SAY I DO Gorgeously

OYINDAMOLA LAWAL




IN the last few years, wedding fashion has become very important, as many brides are spending fortunes on what to wear their special day.
The process of shopping for a wedding dress can be a fabulous adventure, but it can also be stressful and overwhelming —particularly because a bride-to-be often starts shopping for her gown before many other details are determined.
From white and ivory Casablanca with multipleated bodice to respledent ivory, strapless beaded to ruffled tied gown, there are array of choices to make from designers’ collection.
To create the right impression, you must be conscious with your dress, accessories, shoes and carriage. Picking out a pair of shoes is easier than playing mix and match with your wedding clothing.
You can look stylish, classy or casual depending on the dress and the way you decide to put it together.
Finding a befitting dress is perhaps essential. On your wedding day, you'll want to look great, but you'll also want to be comfortable — it will be hard to dance and laugh (not to mention posing for all those pictures) if you're tugging your dress up or have boning jutting into your ribs.
Remain gorgeous, go for dress that suits your shape. Putting on a dress is not the only part of looking elegance, you need to develop the attitude of dressing comfortable with your wear. You can bring charm to your whole person by being the best in your favourite dress.
A dress that fits your body well think about your body type and what kinds of dresses generally look good on you. Take a look at what you regularly wear that makes you feel confident and beautiful, and then look for a wedding dress with similar lines
Wear whatever makes you comfortable and feels like you. And have fun shopping for your wedding dress. It should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Gozi! using art to mentor and to re-unite

By Oyindamola Lawal
Gozi---- pechakucha
from Jpan with a large Heart




gozi, Tunde Kuboye and Papa

Born in Lagos on March 8, 1974, Ngozi Josephine Ochonogor left Nigeria for England at the age of 19 to study Software Engineering at the Imperial College, London. In 1998, she enrolled into the Central School of Fashion, where she studied Ladies Wear, which enabled her to use to transform men’s tailoring patterns into sexy ladieswear.
After working with Turner Prize winners, Keith Tyson, Mark Wallinger, Richard Billingham and others, with years of operation in Japan, Gozi has brought home her talent.
On return to the country, the creative damsel is making plans to organise three big shows, an art forum (PecheKucha), fashion exhibition and a philanthropic workshop for orphans tagged, “Live! U.Mi-1” in Lagos from December 18 through 27, with each day featuring different shows.
Through the shows, Gozi aims to bridge the gap between Nigeria and Japan by using Live! U. Mi-1, the philanthropic arm of her brand, which is an exchange programme aimed at bringing cultural awareness to orphaned kids in Nigeria and Japan through artistic workshops. Collaborating with invited artists, Gozi would educate Japanese children about Nigeria and vise versa.
According to her, “I am a fashion designer based in Tokyo with my brand U.Mi-1; I promote Nigeria in Tokyo. I work with different artistes and the synergy between us is used to create art. Basically, when I moved to Japan, I saw that the spirit between the people in Japan and Nigeria were quite similar. I had to abandon my London brand to start a new one.” “I have been doing that for over two and the half years, I have been on radio, I been to Tokyo fashion week. Basically everything I do, I use it to connect Nigeria and I think it is about time to come and do the same over here. With my brand, I have Live! U.Mi-1, it is actually the philanthropic arm of my brand.”
Speaking on her cultural exchange programme, Gozi says, “What I do is that, I organise workshop with orphan and I teach Japanese orphans about Nigeria and I come to Nigeria to teach Nigerian orphans about Japan; so the whole thing is about unifying Japan and Nigeria.”
The event, which is encouraging dialogue through art and giving the children a stimulating experience that can spur them to become creative in future.
The first workshop “My imaginary Lagos” was run in collaboration with architect Megumi Matsabara, and 15 children at Nonohana No le Children’s Home and a corresponding one at Little Saints Orphanage, Lagos, where Gozi introduced 20 kids to Megumia and the kids at the Children Home. The documentary videos were screened at the published exhibition in Tokyo.
Megumi Matsubara returns for another edition, this time to Lagos, where she will actually get to meet the children from the Little Saints Orphanage and with sound artiste Emeka Ogboh.
“I have an orphanage event coming up and I am actually bringing a Japanese artiste with me. Her name is Megumi Matsabara she worked with me on the first event in Tokyo and this is the second one with and would be done Nigeria. She is actually coming to meet the kids with her camera. The whole point is to actually give the kids a spark to be creative. I am also working with Emeka Ogboh.”
“People always give money and clothes to orphanages without thinking of the future of the kids, so, I decided I will them something that will take them through life, which is creativity; it would inspire them to think and fend for them when they become adults. That is what I do with Live! U.Mi-1,” she added.
Each edition is made of two corresponding workshops, one in Lagos and one in Tokyo. “What we are going to be teaching the children is all about theatre, we are going to be teaching them about Japanese theatre and it going to be quite artistic and abstract. What we want to do is that, we want them to teach Megumi as well how Nigeria does story telling. We are going to teach Japanese too about Nigeria theatre and story telling. It is always about two volumes, we do one here and then take the replica to show the children in Japan.”
What does she hopes to achieve? She explained, “I hope to give the children a creative spark. For me, I think it is something quite beautiful because these are kids, who would not actually have the opportunity to experience art in this kind of way. Usually when Megumi does creative education, it is because some rich parents have heard about her, because she is an established artist and architect; they have heard about her and they told the kids, you must go for this. She has really huge exhibition in well-renowned gallery, so when she met me, she was really exited that she was actually happy to meet real people and real kids, who cannot afford to do this. I am really happy that she is coming down to Lagos. The Japanese government is supporting her.
“My other event is Pechakucha, I it started in Tokyo. It’s actually a forum for creative peoples to meet, to network and to talk. It is actually done in 250 cities in the world and I am bringing a piece of that to Lagos. It has a given format such as each artist coming with 20 images with each image running for 20 seconds. Basically, you have 7 minutes to inspire the crowd. I did the first Pechakucha, three months after I arrived Tokyo, where I met Mark who encouraged me to present my work. After my presentation, I was asked to handle Lagos event. I think it is really important for Lagos right now because, as Fashola is physically reconstructing the city, we need to reconstruct our minds.”
The event, which is set to be an informal visual presentation about each presenter’s passion, gives the audience a chance to speak to those presenters who have inspired them. However, PechaKucha Night Vol 1 is the first in Lagos and Nigeria, where contemporary art in all spheres unite. The show is set to showcase works of renowned artists both old and new, ranging from architects such as Papa Omotayo, James George, and Jite Brume to artists Richardson Ovbiebo and Megumi Matsubara while on fashion it will feature Gozi Ochonogor and Biki John, and film producer Zeb Ejiro. Others are graphic designer Ibukun Oyetunji; Photographers Tunde Kuboye and Abraham Oghobase, and Sound Artist Emeka Ogboh
“What I hope to do with pechakucha, is to carbonize all these people together, so art can become part of our fabric; when people come to Lagos they will say yes this is an artistic city, so creative. We are such creative people, but everybody is doing their own thing, what I want to do, is to create a forum where people can actually come and meet people. I am having 12 professional artists, both the old and new generation. I have got Zeb Ejiro, Tunde Kuboye, Richardson Ovbiebo, and Papa Omotayo and others. What I want to do is to show that art doesn’t have to be about paint and sculpture, like we are all used to. There is an architecture, graphic designer, sound artist and fashion designer among others. It is a kind of bringing Lagos to what the rest of the cities in the world are actually doing and have been doing for a long time. I hope to unite all the genre of art using Pechkucha night. I believe human beings are similar in one way or the other and that if we can actually understand ourselves, there will be actually peace and progress. I believe Nigerians with all our problems and differences are beautiful people, who can actually do something positive. We are very creative, though that creativity died in the 70s. In those days James Brown will come to Nigeria to hear Fela play or listen to Tony Allen. Now everybody thinks about oil, we need to change that; there is more to live than just oil. Everybody knows that art and riches are alive, otherwise we are just going to be working day and night for nothing. So, I believe that with this, we can make kudos steps to better ourselves.” Ochonogor added.
Speaking on special quest appearances, she disclosed, “That is still under wrap, I actually invited the Governor, because I believe that as he restructure Lagos physically, it is very important for him to be in touch with the people who would change things tomorrow. I feel that our generation is going to do it, it will take time but you have to start changing the mindset people now. He can come down and be part of it and show that he is really out to restructure Lagos, he can’t just restructure just the building because if the people are corroded they will corrode the city, so it has to go hand in hand. ”
Hosting the night would be Tamilore Kuboye with Remi Solarin as co-host. The event, which will be held from 6pm to 11pm on Friday, December 18, at the Terra Kulture Gallery, Lagos, promises to be a fantastic night.
On her fashion exhibition, which will be held on Sunday, 27 December, she says, “I have done London fashion week, I have done Paris fashion week, I have done Tokyo fashion week. I collaborated with lot of great Japanese artists. I have actually collaborated with Puma and Erickson Beamon to mention a few. I just think it is about time I bring my work home and so, basically what I am planning to do is to showcase my work to Lagos and for everybody to see my talent. It is not going to be your usual catwalk show as you will see pieces of Tokyo come out; you are going to see pieces of different cultures. I am one of the new generations of people who travel and recreate our culture, like being married to different culture. I have lived in London and Tokyo; I have travel to about 30 countries in the world and every time, I pick good stuff from that, so, you are going to see all that come out in my exhibition. ”
Gozi recently joined the list of talented international artists to be interviewed on J-Wave’s Modaista show, and played her top funkiest tunes from Nigeria. The interview brought Nigerian culture and music to millions of Japanese fans.
“I promote the Nigeria spirit in every way I can. Recently, I was on the biggest Japanese radio called Modaista. Basically, when top artist come from America to Japan, they must be interview on Modaista. I met one of the producers and he loved the concept of my brand, he said fashion design is not really going on radio, but you need to come and talk about Nigeria, tell us about the country. So, I went their and played my five favourite Nigerian artistes, which are Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, 9ice, D’banj and J. Martins (Good or Bad). I talked about Nollywood as well and a lot of people are really interested in it right now. It’s been on the airplane. A friend of mine, who lived in France came to Tokyo and was amazed, he said, “oh my God, Nollywood is really big, it is really for real.” I am just thinking that we got so many talents out there and we just need to package them. It is all about packaging and selling them out. But as things progress, we all need to progress with it and do something. I hope with my little input things could actually changed.”

