Recently, the first ever Textile as a Form of Art and Fashion (TFAF) exhibition held at SOTO Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos and brought together the best of three worlds, culture, art and fashion in never seen before ways.
To herald the exhibition, B.O.B Bespoke and Santos by Afrocentric Textiles partnered to exhibit fashion and art from Africa.
After a successful outing, one half of the organisers, Eyimofe Rita Ideh, said TFAF will be a yearly project and would exhibit fine crafted fashion items, wearable art and wall art; all made in Africa with locally made fabrics and craftsmanship.
This she said is to urge Africans and the world at large to wear, support and promote art and fashion brands in Africa.
The co-organisers, B.O.B, founded by twin brothers, Benjamin and Benedict Okoye, is a premium clothing brand that aims to showcase the beauty of Nigerian cultural heritage through its unique and handcrafted clothing collection. Each piece shown at the exhibition was designed with intricate attention to detail, incorporating a fusion of traditional Nigeria aesthetic and contemporary fashion.
B.O.B said they aim to preserve and promote Nigeria culture through a diverse range of clothing pieces that are specially woven to showcase tradition and elegance. The brand’s recently launched eCommerce website, bobbespoke.com, offers customers from all around the world the opportunity to embrace and experience the elegance of Nigerian heritage fashion through various handcrafted garments.
Ideh’s Santos by Afrocentric textiles (SBAT) is a fashion brand that depicts the African Dye culture and the art of Aso Oke. Founded in 2020, SBAT’s dream has always been to preserve the culture of locally made fabrics. A fusion of African textile art in urban street wears, casual outfits and bespoke craftsmanship, shows evolution and adaptation while still celebrating the indigenous art and culture of locally made fabrics. It shows people from other demographic how eccentric African fashion is and it prevents the African Textile art from going into extinction.
Ideh, SBAT’s founder, believes there is something special about making an outfit from scratch, designing patterns, working on colour pallets to suit the clients taste and personality. In her words, “there is a reason why 80 per cent prefer the traditional oil or acrylic paintings to digital paintings. I love every form of art, infact, it is easier to manipulate shapes, forms and colours in graphics. But there is this sacredness that comes with the traditional way of doing things, the smell of oil paint, the textures of hand painted art.”
