Metroman Co is an Artisanal Men’s Lifestyle Brand handcrafting essential and timeless products for men recently debuted their resort 2020 collection titled ”OGHOGHO” which draws it’s root from the ancient Bini Kingdom
FIRST LOOK AT THE METRO MAN RESORT COLLECTION Read More »
Mgbeke – an Igbo metaphor describing local in the darnest way possible. Appealing to a new generation of fashion costumers in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Jos areas, local fashion is gradually becoming the future of fashion. Local fashion in this heterogeneous setting is the one way mix of anything fashion. In an era before urban fashion, dresses were worn to express feelings by local settlers in various areas, for example: Oshodi, Ijebu and Illaje in Lagos state, Owerri in Imo state, Ibadan in Oyo state, etc. local settlers wore to express feelings unlike settlers in urban areas such as Lekki, Ikoyi and Victoria Island in Lagos state, thereby making marginalised and rural communities play a role in the history of fashion and arts. Inside the minimalist world of “mgbeke” fashion; transactional sex workers and churches such as Deeper life, Mountain of fire and Jehovah witness between vibrant scenes of vogueing, individual narratives of struggle and passion made socially shunned communities participate unknowingly in fashion-obviously making local fashion the ultimate chronicler of fashion on the streets.
FASZION: A DOCUMENTARY ON MGBEKE FASHION Read More »
We had the opportunity to meet and spend time with Nigerian Creative Fashionprenuer Ugo Mozie, following him around – giving us an insight into his busy schedule while in Abuja for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Forum in Abuja The fashion plate delivered an applaud-rousing speech on his profession and bucked up Nigerian youth to do the same. He also spoke on his culture shock, moving from Nigeria to the US and the moulding effect of the experience. We also got a day pass with UGO where we got up, close and personal images taken by the amazing Teeo.
DAY PASS WITH UGO MOZIE Read More »
Here are 5 millennium style icons you should know. When we hear the term “style icons” in Nigeria, our minds take us to the familiar names we all love and know, the likes of “Ebuka, RMD, Noble Igwe, hush puppy, etc”. No doubt, these men have all earned their places in Nigeria’s men’s fashion, but this article is dedicated to the up and coming, the next generation of fashion icons. This is meant to be figurative, but at some point, you must have felt like you have no clothes to wear. And the old ones have all been featured on your social media page. You definitely need to look out for these guys. From our frequent use of social media, the influencers we see on our screens can be the game changers of the fashion hype train from the bottom up. These millenniums know the rules of fashion and when to break them. When to experiment. From street wear to tailored, on-screen glamour to off-duty casuals, bespoke Ankara to native attires. Prepare to get schooled by the next generation of style icons. Olupekan Tijesunimi @tijesu Just in case you think your too young to start making your prints on-this planet, let me introduce you to Olupekan Tijesunimi. A 22 year old lifestyle blogger with a niche in Fashion and Food, Freelance content creator/content developer, Wardrobe Stylist and a Chartered Accountant based in Lagos city. The 22year old, draws his inspiration from “everything around him” which guarantees us that he won’t be running out of inspirations any time soon. He has worked with Wilson’s Lemonade as their seasonal brand Ambassador, GT bank, Diageo, Tech-point Africa amongst other brands in the past. With his very unique and colorful wardrobe, he is surely the next generation style icons to look out for. Tijesunimi is a multi-faceted star with just as much shine in his attire. REMA @heisrema Rappers across the pond have a heightened taste for the garish. Which, in moderation, is no bad thing something REMA the 19 year old rapper songwriter knows all too well. REMA’s secret ingredient is authenticity. He mixes colors and clashes wild prints unashamedly, but also maintain a comfortable look. And of course, who could forget those signature dread chains. This rapper, incorporates face masks into his stage outfits and still looks fire. Lukas Sabbat @lukasabbat You can’t mention Millennial fashion icon and leave out the 21year old Actor, Model Lukas Sabbat. Sabbat is the epitome of high-end street wear hype a stylist that’s worked with ASOS, iD and Nike. He manages to layer the expensive labels with more accessible ones too, and can seamlessly flit between classic and modern as a result. His fashion is said to be Gender fluid. he has been seen rocking a crop top effortlessly, with bare bottom Demi. Jaden Smith @c.syresmith We don’t have to tell you that Jaden Smith is in a league of his own when it comes to getting dressed (or most things, actually). If you’ve seen even one paparazzi photo of him before today, you know the guy holds himself to a different set of style rules. In Jaden’s magical world, water bottles can be cell phones, fine jewelry can be hair ties, and recently-shorn locks can be handbags. Needless to say, the 21 year-old isn’t afraid to test run today’s weirdest and wildest fashion trends. He is a young man with some serious weight in the style sector, and he is shifting the boundaries of male fashion. He defiles any stereotypes in male/female styles. Smith has made it clear that he has no intention to conform to gender prescriptivism, so everyone who knows Jaden knows this: He wears what he wants, when he wants, with confidence. The best part? He does it, so so well. Akin Faminu @akinfaminu Always looking dapper anything he wears, this style icon is a trend setter and a life saver. I mean literally, to snag up a degree in medicine and still look like a snack is mind blowing. This young doctor adds levels into fashion which is not common in Nigeria. With all the studying and busy schedule you will wonder how he was able to still make time to explore his styles. He is giving a new definition to trends in a “white collar job”. He has worked with a handful of fashion brands in the country and has been featured in several online platforms including CNN Africa.