Moko Emerged Face of Sleek Nigeria 2009

By Oyindamola Lawal






With over 105 ladies who entered for the contest and 15 ladies at the Grand Finale, Jamaican-Nigerian Makida Moka, who was Sleek Miss European emerged the Face of Sleek Nigeria 2009, with Nomad II jeep and modeling contract.
The show, tagged “The Symphony of style II”, which was held at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, was a night of style, fashion, glitz and glamour.
Miss French, Joy Ndideka Okoye emerged the first runner up and final year student of Lagos state University and a make-up artist, Olusola Adetutu Ogundipe who was Miss Italian emerged the second runner up.
According to one of the organizers, Ify Ugochukwu, the winner along with the runners-up will take part in the Top model of Color competition organized by Mahogany Productions and to be held in the UK sometime in 2010.
She added, “ the winner’s first assignment is already booked; a photo shoot for the Skin Secrets Skincare range by Sleek taking pace in the UK early January 2010; she will be the face of sleek skincare on the African continent.
The models strut the runway in creative, mouthwatering and snazzy Amede’s designs, Kiki Kamanu’s casual wears, Zizi Cardow and Nancii evening wears.
There were special and thrilling performances by DNMT (dance performance), Omawunmi, Mr Drag, and Style Plus. However, US-based Surprise Performance indeed caught the audience’s attention with the dance fire performance.

NEW ACT SHAI GUY DROPS SINGLES

Delta State born dude, Kenny Ubah-Mills (a.k.a. Shai Guy) is set to redefine the entertainment industry with his own style of music, branded to promote social values. His hit tracks, Omo Nija, Shake your body and others fully unveil his Nigerian identity outside entertaining you.
Unlike most artistes, all Shai Guy tracks are devoid of lewd lyrics, which makes it appealing to different people. He has performed in various notable shows in Lagos State and it environs. He speaks to OYINDAMOLA LAWAL on his music, fashion and style.


Definition of fashion
Fashion is part of ones personality and should be freely done to please oneself and not others.
Favourite piece of clothing
Jeans and T-shirt.
Favourite colours
Red, blue and orange.
Style of dressing
I love casuals.
Most cherish possession
God, He made me to survive all odds. He is the only hope.
What he won’t be caught wearing?
Pyjamas. It’s going to be really odd on me!
Most stylish icons
My most stylish icons are Usher, P-square and face.
Why he venture into music
At the age of 12, I noticed I had a gift of being able to express myself in the midst of people. So, with the encouragement I got from people around me, I started miming songs — rap and R n B — before I gradually began to write mine. My songs are based on our cultural values. I also used it to express my life’s experience. I went professionally in 1999 and have performed in various clubs in Apapa and Surulere and with artistes such as Fryo,
My music is designed to entertain, educate and disseminate value-laden messages.
His songs
I have a track titled Ki La Ma Se; it is appealing to the society at large and calls the government to listen to our cry. I also have a commercial song, which has a message that will make a great impact on the people.
Role models
Dbanj, because he sings with passion and inspiration, which makes him pull much crowd. P-square, because of his delivery and 9ice because he uses indigenous language in his songs. I also use Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa languages, too.
Challenges
To get people to listen to your music and to make them believe you can deliver.
The name Shai Guy
From childhood, I have been shy mixing with the female folks, so, I thought of a name that would reflect that behavior, and that was how I arrived at the name Shai Guy.

