The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite catwalk Grace Owusu D esigner Grace Owusu brought the leather look to the forefront with her collection shown at Africa Fashion Week London this year. It was sexy in all its elements, with the first offering a sen- sational leather A-line coat with a belted buckle and zip-through, followed by a short jacket with puffed shoulders and skirt combination. As the model turned, we noticed a decorative pattern on the back of the jacket.Whether it was paired with a sheer top or a dress, each piece of leather was eye-catching and consistent. Another belted jacket came smoothly down the runway, decorated with a long neckpiece in rich African print hues of yellow, blue, green and red, and matched with a pair of slim-fitting trousers. As the final piece made an appearance, it imme- diately drew cheers from the crowd as it came down the catwalk - a leather zipped top with a puffed skirt, was most certainly a garment that is sure to get you both noticed and admired. All in all, it was a fantastic collection from Grace Owusu. Soboye Africa Fashion Week 2019 P rints in a variety of patterns and colours were the staple of this collection from Soboye, an afro-luxe brand representing African luxury designs. Starting with a multi-print one-shoulder dress in a palette of yellow, green, purple and orange, the interesting feature on this garment was the slim sleeve that enveloped into a much wider cuff. Moving onto a darker shade of blue with curved stripes of red and black, the matching shirt and trousers worn by the male model was further accentuated with a yellow waistcoat. Mismatched patterns on several of the garments made an interesting combination as although they may seem oddly put together at first, they were cleverly intertwined to cause the eye to take in the variety of the abstract patterns. Glittery jewellery played a huge part in the presentation bringing the garments to life, while a playful jumpsuit in white with black circles kept things simple and shows you can still turn heads. There were plenty more men’s garments to satisfy the curiosity of the male attendees. One of my favourite designs was a long coat with two different patterns on either side matched with a satin green shirt and a skirt in traditional print with a slightly ruffled polka dot and a black band across the centre. It really brought home the con- cept of how patterns can be mixed and matched. Another design that caught my eye was a rich blue number that consisted of a patterned jacket with pops of brown and red, a knee-length skirt and a beautifully designed crop top, completed with a pair of red heels. www.soboye.co.uk