5 MILLENNIUM STYLE ICONS YOU SHOULD FOLLOW Read More »
In this article, we’ve hand picked 4 brands 4 emerging brands on the African continent. One of the attributes of the African fashion industry is dynamism. African fashion opens its arms to new and exciting cuts, designs, and finishes with a creative sense of approach and an eccentric story to back it up. Transcending all seasons and styles, our passion for fashion as Africans is gradually reaching its peak, and some brands tagged as upcoming are killing this passion with abstract creativity and vogue trends. Here are some of the toppers on Ekpo’s list that will pull double duty, this fashion season and beyond. PEPPER ROW A neo luxury engineered fashion brand curated by Omafume Nemogha to sustain fashion from Africa with eccentric local Nigerian fabrics, trends, mechanized creativity and styles adopted from the Victorian era. Pepper row by Nemogha is a brand for youths who know what to wear and how to wear it It is the parent brand to couture bridal label “Pepper Row Bridal”. Summer Spring 2019 introduced the schmick fashion brand with their first public appearance at Lagos Fashion and Design week and spice honors with their first collection titled RHEGIE, which tells the story of a young kokori girl who creates outfits through the cultural inspiration of the Ibadan people and their African heritage. TJWHO? Founded in 2018 by Nottingham Trent graduate Taju Ibrahim, The Lagos, Nigeria, ready-to-wear and made-to-measure brand was conceived to produce minimalist menswear that blurs the lines between the past, present and future. The aesthetics surrounding the brand is the founder’s Nigerian cultural background and upbringing, as well as his obsession with clean lines, his years of study and his travel experiences. The pioneering menswear brand launched its first collection, “A confluence of Everything,” around May 2019 The collection spoke loudly on the interpretation and blends of native and urban basics while exploring a refreshing side of African, European and Japanese references. KATUSH BY KATUNGUL Timeless, transcendent, casual and versatile is what this Kenyan brand stands for Created by Katungulu Mwendwa – a fashion focus 2019 finalist of the Lagos fashion and design week annual program, the design aesthetic is practical, innovative , contemporary and conscious. ADRGYN|OMO, WORK IN PROGRESS & PEOPLE OF THE TABOO are the only collections produced by this brand and they all relate to individual growth in contrast to amalgamation. LARRY JAY Founded by Mohammed Jafaru Larry, a 2019 finalist of the Lagos fashion and design week annual program ” Fashion Focus,” Larry Jay is a unisex ready to wear Ghanaian brand of ethical and tribalistic clothes and accessories that speaks volume on unisex wears inspired by nature and various African cultures and Arts. The brand started as a fashion accessory line in 2012, with a rebirth and introduction of fashion clothes in 2016. In 2017, Larry Jay released his debut collection, “Timeless Legacy,” which debuted on the screen of the Accra men’s fashion week that year.
4 EMERGING BRANDS WE ARE CURRENTLY DIGGING IN AFRICA Read More »
Would you wear this? Would you wear that? How do you feel when you wear such? These and more are the common reactions to androgynous clothing worldwide most especially in Nigeria, Africa. The boldness of androgynous style can make a person stop, stare, talk, ridicule and laugh at the person possessing such style. However we can’t deny the fact that androgynous style is chic, dramatic and yassss way. 2019 challenges the androgyny style in terms of languages and sees it as an outgrowth of men and women’s wear, further describing it as “cross dressing”, sometimes people think when a woman dresses like a man it gives her power, courage, stamina and projects her as an epitome of feminism in the society but when a man wears a crop top, split pants and other female related wears , he is described as disgusting, repealing, stupid and drastically a “homosexual”. In a fashion industry that has steadily been reorganising itself in recent seasons, with some designers merging their men and women’s shows and others silently ignoring the gender labels of clothes when it comes to celebrity dressing, this season felt like a restoration of sorts -which means the industry is now taking a gradual leap in eradicating gender specific dressing by merchandising men and women’s wear together so people don’t know what they are actually looking at in a creative synchronisation with main stream acceptance and normalisation of gender identities that once seemed foreign, weird, absurd, gay, unusual, disgusting and gender abusing to some. So when we talk fashion, we like to tell ourselves that everything has been done before. This moment in time, however is decidedly ground-breaking, evenly dramatic, schmick and free from gender abuses. Therefore if it means that men can now wear splits without societal oppression, by all means – can the evolution begin?