House of Jola, LDA, Zizi… stormed New York

By OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
Top Nigerian designers, House of J’ola, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Zizi Cardow and Hallero recently stormed New York City at Couture fashion week and Mercedes Benz fashion week.
While the Mercedes Benz showcased ready to wear, the couture fashion week displayed couture clothing from all over the world.
The show was held at the prestigious Waldorf Astoria, a hotel, which hosted United States president Barack Obama a week after the fashion show.
CEO of the franchise for the couture fashion week International Business Consortium Nigerian Limited and the originator of Nigeria's Next Super Model, Joan Okorodudu led a team of well multi talented and creative designers, which zinger the event with zestful and up-to-the-minute designs.
Okorodudu stated that her happiness had no bounds especially seeing Nigerian ambassador to the United Nation, Professor Joy Egwu who was only give less than twenty-four hours notice.
The couture fashion week witnessed the likes of world-class designers like Walid Atallah, Soucha, Ruben Campos, Andre Aquino and so many others. However our own Nigerian team started off with Lanre Da Silva Ajayi of LDA who did not disappoint the crowd, however showcased her usual vintage yet sophisticated in a manner that constantly seen raising the bar at all time.
The pretty unique and versatile designer, Da Silva Ajayi also showcased her designs at the Arise fashion week in Johannesburg where she used Six Nigerian top models, which she paid them from her pocket. Da Silva Ajayi has been a champion for Nigerian models; this was proven again in New York when she used all Isis models such as Bunmi Ademokoya, Isi Atagamen, Omoye Eromosele, Faith Amadi and Uzodinma Ugwiuanyi.
Next on the stage was award winning Zizi Cardow; she wow the crowd with her collections and ended the show with the blue and black master piece, which swept the crowd off their feet. Her collections were very classy and the crowd gave a cheer when she walked majestically to take a bow.
Zizi 's collections were a fusion of Africa and western fashion, which was very alluring.
In the same veins, Hallero also showcased her latest collections, one of which is a piece with calabash worn by a sixteen year old model from the Bahamas, brought her ingenuity. Seeing the young model strutting the runway with two tiny calabashes made a lot of people wonder if Africa has come of age. Her collections at the fashion week were just fantastic.
Joan Okorodudu of House of Jola was the last to showcase, she displayed her latest work using amazing combinations of African and western fabrics with her signature designs fully geared towards the youth. She also light up the runway with her male collections, very urban that had appliqués, jackets to mention a few.
MTN Project Fame West Africa winner, Nyaya opened the Nigerian show with our national anthem. According to Okorodudu, “it is in line with branding Nigeria in her own way.” the Nigerian ambassador Professor Joy Egwu was so happy as she jumped up on the front row with her hand firmly on her chest; it was a proud moment for our great country Nigeria.
Nyanya also thrilled the audience with his latest single, which earned him a pink rose from a young girl in the crowd. Bayo Hastrup, international Nigerian make-up artist was also one of the official make-up artists for the event.
Incline with branding Nigeria, Joan Okorodudu enhanced her outfit with a Nigeria flag brooch and wristwatch.
“ We are looking forward to the February fashion week in New York. Isis models had succeeded in booking models worldwide; in July Bunmi Ademokoya modeled at Paris Fashion Week, Nigeria Next Super Model will be held in couple of weeks. More so, two Isis models and product of Nigeria's Next Super Model have just been signed by two top agencies in New York. As we say goodbye to the two of them we also welcome new faces and those who will become Nigeria's Next Super Models.” Okorodudu said

On A.D.E runway

By OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
A WOMAN wants to look her best and is willing to try almost anything to enhance her appearance. You can make any outfit jump from ho-hum to fabulous just by supporting and enhancing your natural curves.
From the sexy and seductive to simple and sweet, intimate and appealing fabrics were showcased at the African Design Expo (ADE 2009), which held from November 7 to 10 at Expo Hall, Eko Hotel and Suite, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Models showcased fabrics made into mouth-watering styles, which include lace, leopard print, chiffon, ruffles, satin, sheer, hosiery, wedding lingerie, chemise, new wonder bra, frills, men pants and tights to mention a few.
Also on display were two-piece sets to mix and match, tights, corsets and one-piece.

FROM Patience Torlowei of Patience Peace Lingerie, the best of lingerie was on display from the formed and fitted to push up and control, no seam or full seam, and the ultras — this and that.
Also, from the ever-popular thongs to bra straps in a myriad of colours and bold patterns, the barely visible and clearly visible, Peace Lingerie made bold statement as they shone through the thin fabric of blouses, cotton shirts and lightweight sweaters.
The show was really an opportunity to change perception of African fashion. It was a month to see the creativity of African designers.
According to Queen Ahneva Ahneva Adeniyi Adegeye, Africa Design Expo is not going to be a one-off project. “We plan to take the show round the continent; it’s not going to be Nigeria alone. We will do everything possible to get this show to other parts of Africa. What this whole thing is about is that, we need an African design centre. We intend to institutionalise the project and create a world-class standard that will have immense potential of being an annual vehicle that will tour Africa and continue to represent Nigeria positively in the eyes of the world.”

Glam on Sisi Ologe Red carpet

By Oyindamola Lawal
The taste level at Sisi Ologe red carpet ran the gamut from flawless to glamorous. But somewhere in the shuffle of all of those sequins and stilettos, former model and the publisher of FM&B magazine, Linda Ikeji stepped in a Little Black dress and a trendy black footwear to go.
Most times, celebrities know the way to get the cameras clicking has to be with the use of colour and drama; punchy, petite Omawunmi knows this better than most. Dressed in a simple short dress, Omawunmi rocked the red carpet.
Also seen on the red carpet were gorgeous cropped jacket, Little Red Dress, Empire, one-shoulder dress, spaghetti, bum short to mention a few, coming out in different colours and fabrics as enhanced with trendy accessories and jewellery.

Sisi Ologe explosion

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
OGE with Iretiola, a foremost fashion and style TV show in the country, which has been airing since 2000, no doubts, has come a long way especially, in its projection of African fashion.
Last Friday, October 16, Sisi Ologe, an offshoot of the show, held at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Cadenced by glitz, glamour and panache, featured a host of talented designers and musicians such as T-Boz, House of Moofa, House of Odycee and Tavarez, among others displaying the best of African haute couture.
The show started off with up-coming designer, T-Boz, whose models strut the runway in the outfit’s latest collections.
Yinka Fashola of House of Moofa showed his 2010 collections ranges from tight to bum short, frills, jumpsuits, ball skirt and dress, to mention a few.
The outfit was applauded for its creative designs, one of which was the lace umbrella and a trendy tube evening gown made with damask and organza. Moofa’s choice of colours, fabrics and the details on his outfits were very encourging.
House of Odycee and Tavarez were not left behind in the creative ingenuity that enveloped the Sisi Ologe show.
They amazed the crowd with their classy and unique designs. The designers played with fabrics such as adire, aso-oke, ankara, mercury, taffeta, george, satin, chiffon, among others.
The showstoppers were the short evening dresses, sparkly, leg-baring evening numbers carried off with number mix-and-match options with enough special details to keep things interesting.
For the hours that the show lasted, there was a cause for hope that the beautiful designers are continually emerging by day in the country and very soon, the world will soon explode in African designs.

