the grey fox: studio africa and designer laurenceairline

woensdag 27 februari 2013

studio africa and designer laurenceairline

While doing some trendresearch, I came across this really cool African designer. I actually stumbled upon it thanks to a great Diesel+Edun initiative called Studio Africa. It is a platform celebrating and promoting creativity in Africa. Studio Africa was born out of the Spring 2013 collaboration: a denim collection born in Africa and entirely sourced an manufactured in Africa, using the finest cotton from Uganda. The collaboration goes beyond fashion to discover and be inspired by a cast of creatives fueling innovation across Africa. If you want to know more about this online platform please visit their tumblr page.

One of the Studio Africa creatives is Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud of the brand Laurenceairline. She is a rising menswear designer from Cote d'Ivoire. All her collections are produced by locals at the Laurence Airline workshop which serves as a pole of creation and a centre for teaching couture sewing techniques. The concept behind her brand is based on how fashion and ethnic cultures can successfully collaborate to create possibilities for the future.
As a designer she is inspired by people living in their clothes rather than a constructed fashion influence. She says: "It is the attitude and spirit that an individual gives a garment through the way that they wear it."
Her spring/summer 2013 collection is a fusion of local fabrics in carefree masculine silhouettes. I am especially keen on video that represents this collection. Starting very soft and playful, but gradually becoming more mysterious and clashy: a good representation for Laurenceairline's SS13 collection.