SEMI-FINALIST OF THE 2014 LVMH PRIZE

MAKI OH by Amaka Osakwe

Amaka Osakwe studied at the Arts University Bournemouth where she received a BA in fashion studies. In autumn/winter 2010 she launched her label. Inspired by rural Ghana’s Dipo rites-of-passage ceremony, during which girls taking part are partially naked and ornately adorned, Amaka Osakwe has played with cloaking and ornamentation using traditional African fabrics.
Her designs have been worn by the likes of Solange Knowles, Beyoncé, Rihanna or Michelle Obama.
One signature of her brand is that it is dyed by hand using the traditional textile process called Adire. Another is her way of combining Western silhouettes and native materials and motifs.