Maki Oh Fall 2015 Ready-to-wear

It is difficult to see where Maki-Oh's going. There is talent there, and that makes for an unpredictable journey. You cannot say that you know for certain what their next inspiration will be, only that it will be as deep and thoughtful as the last. There is such consistency that it would have been possible for the brand to present the last three collections in the same show without any of us being the wiser.

Amaka Osakwe's Fall 2015 collection is inspired by Mermaids and Appropriation, two things that shouldn't go together, but do. The ideas work together in the collection, some pieces have a ripple like ruffle which are as striking as they are polarising. You may wonder why they are there, drawing attention from an otherwise normal silhouette, but they grow on you.

 

The interpretation of the collections formative ideas do not end there. Osakwe uses deep blues and greens in materials that we haven't seen her work with before, like Lurex.

 

But for all the novelty, several Maki-isms remain, like the loose fitting blouse with some side detail. Some pieces may seem odd, but when taken apart there are beautiful clothes here. The  short skirt with a ruffled hem and the striped, black sheer top are among these.

This collection is perhaps not as fluid as her last, but it gives a taste of what's to come from the brand.

Their work has been so influential in the Nigerian Fashion space that her ideas are now visible in the work of many a young designer, but try as they might to adopt the wonky hems, and the masterful mix of prints, they cannot yet hold a candle to Osakwe's flame.