Fela Kuti and his Wives

6a00e5508e95a988330168ec0fce6f970c-800wi.jpg

I don't think I'll ever encounter an instance where the indirect results of polygyny were so positive but here it is.  Buki Akib is a Nigerian born knitwear designer, who graduated from Central Saint Martins and has long held a fascination for Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti and his twenty seven wives (he married and divorced them quite rapidly as an assertion of his Yorouba identity in face of a rapidly Westernised Nigeria).  Therefore Buki created a capsule menswear collection inspired by Fela and his exuberant manner, demonstrating her knowledge of African wax prints, traditional Yorouba hand woven textiles and combining that with traditional knitwear techniques.   

Moving on from Fela to his Wives, Buki has created a bag collection in their honour, which is currently being sold exclusively at Darkroom on Lamb's Conduit Street, feted by a collaborative window installation.  Buki names the bags after a few of the wives – the Tola clutch, the Sandra and the Funmilayo bag – and adorns each one with an explosive combination of Yorouba hand weaving from South Western Nigera, long and sensual strands of gold lurex and a vibrant palette of sand, aubergine and pistachio.  

Buki also showcased her Fela collection at the Arise fashion week, which I wrote about with the help of Patternity.  I questioned whether asserting recognisable "Africana" aesthetics in an African-originated designer's work is the only real way of having a valid voice?  Buki has a more all-embracing approach towards her work where there are no shackles to her culture.  "I myself feel content to using African fabrics coming from a textile background and more so because I am constantly learning and questioning the traditional techniques and interpreting the method to a contemporary level.  It's positive to see how the international scene is starting to take note that African fashion does have a place in the industry. There is still a long way to go, but I truly believe, designers from the continent and diaspora are bringing a fresh perspective to fashion now."

Buki is right about there being a long way to go.  We may have been battered to death with visions of Africana through the eyes of Western fashion brands who look upon the continent as a source of travel-based inspiration but genuinely African-rooted and African-derived fashion on the international scene is still very much hard to come by.  Hence why collaborative efforts such as this one between Buki and Darkroom are much appreciated.    

BUKI press image

Fela_and_wives_tad

IMG_0429

IMG_0422

IMG_0424

BUKI-FUMILAYO-01

IMG_0464

IMG_0443

IMG_0450

IMG_0434

IMG_0439

BUKI-REMI

IMG_0459

IMG_0453

IMG_0466

IMG_0467

BUKI-SANDRA

IMG_0447

IMG_0452

34 comments

  1. Interesting post this one. You are asking an important question and I cherish Buki’s reply. As a designer myself, and often inspired by native cultures, I might need to go some rounds with myself. I think it raises an important question around how the West portrays other cultures through fashion. It’s a battle with authenticity. And it’s great to see Buki’s take on it, and how such a legend and his women are celebrated.

  2. Oh wow! These are really amazing! he’s super talented! (27 wives??? :O whoa! Ahha)
    munchmecat.blogspot.com

  5. Amazing, I love fela kuti, I can not think of him without the 27 wifes, stunningly beautiful and inspiring pieces!

  8. Such a great post!!!
    Am glad a non Nigerian know our story and culture quite well.
    Since the society is modernized not every Yoruba have so much wives any more, am also Yoruba and my granddad had three wives, but my dad is monogamous
    Love all the African Items here, its divine!
    Kisses

  9. ok this is seriously fab and being a csm student i guess i have no excuse but to buy these and support my fellow alumni lol
    love the knitted prints and tassel embellishments, very cool to have around for summer! loves it!! 😉
    xx nathan.niche
    -FIND YOUR NICHE-
    http://style-niche.blogspot.com

  14. awesome! i love Fela Kuti music and i think it really relates to this collection, thank you so much for sharing, i’d never have the chance to look at this anywhere else, you’re blog is so original and unique!

  24. hello!
    love these bags..
    i love bags..my favorite brand is the italian Il bisonte..
    SS2012 collection is online and it’s amazing..

  25. These prints make me salavate. I know polygamy doesn’t usually turn out very well but the Kuti women were pretty phenomenal.

Comments are closed.