Orange Culture presents Autumn Winter 2017 Collection ‘PRETTY’

Following the brand’s critically acclaimed debut at London Fashion Week, Orange Culture presents the Autumn Winter 2017 collection – PRETTY.

For this collection, Adebayo Oke-Lawal, the Creative Director for Orange Culture chose to infer on garments, the religion of romance. Romanticism is at the base of the fabrications and shapes. A story of blossoming teenage boys – the full spectrum of what it means to be young, which encompasses the carelessness of love, the angst of failure, and also the delicateness of hurt. The collection begins with that startling moment a teenage boy realises that hurt is part of the journey too.

As a Nigerian boy, you are not necessarily allowed to own hurt, even if it is staring you right in the face. It is a deeply rooted patriarchal system that invalidates pain as an essence to maleness. Mostly you are required to be a man before you are old enough to realise that being a man is overrated.” Oke-Lawal tells.

But there is also a progression into recovery, into a subtle acknowledge of self-bravery, and self-love and these teenage boys being able to find themselves despite some of the worst pains of abuse. The collection, as it is titled “pretty” shows there is no anger to it; no form of rebellion or self-pity; no persisting shadow of victimisation. In some sense, it is a collection of rebirths – the moment after, the sense of journeying along, despite it all, and the idea of being broken to become beautiful.

Quilted parkas, soft crepes and lamb leathers were layered to express the intensity of the romanticism/vulnerability behind the collection. The delicate prints, emotional colours and extra frilled detailing were added on to push the story even further. Shot with a Polaroid camera to capture an emotional moment in time.

As with the collections before, all pieces are manufactured in Lagos from ethically-sourced fabrics from local Nigerian fabric makers. Jewellery is made in collaboration with Nairobi-based brand ADÈLE DEJAK (@adeledejak).