At war with cancer

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
HER passion for helping people, most especially, women, made her study Psychology in the university. But importantly, she was interested in making impact in the society. One possible battle line is cancer: the breast and cervical variants.
For this, Orode Jade Uduaghan has established a foundation. In fact, while studying abroad, the 20-year-old graduate of University of Window, Canada and the founder of Pink Pearl Foundation discovered the need to create awareness on breast and cervical cancer, among Nigerian women.
The foundation started in October 2007 as a passion to help Nigerian women have good health. “We had a concert to raise money in December 2007 at Expo hall, Eko Hotel, Lagos. Artistes like P Square, Banky Wellington, Olu Maintain and a lot of comedians performed,” she says.
When the foundation started, she discovered that the knowledge of cervical and breast cancer among Nigerian women was poor so she decided to go on a ‘state to state’ campaign.
“We have a lot of countries that know about these diseases. I schooled in Canada and every month, there is some sort of awareness campaign in schools even at secondary schools. So, an average 15 years old girl has a clue of what this disease is and how to prevent it. But coming back to Nigeria, my heart bleeds to see that Nigerian women have no clue about these diseases,” she stresses.
Jade says, “since we started this campaign, we have had a lot of people come up to us, asking what breast cancer and cervical cancer is all about? ‘What should I do?’ ‘How should I go about it?’ And that is where the passion and drive came from. It is actually killing a lot of people and if you have noticed, it is increasing more than it was before. We are also embarking on state-to-state campaign as another medium. We have done one in Asaba last month and it was a huge success.”
According to the young lady, “we were able to go round Asaba, went to the markets, walked for a very long time, shared handbills and talked to people about breast cancer even in Pidgin English. We also did one in Lagos recently, with the first lady of Lagos State, Abimbola Fashola… we walked from Onigbongbo Market (Maryland) to Alade Market (Ikeja), she stresses. Basically, our goal is to create this awareness for Nigerian women on breast and cervical cancer.”

WITH two years of waging war, treating and teaching women on breast and cervical cancer, Jade Uduaghan believes that using entertainment medium and advocacy campaign to reach out to Nigerians will help in achieving the goals of the foundation.
“We were able to raise some money and thereafter, embarked on a campaign and seminar, where we invited a lot of women, who were given free talk and free breast check up in Warri. We had over a thousand women in attendance, and over 50 women had free breast checkup. Thereafter, we went ahead with a concert in 2008. We got money to help us do our project in Warri, where we had Faze, Kefee and a good number of people to support our concert and performed.”
She adds, “we used the money we got from the first and second concert to get a manual grand for the Central Hospital in Sapele, Delta State that was in December 2008. We did yet another campaign in January 2009 in Asaba. We had over a thousand women again at the campaign, free check up, and since then we have made a lot of progress. We carry out daily free check-ups for women in Asaba, Delta. We have two doctors that are working with the foundation that carry out these daily check-ups. So women are able to just go in and get themselves checked if they want to and someone they can consult.”

ONE of the experiences that have kept Jade going on the campaign in spite of the challenges was the death of her aunt as a result of breast cancer.
She reveals, “yes, I lost an aunt in 2005 due to late detection of breast cancer. She was pretty young. That again was another push and we had to do something about it.”
Jade says one of her greatest challenges is to make people come out for test on time. “There is a lot of emotional challenges because you get to meet a lot of these women; they come to you when this disease is already deadly. Early this year, we had a case of a woman, who came to me when we had our campaign in Asaba. She showed me her breast, it was already gone but we can’t say no, we did the surgery for her but after two weeks, she died.
“These are the kind of things we face; a lot of people come to us but they don’t come early enough and by then our help can’t really do enough, we cannot do as much as we would want to do to save their lives. We also have challenges of funding but losing people has always been one of the major challenges.”
For many, inspirations come from their experience and God, but to Jade, she gets her inspiration from her patients.
She says, “ yes, I have had a patient that really inspired me. There is this youth corps member, who is undergoing Chemotherapy now. The major problem women have is, if I take away one breast, what will become of me? But she did not put that as a set back and had operation. She is now perfectly fine, she is doing everything she needs to do and it is not noticeable and obvious but she has just one breast. She has given me that drive to still go on doing what I am doing.”

PINK Pearl was coined from woman’s colour and jewellery. She explains, “the pink for me is woman; it is a colour for woman. The pearl is a precious stone; basically it is a woman being precious. When we put it together we got Pink Pearl. I know it is very impossible to say that breast cancer will vanish forever. We want to get to a point where at least every woman can decide what to do at anytime to detect it early. Because what we discover is people come to us when it has gotten to a stage where we can do nothing about it.
“We help them but at the end of the day, it is not productive because they don’t survive. Early awareness is our motive and goal, which is what we are preaching. If you know about this early, you can get to us and you can save your life. We are trying to create early awareness about early detection.” She added
How has she been able to get funds for such a huge and tasking project? She disclosed, “We get funds from companies, individuals. For example during the concert, people bought tickets 10 times more than the actual price as a donation or a gift. And sometimes individuals just come up and pick a patient and pay for treatment. Also, we get sponsorship from companies. But no money coming from daddy.”
Of course, a lot of people would think she embarked on this project because she is a governor’s daughter. Jade Uduaghan, however says, “If you know me and ask people around me, you will know that I have the passion for helping people. I’ve always had this passion to help people. In my secondary school, I was the health prefect. Because of the zeal to help people, I decided to read psychology. Helping people is what I really love doing, even if I am not in this position as the governor’s daughter, I will still do it, but thanks to God I am here. It has given me the upper hand and the opportunity so I might as well just use it.”
Her advice to Nigerians is, “for the men, we always preach, do not look down on your wives, who have had one breast removed as a result of breast cancer but that they should show them love. For the women, after treating them physically, we build their mentality that they can still go on with life with one breast and after talking to them about it they can now move from feeling depressed.”
She says. “We reshape their mentality and after that we noticed their life begins to change from depression to a more stable state. We do a total package, total wellbeing. Then we let them know that they should put their faith in God who created us all. Cervical cancer is the most difficult; breast cancer is what you can see but for cervical cancer, you don’t even know you have it. We are preaching go and get check-up. And when you know you really cannot afford the treatment, we will do it for you.”

JD7 Unveils 2010 Collections

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
WITH five years of celebrating, promoting and recreating African fabrics and fashion, one of the a-list fashion outfits in the country, JD7 is set to unleash its 2010 collection as part of its anniversary celebrations.
Tagged Spectrum Extreme, the show is scheduled to hold on Sunday, November 8, at the ballroom of the Victoria Crown Hotel, Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The high profile fashion house, over the years, has attracted patronage both national and international for its ability to use in-expensive African wax print material.

DATA Edna Okorodudu, proprietor of the wave-making outfit, has innovatively transformed African fabrics into delightful and wearable works.
With every anniversary, the outfit has played on a theme, which tends to celebrate Africa’s creativity.
From And Light permeates Darkness (2005) to Unlocking the potential of Africa (2006) and Colours of Africa (2007), there has been a celebration of fashion done the African way
Destination Africa, which was the theme last year, featured a number of Africa designers and their collections.
Okorodudu disclosed that Spectrum Extreme would show 2010 designs ranging from chic daywear to elegant evening ensemble, office wears, ready-to-wear, couture, colours to mention a few, all made from African fabrics. “I am ready for the international market,” she says.

