fashion

""celebration of the two-dimensional with [a] strong use of frontal lighting. The image is perceived as an arrangement of shapes: a hat may be chosen for its geometrical line, the body framed for effect and the who image subtly etched with shadow"."

"Her portrait work was featured in leading magazines and newspapers of the period such as The Home Magazine, The Australian Women's Weekly, and The Sun."

"“Being a Nigerian was no limitation for me because I just thought, well you haven’t seen me and there’s loads more like me”."

"I didn’t choose fashion, it chose me, ... I think the only way I’ve managed is because I know fashion was my destiny. African designers face so many challenges, producing collections and working hard to rise above the manufacturing infrastructure problems. For me, it’s about rising to the challenge and I think it’s made me a better designer. I feel I produce more intelligent clothing as a result"

"“We don't need aid, we need partnerships. We cannot continue to be a beggar nation. I have always believed yo shouldn't give the man the fish,but teach the mangiw to fish and he will be able to take care of himself and others“."

"I just had this can-do spirit. I was just so convinced that my product was so genuine and would no doubt conquer the world"

"Family plays a huge part in our business because it’s the cornerstone. We do everything together, whether it’s deciding the theme for the season or what each feature of every look that will form the collection we are working on might be"

"I try to fuse African cultural style with a modern approach to design. I love the dynamism of creating modernity out of something that is steeped in history. I think it’s what gives my collection such a cultural mix"

"The real core of our business is God. So, if we have different opinions or a strong opinion about one thing, the final opinion we seek is His. It’s what holds us together as one and what has made us stand so strong in the face of every challenge that we’ve faced"

"African bespoke is different from European bespoke, in that Africans are very much more endowed in very specific areas. My challenge is that I work with a lot of lumps and bumps, which almost turns me into a type of cosmetic surgeon. Except that I’m not cutting you up or anything, it's just that I do a lot of things with fabrics and accentuating, to create that perfect hourglass shape"

"Everything is done in-house. From the conceptualisation to filming campaigns, everything is always completely done by the it-girls.” Their orientation of family extends to their clients, “We get so involved with clients, we want [our clients] to be a part of our family as much as possible"

"“West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa…now it’s a renaissance: we’re claiming back what is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing”."

"The West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa… now its a renaissance. We’re claiming back with is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing"

"Developing my own fabrics is essential for me. Every time you do it, it’s fresh; the drawings, the process of making Adire, starting with indigo and then just making music with colour and patterns, 'fabric jazz'. I wanted to play with floaty fabrics this time. It was just my mood. Of course I’m still in the throws of my love affair with Aso Oke which is still a huge feature in this collection."

"“We know that Africa has potential, all we need is investors – either local or foreign – to come on board with money and partner with us and take it all the way up there. If Burberry, Armani, or Prada, instead of coming to look for inspiration, actually partnered with the craftsman or designers to do a line, it would be a world-class hit”."

"African designers need to celebrate their cultural roots and fashion history in order to become globally competitive"

"When I started out, it was with a certain philosophy, because at that time it wasn’t cool to look African. Africa wasn’t on the map as it is now. … There was nothing really happening in terms of African fashion going global, or Africans being able to make a business of African fashion outside of the shore of Africa. So I went into it, sort of, to prove a point and to say ‘Listen. We can do this. We can add value.’ And to also bring the attention of the world to our own native abilities"

"Fashion chose me, and I believe that it did because I had been sent to impact African fashion as it relates to the world. It’s not just me; it’s my family"

"Squinting upon the lustre Of the rich Rings which on his fingers glistre; And, snuffing with a wrythed nose the Amber, The Musk and Civet that perfum'd the chamber."

"The difference between style and fashion is quality."

"Fashions, being themselves begotten of the desire for change, are quick to change also."

"The secret to looking great in lingerie: Feel good. Once you feel good, you look good, too."

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

"I don’t do fashion. I am fashion."

"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” ― Coco Chanel"

"Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportions."

"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess."

"Fashion—a word which knaves and fools may use, Their knavery and folly to excuse."

"A man, woman, or child bundled up in the cold might be seen wearing gloves, hats, hosiery, and scarves that immediately imply function over fashion."

"What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.”"

"If I'm wearing jeans all day at work, it's [hard] to slip into a dress and make yourself feel like you were born in it. That sort of thing can really be the difference between a good look and a great look. You can have a great dress, but when you put it on and you feel like it's embodying who you are that day, that's not just fashion, that's style!"

"Paris dictates fashion to the whole world."

"And as the French we conquer'd once, Now give us laws for pantaloons, The length of breeches and the gathers, Port-cannons, periwigs, and feathers."

"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap."

"He is only fantastical that is not in fashion."

"I was always really determined to look the way I wanted to look, and I wanted to cut my hair. I wanted to look different because I was used to looking different. Because of my religious background I'd always been encouraged to look different."

"It was before the date when the browns we use on our wall papers began to be reverently studied from Thames mud, and the greens and yellows from mouldy cheese. No one as yet toned down tender dirty drab within to match the formless smoky drab without, no one adored rhubarb tints, or admired the colour resulting from mixtures of cocoa and milk."

"I like my money right where I can see it…hanging in my closet."

"The less taste a person has in dress, the more obstinate he always seems to be."

"Design is a constant challenge to balance comfort with luxe, the practical with the desirable."

"Delete the negative; accentuate the positive!"

"It really annoys me that people think every model has an eating disorder, and every model is dumb. Most of the girls are naturally skinny, like me. I don’t have to watch what I eat. I love eating! Especially ice-cream and salty snacks."

"Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality."

"Like poetry, fashion does not state anything. It merely suggests."

"I am a fashion person, and fashion is not only about clothes — it’s about all kinds of change."

"Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It’s not about brands. It’s about something else that comes from within you.”"

"The trouble about the fashions is, there are too many going on at once, and you can't follow them all. Sometimes, I think I will give them all up, and just be dowdy."

"Oh, never mind the fashion. When one has a style of one’s own, it is always 20 times better."