Buki Akib

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Absolutely stunning photos from Buki Akib's FELA collection - a Nigerian born knitwear designer who studied at Central St. Martins. I found these images via flygirlblog and this collection really drew me in. 

AND THEN I recalled the textile summer course at Central St. Martins I attended with a woman who was studying knitwear and was born in Nigeria and OH MY GOD. This is her! Thats right, I'm shamelessly namedropping from a 3 week course I took about 7 years ago. Damn proud of it, too. 

More so than happening to have known this woman at some point, I was shocked at my immediate connection with men's clothes. Menswear collections generally don't leave me drooling... nope, not even the handsome male models can distract me from the "classic" and "understated" designs that to me seem, well, boring. 

There. 

I said it. 

Men's clothes are boring to me unless they are inspired by the likes of Keith Richards and Jimmi Hendrix, a look that has unfortunately become a bit of a cliche in our modern times. This collection is inspired by a man I'd never heard of. Fela Kuti, a 1970's Nigerian Afrobeat musician, and his 27 wives were the inspiration for this and the women's collection to follow (labeled, appropriately, "wives").

So not only have I discovered the talents of an old mate, I've discovered the incredible life and music of an artist who also happened to live the sex, drugs, and rock & roll lifestyle of my favorite icons, and did so while controversially speaking out about the state of his government, apparently at great expenses. 

image and video found here.