The Drama In Androgynous Clothing Read More »
Luxury menswear brand Lorien Gray has recently announced a collaboration with styling powerhouse Zap Couture to cater to the ever rising demand for quality English style suits and formal attire. Lorien Gray and Zap Couture are two fast-rising fashion-forward brands with the single aim of curating unique and stylish looks for their high-end clientele at the most affordable rates. In order to paint a picture of how devoted they are to delivering top of the line service, they have put together a short 2-minute video detailing their extremely professional work ethic and commitment to exceeding client expectations with every stitch.
LORIEN GRAY x ZAP COUTURE LATEST COLLABORATION Read More »
“Summer Is Here” It’s summer again! The weather is hotter, the girls are glowing and showing more skin, it’s time to shed away all those layers of clothes and get aquatinted with the men’s wear biggest tends this Summer. There should always be space in your Rolodex of clothing options for the latest summer trends. But then again, if there’s no space? Then bag all the winter outfits, ditch your coats, because is going to be summer for a long time and your wardrobe is due for a much needed warm weather-ready refresh with the latest summer trends. I bet you can’t wait to give that bare chest some sun. This season, we welcome the return of some reliable favorites, like revere collard shirts and leather sandals (no complaints here), but there are also tons of great newbies to try. So whether you are a heavy dresser, a laidback dresser, a go with the flow kind of dresser, or you take fashion style trend from the likes of Hushpuppy or Ebuka. We have compiled the ultimate list for you to slay this summer. (Yes guys Slay too) *Revere Collard Shirts Revered collard shirts (Cuban shirt) shirts got a whole lot more interesting. It’s all about pleats, patterns, polka dots, floral. You just name it. Paired with jeans, shorts, whichever you choose and you are good to go. Perfect for that beach date, or outing with the guys. This season, the vibrant patterns of a lightweight collard shirt are perfect for bringing some flair to your look. whether you are heading for a concert or just out with the guys for beer, these colorful tops are going to be everywhere this season. Thankfully, you are able to style it with almost anything. *You Need Yourself Some SHORT-SHORTS Tiny bum-skimmers were all over the runways this season. Every season, shorts can never seem to stick to a hem length. Well, this time, designers are choosing shorts that fall a few inches below the knee, and way above the knee (shorts short) Key styles feature abstract patterns or sporty bold colors with a relaxed fit for everyday wear. Shorts are casual, so the shirt should be too while styling. Don’t wear a long-sleeved, button front, collared shirt with shorts. Even with the sleeves rolled up its too much of a stylistic mix and match. Collared short-sleeve shirts are usually the best choice or a shirt as seen in the picture above. (swag boys only btw) *Sandals Is Now A THING! When it comes to men’s sandals, there are many options to choose from, starting with casual flip-flops and including smarter leather styles to Beach sandals, hiking sandals, etc. To master the laid-back look, you will need to feel comfortable and make it through the day blister and limp free. Hey, that’s what’s Summer is all about being free. Sandals can be worn with anything, from your Ankara to lace to jeans even Suits {yes! I said it. Google it}. *Statement Shirts Hello! It is 2019 and everyone is all up in their feelings and love to share their opinions. So got something you want to say? Let your shirt do all the backtalk with this season’s statement shirt trend. These shirts can be Political, Funny, Sarcastic, Empowering or they can get super weird, as modelled by Gucci’s “Future” shirt. They can also feature wild prints, creating statements that make absolutely zero sense, like the “pineapple and horn “shirt by Dolce & Gabbana. *You’ve Got To ACCESSORIZE THIS SUMMER! When it comes to Summer fashion, don’t sweat it just relax and Keep it lightweight and functional, but don’t sacrifice aesthetics. It’s the perfect time to experiment because many of your peers probably aren’t going to bother trying. Always make use of accessories like wrist bands, watches, hats, sunglasses (you need to protect your eyes from the burning sun) bags, man purse. These accessories are all must have. But Men Purse’s and Bag’s Seem to be the In-thing this summer BY ANNIE KAS
5 MENSWEAR TRENDS TO GET YOU SUMMER READY Read More »
#GOURMETPIZZAPICNIC On the 26th of May 2019, EKPO with the GourmetPizza Company hosted Friends, Customers, Influencers & Creators To A gathering in celebration of real food, community, friendship and Good Times.Ushering Us Into The Summer Holiday! #FOODTIME – And Then It Was Time To Try Out All The Items From The GourmetPizza Company!
EKPO X GOURMET PIZZA PICNIC Read More »
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