Nigeria once again is in the eye of a media storm. The brutal murder of over 140 persons on Christmas Eve in Bokkos, Plateau state, as usual, by unknown gunmen.
The documentary on the famous Prophet, T.B Joshua by the BBC’s Africa Eye. A drum of worms spilt out on one of the most powerful religious figures in Nigeria and the world beyond.
The suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs for money laundering allegations came amid dwindling donor funds, and shrinking humanitarian activity over a 13-year insurgency in the northeast and an intense separatist movement in Nigeria’s south. From every indication, the scandal promises to be a vortex that will suck other ministers in, a kind of Watergate in the making.
All this is extra weight on an already groaning population struggling to maintain balance from the pushback of a series of economic policies made by a President still fresh in office.
It literally seems that this place I call home is set to go up in flames completely. Here is the thing though.
It isn’t the first time that this place has gone up in flames. Each time, the resilience and determination of the people to live through the fire has birthed a generation more tenacious than the last. it is a most admirable trait.
And this is the trait that runs through the Phoenix collection; the one-off rising from a stark and almost barren terrain and splashing colours against it, haphazardly, but still colourful. The Phoenix collection features pieces that are daring, brazen and unapologetically eclectic. The beauty of this collection is that the dresses are made from the carrier sack Nigerians fondly call “Backo”, a spin on the BagCo super sack.
Shot against a background of harmattan dried shrubs, nature-balanced rocks, fire-scorched trees and azure skies, the pieces command more than a passing glance. Who knew that these rough textured, loud crunching rebellious materials could be tamed to wrap around the human body? Who knew that they would allow themselves to be coerced into flowers, weaves and corsets?
The main attraction features the BagCo jacket with intricate woven details on the sleeve and varying spiral flower-like patterns splattered across the front and back using vibrant colours of the super sack. It is both feral and gentle like Nigeria can be. The corset is another breathtaking piece. A simple long-waisted tapering with blue edges and a short frill detailed skirt, a taming that is perfectly shown off.
Commenting on the inspiration for this piece, Mona, the founder of the Reina De Las Fabricas said, “The pieces stem from my personal push against environments that have tried to get me to give up my dream to own a fashion brand and drive a purposeful narrative. This project is a showcase of the possibilities of the unlikely, a reflection of unexpected beauty in uncommon places. From the BagCo outfits to the zip piece, every detail is deliberately crafted to recreate wearable pieces. The bags were carefully selected with a dominated vibrant yellow to create a rising sun regardless of time. The structural placement of the zip reflects resilience as the piece was created 80% by hand.”
It features a deviation: a dress made entirely of metallic zips. It is the kind of dress that communicates antsy and feminine at the same time. Laid against a backdrop of strong but sheer net material, the dress is the perfect embodiment of gritty, earthy and fire, speaking feral and feminine.