THE event is set to start with red carpet cocktail reception, after which it will unveil the seven corporate colours representing the rainbow and the JD7 couture 2010 theme.
In addition to that, the show will also launch JD7 couture’s ready to wear collection — preview, fifth year anniversary fashion show and catwalk for the Love of fashion.
Having to select right fabrics, colours and designs that suit her clients’ complexion, shape and status have earned the outfit its well-deserved spot in the fashion industry.
“I tell my clients what suit them and what do not. I have a personal data file for all my clients. Just speaking to a client, I'm thinking of colour tones, fabrics that will complement the skin tone, even to my models. It comes to me naturally,” she says.
Okorodudu adds, “one of the challenges is getting the accessories to work with. There is a limit, in this part of the world, to the many beautiful accessories that you can use to spice up your outfits, which we do not have. But luckily, we have very creative people around and work with them often to make accessories for my clothes.”
According to her, “I get inspiration from people, from fabrics, from things around me, from other designers. Sometimes, if I wake up, something just comes to me. However, God gives me the greatest inspiration. If you go to the wild and you look at nature, you'll know that God is the greatest designer.”

Eyola’s chic and simple

OVER the years, the Most Promising Designer of the Year award winner of Arise Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ayole Adede, has been able to distinguish herself with her creativity. The brain behind Eyola combines the reformist Victorian era with the liberal 21st Century designs to bring out the definition of true art. The Nigerian-born, United Kingdom-based designer, who has a master;s degree in Fashion Communication and Styling at Istituto Europeo di design (IED) in Milan, has a first degree in Business Management in UK. In between both degrees, I worked for designers including Alexander McQueen. She recently showed at the crazy-headgear show by sending her models walking down the catwalk sporting animal hairpieces.
She tells OYINDAMOLA LAWAL the secret of her designs.
When did you first start taking an interest in fashion?
It’s been something I have dreamt about and worked towards since a very young age.
How was it going into the fashion industry?
Well, to be honest it was exciting to finally showcase my ideas to the world. Few things I hope to bring back into the world of fashion such as exclusivity and a unique brand identity. You see many of the same designs repeatedly and I feel my brand is trying to raise the flag for exclusivity and people who want to dress in a unique style and in a brand, that only produces limited editions. You get this in Africa at the moment. In Africa, there's an art to dressing that, involves experimentation and individuality. I think the rest of the world used to share this vision but now fashion is becoming uniform and Eyola's mission is bringing back individuality.
What stands your designs out?
What stands out about Eyola is the special blend of tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and creativity. Each Octette has a distinctly fashion-forward signature so each piece is timeless and original, limited in number (only eight made of each design) and doesn't follow the trend of the moment. The concept of grouping each collection is also something different. Each group of designs is called an Octette (a name inspired by the figure 8 shape created by Victorian corsets). These 8 designs come in brightly coloured fabrics again inspired by this wonderful period's discovery of colourful fabric dyes. So, at Eyola, our focus is not only on creating one of a kind of designs, we also take pride in creating a unique brand identity.
Where do you get your inspiration?
The Victorian era. For me, this is the most important period in fashion's history. From the craftsmanship and detail that went into each piece to the discoveries such as bright colourful dyes, the sewing machine and new technologies in materials and fabrics. Of course, you also see during the end of this period the introduction of mass production, which is rather ironic. It is a complete contrast to the couture-led movement and that made the Victorian era such a seminal turning point in fashion. But this just shows the diversity of the period. I draw inspiration from the revolutionary couturiers of the time that in turn were inspired by newly discovered cultures and new approaches and techniques in dress making. Each individual garment had the full heart and soul of the dressmaker coursing through its veins, which is an attitude ingrained in Eyola's DNA.
Role model?
Can I have two? My parents
Your muse?
The couturier- Paul Poiret. He was a master of many firsts in fashion and is undeniably a major influence to all designers after him all the way to the present day. He was innovative (freeing women from the corset, introducing the brassiere and suspender belts to hold up stockings, experimenting with fabrics such as scraps of umbrella material and created very modern clothes inspired by different cultural dress), he encouraged women to be more daring in the way they dressed, he constantly evolved his style, he developed new methods of advertising and was the first to build a ‘brand’ expanding his product line beyond fashion to include accessories, interiors, perfume and even a school. Poiret to me was truly revolutionary. What’s the idea behind the names of your collection and clothing?
It's a play on word. For example, the new Octette is called `Tarcotsira', which is an anagram of the word Aristocrat What kind of fabrics do you use where do you source them? All my designs are made using the highest quality fabrics sourced in the UK from dealers who supply the biggest brands in luxury fashion. I am a big fan of fine wools and silks I guess because of the juxtaposition between their contrasting elements: fragility, strength, fluidity, and severity.
What do you look out for before designing?
Before I sketch, I look into my extensive library of vintage Victorian fashion, details and accessories. A particular detail on a hat, for example, might trigger an idea for a jacket. This idea-generating concept doesn't just start at the beginning of each Octette. Each design has its own story and unique identity from the others, as I tend to steer away from basing my entire Octette on a repeated theme like you frequently find in most designers’ collections. I make a conscious effort not to look at what other designers are doing or follow trends.
Shows and exhibitions you've showcased your outfit? Awards?
It was a great honour to win 'Most Promising Designer of the Year' Arise Africa Fashion Week where I also showcased my designs on the catwalk in Johannesburg. I have also exhibited in UK and USA. My designs have also been recognised by influential publications from UK’s The Times and The Independent newspapers to Vogue Italia to name a few.
Challenges?
Every industry is not without its challenges especially for an emerging brand entering the market. There are many obstacles and challenges you must face from striving for recognition for emerging brands to sustaining recognition for established brands. The challenge for each industry and each firm is really to keep evolving with the times but still keeping its core brand identity. Projection into the future More Octettes, more stockists, which are already in the pipeline including an online shop… the sky is the limit so watch this space!

The Nigerian Designers

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
SINCE 2005, they have hit the limelight through here. Deola Sagoe, Dakova, Adabayo Jones, Ade Bakare, Fred Eboka, Wale Adeyemi, Gureje, Yemi Osunkoya and Duro Olowu, among others. Over the years, they have proven that LIFE is all about creativity in their wearable and comforting pieces.


LDA
Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi is the pretty face behind LDA. She stormed the scene with her Victorian style. Since she arrived, she has shown that she is one of the most creative designers around. Only recently, she won the City People Fashion and Style Award.



TIFFANY AMBER
Drawing mostly from the European feminine physique and vibrancy of the Africa woman, Tiffany Amber has been able to redefine royalty fashion. Folake Coker-Folarin, the brain behind Tiffany Amber, has over the years, brought elegance to her style.
Recently, her designs were showcased at the Vlisco Fashion Show, Thisday Fashion Show, Arise Africa and others. She will also be showcasing Spring 2010 collections on Friday, September 11, 2009 at New York Fashion show (The Arise African Fashion Collection Show).



