After over a year in isolation defined by understated, practical clothing, Lagos-based designer, Lisa Folawiyo reemerges this fashion season with a lush new film directed by the award-winning stylist, photographer and director, Daniel Obasi.

 

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The 3-minute film is centred around Lisa Folawiyo’s latest drop titled ‘Col 1 2022’, a vibrant collection that portrays fashion and creative expression as essential tools for non-verbal communication. The newly released film masterfully combines opposing colour schemes, textures and styles to reinforce Folawiyo’s method of pairing unlikely, complex objects and draping them in gorgeous silhouettes.

According to Folawiyo, this collection represents the unifying chaos we experienced in the past year, as it presents: “polarizing ideas that meet and merge”. The prints from the collection are also inspired by the gong man, (or town-crier) and Igbo and Hausa proverbs, as Lisa Folawiyo pays homage to indigenous forms of communication.

Aside from the fine tailoring and impressive silhouettes, specially chosen to evoke and celebrate different facets of femininity, the film also features varying local beauty and hair techniques, inspired by traditional hairstyles from across Nigeria. Backed by an alluring soundtrack which was produced by Daniel Obasi himself, the noir-inspired film serves as a departure from Folawiyo’s bright, vibrant aesthetic, as the pair instead evoke a darker, more haunting feel using elements such as water, hair, hues and sound.

‘Col 1 2022’ is an emboldened awakened statement for Folawiyo and Obasi after a long search for the raison d’être of fashion. It’s the exact celebration of femininity and imagination that we need as we near the close of 2021.

Watch ‘Kèéré O!’ below.

Featured image credits/DanielObasi