ashes will unleash in New York!

2010 is set to be another great year for African fashion. There is buzz that some via the ARISE platform African designers  might be showing on the most coveted fashion stage – Paris Fashion Week. ARISE is also set to stage a huge fashion event tied into the World Cup festivities in South Africa over the summer.

So are you excited about the New York ARISE show?

and the BIG question…which African designer will you like to see at Paris Fashion Week?