MOMO
A graduate of Richmond American International University, UK, Fati Asibelua, the lady behind Momo, is another person that is making Nigeria proud in the fashion world.
Momo has been seen on some of the world’s most renowned models including Alek Wek, Liya Kebede and Oluchi and has built a reputation as one of Africa’s most sought after brands.
Armed with a Master’s degree in fashion from the Institue Marangoni, London, specialising in Fashion Styling, Momo creates enduring designs with African fabrics.
She was one of the designers featured at This Day Africa Rising Music Festival held at the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC, late last year.


TAE
Bisola Edun, the brain behind Tae, is not resting on her oars. Since the label was launched a few years ago, she has showcased her designs at Saint Moritz Style Selection; and the Red, Bold and Jazzy show, among others.

L-SHANDI
L-Shandi has been carved out from a Nigerian street slang ‘Lepa Shandi’; a term used to describe women of slim frame. Lara Akinsanya, the proprietor, is one of the promoters of African fabrics such as lace and aso-oke. L-Shandi designs mixes western designs with traditional African fabrics in a way that gives you the freedom to personalise your look.

JEZREEL
Abiola Egbeyemi is one of the few designers, who have made great strides in the international scene through steadfastness and determination.
Jezreel infuses contemporary designs into the traditional African fabrics thereby making a statement that lifts her above the crowd.
She showcased her collection at City People Ankara Fashion Show 09, and Young African Fashion Weekend 09 among others.



EMMY COLLINS
Emmy Collins is an avant-garde designer, who is rapidly gaining a reputation for making garments that cut a real dash in the fashion industry.
With clothes characterized by sharp, funky tailoring and a fresh, startling approach to colour; Emmy is beginning to establish himself as one of London’s most flamboyant designers in recent times.
He has been slated to showcase his Spring Summer collection during the New York Fashion week.

emmy collins' design

emmy collins' designs

emmy collins' designs


HOUSE OF J’OLA
House of J'ola is one of the fastest growing designer labels in West Africa. It offers a range of ready-to-wear clothes outside eveningwears for men and women.
Okorodudu, the honcho, also owes a model agency by the same name in Nigeria and as well runs Isis Models in Johannesburg with models from South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Congo and several other African countries.

Redefining Icons

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
Your outfit sure can either make or mar you. Inspired by haute couture detailing celebrities and fashionistas are stepping out in glamorous and enchanting outfits to make statements. Young, sexy and lovely outfits are giving a completely new lesson in fashion.
At the Amigo Hair/House of J’ola Fashion Show, celebrities graced the event in stunning outfits with trendy accessories to go.
One time runner up of Nokia face of Africa and designer, Ishioma Onyebo, will always be listed as one of best-dressed celebrities. Her embellished satin LBD with straps at the back and her classy yellow dress with a beautiful red shoe to match drew much attraction.

PRETTY screen diva, Joy Elumelu, is no doubt another stylish personality for the day, as showcased by her empire gown.
At the event, Elumelu majestically stepped out in her empire floral gown with stunning black and red shoe. According to her,” my style is simple but stunning.”
The US-based rap artiste and cosmetologist, Felyne, thrilled with her rock star look, which gave her the edge to define a stage name in her outfit. She made a bold statement in her ash cat-suit outfit.
Who says modesty cannot stand you out in the crowd? Musician and TV personality, Aju was able to prove it right. She is no doubt a style celebrity; even in her long skirt, black camisole, classy green jacket and a glass shoe, she towers above the crowd.
The brain behind NNSM, House of J’ola and Isis model also stepped out in her design, looking glamorously in her gypsy gown, made with different ankara fabrics.

Gureje… and the summer blues

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
THIS summer, Gureje lines explodes in warm colours that’ll mark you out in the crowd. The label owner, Jimi Gureje, has, over the years, transformed the local adire to unique and sensual wears with alluring blend.
Gureje, who recently showcased his summer collection at Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Centre, New York, has something for every body type — slim, tall and short.
In Gureje’s designs, there’s a superb show of artistry, which makes wears evoke timeless and beautiful aura that are the essence of modern fashion.
His classy and glamorous summer collections are detailed and fascinating; coming in different designs, styles, fabrics, colours and length.
You can reach for the stars this summer with his long linen A-line dresses. They are not only smart and simple, but stand out a lady in the crowd. They are also good for corporate, formal and casual outings.
He creatively uses trimmings to design the outfit. Also in his summer collections are blue halter-neck dress, tunics, jacket, shirt, drapy tops, dress and pants, among others. He played with colours such as black, red, purple, yellow, beige and blue.
Gureje was in the 1990s a striving designer in downtown Mushin in Lagos. Today, with perseverance abd dogged commitment to his art, he dresses celebrities in and around New York and Hollywood. From his base in Brooklyn and runs workshops on designs around the world.

Take Agbada and jeans, and give me others

Opurozor Donald Chuka, (a.k.a L J ) is presently storming the mainstream of music industry with his RnB fussion. Born on May 10, 1980, to the family of Eze Don Opurozor (The Opia of Umuopia) in Akokwa, Ideato North, of Imo State; the multi-talented artiste has a bachelor’s in Fine and Applied Arts from the Imo State Univeristy.
After making waves as a graphic artist, he decided to follow his passion — music, where he infused reggae, rock, pop and hip-hop. He started his music with a 3-man group called J-squad, which spitted before the release of their album; and since then he has solo. He spoke to OYINDAMOLA LAWAL on his fashion and music.

Inspiration
I get my inspiration from God and from people.
Style of music
R and B hip-hop. It’s a fusion of R and B, Hip-hop, rock and reggae.
Definition of fashion
Fashion is your unique style. It is the way of life that has to do with the trend.
What he would not be caught wearing
Agbada and tight jeans

Favourite colour
I love red a lot.
Role model
D’banj.
If you were given a chance to change something in Nigeria, what would it be?
I will love to change the music industry; create an avenue where people’s song will have an impact on the society.
Projection into the future
To be one of the most successful musicians of my generation, through hard work, ethics and professionalism. I also look forward to winning a grammy.

Bayo Ohu, The Guardian’s reporter, murdered

By Kamal Tayo Oropo

IT was another gruesome murder in Nigeria on sunday 20th septmber, 2008. The Guardian’s Assistant News Editor and an ace political reporter, Bayo Ohu, was shot dead in his apartment in Egbeda, a Lagos suburb.

Ohu was just getting set to attend Church service after seeing off his wife, Ochuko, and sister-in-law, to the early morning service when the gunmen came knocking on his door at about 6.52 a.m.

According to eye-witnesses, the five or six men came in a white Toyota Camry saloon car, wearing white flowing gowns with matching skull caps. They made no attempt to enter any other apartment in the four-flat house. Ohu heard a knock on his door and as he opened the front door to ask who was knocking, the gunmen hit him with a volley of bullets. His blood made a huge splash all over the door. He staggered back into the house screaming for help, but his assailants followed him inside and rained more bullets into him.

Curiously, the assailants made away with only his laptop and mobile phone handset.

The landlady, who was just opening her shop that morning, was the first to come in contact with the assailants. She was ordered to lie face down by a man she identified as the leader of the gang. He warned her in Yoruba language to stay in that position if she didn’t want any harm to come to her. She narrated in Yoruba: “The man went ahead to show me a big gun hidden under his flowing gown and I started pleading with him that he should please have mercy on me, that I had no money and was just a poor trader who sells soft drinks. He just told me not to worry, that nothing would happen to me if I stayed face down on the ground. From my shop, he started shouting orders to others.” Soon after she was deafened by the gunshots.

The Guardian confirmed that no less than a dozen rounds of ammunition were fired. The police recovered most of the expended bullets.

One bullet went through the right side of Ohu’s chest and exited through the left side, tearing through the arm. Two of Ohu’s children, who were yet to go to church, had gone to fetch water from another house in the neighbourhood, ran into the assailants and were immediately chased into hiding. Those watching the gory scene from adjoining buildings said that the assailants, after completing their task, still had enough time to wash their hands and feet while two of their colleagues fired shots into the air to scare all in the neighbourhood.

One of the children told The Guardian that from her hiding place he heard one of the assailants shouting out jubilantly to his colleagues: “Olori buruku e ti ku (the fool is dead).”

But Bayo Ohu, a hefty six-footer, did not go down without a fight for life. One of his neighbours who rushed to his side after the assailants made their exit, noticed that his pulse was still strong and he was still breathing. Other neighbours were quickly mobilised to save his life. They rushed him to a nearby hospital, just three minutes drive from Ohu’s residence. At the hospital, the staff on duty insisted on a Police Report before any first aid could be administered on him. Noticing that he was losing much blood, the neighbours decided to head to the Ikeja General Hospital. Ohu, however, did not make it there as doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

“There is no doubt that this is a clear assassination job. I have been in the police force for a long time and the kind of expended bullet cartridges found at the scene of the crime is really a source of worry. These are high caliber bullets that are not normal when attacking harmless people. You only go with this kind of weapon where you expect resistance, where you are going with the intent of war. It’s not a regular thing”, a police source said yesterday.

He then added in a tone dripping with frustration: “There is no cartridge that has the same groove pattern. The groove pattern on each bullet is akin to finger-prints. So, if we were in a situation where police jobs are made easier with good investigative capacity, the bullets could be used in locating the guns and sources, but my friend you know how things are here.”

Speaking later with journalists, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Frank Mbah, said that the Force was looking at the case from the point of view of the gruesome circumstances, “we are leaving all options open in our investigations.” Mbah also said that with more evidence coming to the Force after the recovery of the vehicle used in the operation, things were beginning to point to a possible case of armed robbery. But he quickly added that all leads were being followed.

A shaken Editor and Deputy-Editor in Chief of The Guardian, Debo Adesina, who had rushed to the General Hospital to ensure Ohu’s prompt treatment, an effort which now turned out futile, told journalists that, “it is now left for the Police to do their job. I hope they would unravel this killing and let Nigerians know who did this as well as why?”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo, said that the police had already commenced investigation into the death, added: “We have commenced investigations into the killing. We are investigating a case of murder and robbery. We sympathise with our friend, The Guardian for what happened, we shall investigate the death discretely.”

Shock and fear enveloped Ohu’s residence as neighbours gathered around discussing the killing yesterday. Bayo Ohu, according to neighbours, was a very quiet person. “You never would know whether he lived in this house or not. He was not the regular kind of person known to everyone. He went about his life quietly. In fact, his wife and kids are better known in this area than he was”, one of the neighbours told The Guardian.

One other neighbour watching the scene said: “The whole thing looked like a home video. We saw them, the way they made a U-turn with their car on a narrow road, the way they held their guns and shooting as if they were robbing a bank, was so shocking. We could not react immediately because we were shocked and we were scared. I just went blank. It was after they drove off that we could summon courage to check who their victim was.”

Oyeniji Street, and the surrounding Odukoya Estate, though with one or two nice looking buildings, is generally a lower middle-class neighbourhood. Ohu’s residence is an old-fashioned four-flat house, each flat with three bedrooms.

Meanwhile, Ohu’s body has been deposited at the mortuary of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. He left behind five children; the eldest being 16 years, while the youngest is nine months old, a housewife, who is a part-time student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and an aged father.

Ogunbayo Ohu was born on June 18, 1964. He started his education at the Local Authority Primary School, Iseyin, Oyo State, from where he proceeded to Progressive Grammar School, Ado-Awaye, also in Oyo State, where he finished in 1976. He had his tertiary education at The Polytechnic, Ibadan between 1988-1990.

Bayo Ohu joined The Guardian in 1991 and distinguished himself early as a reporter. He covered Katsina State as a State Correspondent and his performance recommended him for promotion to Assistant News Editor. His flair for reporting made him move from the desk back to the beat to cover politics which he did very well.

Yesterday, publisher of The Guardian, Dr. Alex Ibru, said he was saddened by the incident and hoped the police would do a thorough job of investigating this killing. He prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of Ohu and sent his condolences to his family.

Ohu’s was yet another in the list of journalists’ murder. Dele Giwa, Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed through a parcel bomb on October 19, 1986 during the military regime of President Ibrahim Babangida.

More recently, Godwin Agbroko, the Editorial Board Chairman of ThisDay newspaper, was gunned down on Oshodi-Mile Two Expressway in 2006 on Christmas eve.

Yet, another mysterious death was that of Abayomi Ogundeji, also a member of the Editorial Board of ThisDay newspaper on August 17, 2008. He was shot in his vehicle on his way from work late in the evening.

beyonce - a leading name

Beyonce's alter ego Sasha Fierce is more than just her stage name. The leading lady in entertainment has created a fashion line titled Sasha Fierce. Check out the ad campaign for the fall line.

beachy stuff

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
BEACH fashion can be tight, short and very form – fitting. Just because you are going to the beach does not mean that you have to dress shabby. Style is fashion.
The bikini is the quintessential piece of fashion accessory that can be found in almost every woman’s wardrobe
A stylish bikini will enhance your looks and appeal and guarantee you make heads turn at the beach! The best way to do that is to choose a bikini that is not only trendy but also suits your figure.
Swimsuits
Beach fashion is all about the swimwear — it’s the building block of the rest of your summer look, so, it’s important to find pieces that work well for you.
Shorts
Shorts are a beach essential. Giving coverage and shielding you from post water chill, they look as great on the beach as they do everywhere else.
Cover-Ups
They keep you warm out of the water and also keep the sun and wind off you. These are great options for girls who are a little shy to sit on the beach in just their swimwear.
Dresses
A beach dress is essential! All of choices will look just as good off the beach and are made in fabrics, which are easy to care for.
Fun and Floaty
Feminine floaty keeps one cool with the breeze flowing through them but will also keep the sun off. They have simple casual beachy feel to them.
Totally Terry ?
Terry cloth or towelling just makes a whole lot of sense when it comes to beach fashion! Not only does it look super cute, it will dry you off after you have finished swimming.

Funky Flip Flops
No beach outfit would be complete without the essential flip flops. Flops are available in all kinds of materials and styles today. There are leather ones, which look great for beach wear, as well as for casual wear like women’s sundresses or a polo shirt and Bermuda short combination for men. There are some designs, which have bamboo soles, suede straps, velvet straps, and rubber soles, which have massaging footpads. There are even some styles made with denim or hemp.
Kaftans (or Caftans)
It has emerged as the hippiest and hottest cover-up of the season.
Today’s kaftans (or caftans) can be slim-fitting, figure-hugging and trendy. Now to be found in a variety of lengths, they have chic embellishments, drawstrings, cinched waists, kimono sleeves, and can be found in almost every cut and shape you can imagine. From see-through chiffons to floaty cottons, no longer the diaphanous tents of the past, you can add shape and definition by choosing a style that accentuates your figure rather than drowns it.

phunk touch

BY OYINDAMOLA LAWAL
FUNKE Ogunde, the brain behind Phunk Afrique, an outfit that specialises in ladies designs, is, no doubts, the rave of the moment when it comes to alluring designs.
For the lady, who draws her inspiration from the woman’s body, Ogunde opts to make a statement with her designs on the feminine contour.
According to her, “ our motto is ‘we help you get noticed.’ Somebody should at least say to you, “who made your outfit? You might call it vain or shallow, but people will give you audience when you are able to get attention. There is a difference between being a chic and be noticed; and being over the top.”
She adds, “my inspiration comes from a woman’s body. We make to suit the body of the customer, because their bodies bring out the beauty of our design. The things I like about the woman’s body are the waistline and the legs because I do a lot of short dresses when worn with nice shoes will give the woman some kind of classy, chic look. For people with big tummy are equally not left out as we make clothes that will give them a super look.”

THE Igbinedion University Economics graduate, Ogunde is one of the granddaughters of the late veteran filmmaker and dramatist, Hubert Ogunde.
Apart from art and fashion designing running in their family, she picked her passion from her childhood while modeling for her mother, who designs clothes and jewellery.
She says, “apart from my grand-parents, my sister draws and paints. So, I think everyone took a bit of the art, and mine is the fashion designing aspect. We are all into arts and not into medicine or any thing nearer to it. I remember, I used to enjoy cat walking on stage. So designing just came naturally to me”.

HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS 2009 WINNERS

Artiste of the Year- 9ice

Album of the Year- 9ice

Song of the Year- Gongo Aso by 9ice

Recording of the Year- Michelle by Etcetera

Producer of the Year- ID Cabasa

African Artiste of the Year- Tinny

Best Music Video- Roll It by Jude Okoye

Best Reggae/Dancehall Album- Gift and Grace by Timaya

Best R and B/Pop Album- Gongo Aso by 9ice

Best Rap Album- Talk About It by M.I

Best Collabo- Good or Bad by J. Martins featuring Timaya and P Square

Best Rap Single- Ki Ni Big Deal by Naeto C

Best Vocal Performance (male) - Don’t Break My Heart by Banky W

Best Vocal Performance (female) - In The Music by Omawumi

Next Rated- Omawumi

Hip Hop World Revelation- M.I

Lyricist on the Roll- Mode 9

Best Street Hop- 04 Ka Si Be

Hip Hop World Hall of Fame- Phillip Trimnell & Ben Omage (aka Grand Master Lee. GML)

US-BASED NIGERIAN RAP ARTIST, FELYNE STORMS NIGERIAN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

Sophisticated, classy and multi talent US-based Nigerian Rap artist, cosmetologist, make-up artist and hair stylist, Felicia Babalola popularly known as Felyne is definitely rocking the mainstream industry with her album, titled “Opposite twist”. In recent times are singles, “My Baby”. My Baby remix” and “Addiction” has been toping charts.
The Kean University Star Search Award Winner of Best Hip-Hop/Rap Performance” and Psychology graduate spoke to OYINDAMOLA LAWAL on her fascinating, sexy and irresistible fashion style.

Definition of fashion
Originality, unique, clingy. When you are walking out the street, you are notice; you fashion catches people’s attention.

Style of fashion
Rock-star and classy. I like cut-up jeans, pasting things on jeans, shirts and shoes, in the US that’s what a lot of people are doing.

Favourite piece of clothing
I love dresses because they bring out your shape.

Most expensive item
My shoes

Favourite designer
Baby phat, that is Kimora Lee Simmons clothing line. Baby phat is her brand name and the logo for baby phat is cat and Felyne is pertaining to the cat family called Felidea.

Favourite signature
Jlo glow. It smells great and it is long lasting

Most cherish possession
My gargets, ipod, laptop, and any computerize things.

Turn on
Colour combination

Memorable moments
The day I hosted a big fashion show in the US. It was memorable because I was really able to showcase my talents in terms of make-up and that kick up my make-up career.

Most embarrassing moment
When I fell in front of a guy I liked

Inspiration
Music, fashion shows and weddings. It inspires me to want to try and experience what is out there

Beauty routine
Skin care, toner, and cleanser. It helps bring out your true beauty without make-up

Favourite body products
Dove soap because it keeps me moisturized. For make-up, I love Mac.

Best colour
Red and black. Black, because it goes with everything and red because it just attracts me.

Role model
My mum, because she is very hard working.

Ciara Gets Between Britney and Justin

Grammy-winning recording star talks, Love, Sex and Magic.

Dom DeLuise, actor, comedian and chef, dies at 75

LOS ANGELES - Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. He was 75.

Rihanna Cancels Comeback Concert

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Don't call it a comeback…'cause it isn't one just yet.
Just a month after Rihanna was booked for her first public performance since her alleged assault by Chris Brown, the show has been abruptly scrapped.
The 21-year-old R&B star had been scheduled to perform later this month in the United Arab Emirates. But Yassin Matbouly, of would-have-been concert organizer Vibe Entertainment Management Agency, said in a statement that she's not yet ready to return to the stage.
"We want to share with you that Rihanna and her management will not be accepting to hold a public concert at this time as it is not appropriate timing for her," he said.
There was no immediate comment from Rihanna, who is expected to be among the glitterati in attendance at tonight's Costume Institue Gala in New York.
Coincidentally, the next court hearing for Brown's double felony case is May 28, the same day the concert was scheduled to take place.
Matbouly, who said the concert would likely have taken place in Dubai or possibly Abu Dhabi, speculated that the scope of the concert may have been intimidating. Organizers were looking for a 25,000-seat venue and, he said, the media attention would have been massive (though it likely will be whenever and wherever she does stage her return).
"Rihanna's management contacted us on Saturday and explained she was unable to come to the UAE in May, but said she is keen to still perform in the region.
"Vibe has been ready and was looking forward to putting this concert together for the crowd of the Middle East…This is very sad for us at this time knowing the concert will not happen, but we will not give up and we will continue to put our offer to Rihanna's management for a future date."
The concert producers are now eyeing dates for sometime this fall.
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