For our Discovery Issue, we explored the beauty of being, celebrating humanity and forging connections through community. The beauty of community was evident throughout the styling process thanks to the inclusive brands that care about the beauty and strength of queerness. These brands, Orange Culture, Eki Kere, Korede James and NYA Lagos, were excited to cloth our cover stars in stunning pieces to celebrate a group of people whose lives have been disenfranchised by policies meant to stifle their existence. But they persist, make and hold spaces for one another to shine, and it is a beauty to witness.
On the cover, two of the four brands featured take centre stage. Ayodele Olofintuade exclusively wears white and occasionally grey for spiritual reasons, making the grey shawl Kaftan from Eki Kere a perfect choice. Dolapo Osunsina looked every inch like an Orange Culture model with her Lola Wave Waist pants, Ally’s bra top, and Moreni puff gloves. Finally, to capture Alexandra’s essence, we selected the raffia jacket and Iban pants from Eki Kere.
SHOP THE LOOK
The wrap detailing on this piece makes it a versatile favourite. The adjustable wrap can be styled as a hoodie, a one-handed dress with a high slit detail or a simple tunic with an in-built hoodie.
This white shirt would make a great addition to your wardrobe for a simple but playful, detailed affair. Our cover model styled it as a dress, hitching up the side for an asymmetric look, but feel free to style it over shorts or pants or any other way you see fit!
These pieces go together perfectly but feel free to deconstruct and style each separately. Expect silky and flowy fabric that feels great on the skin; the pants have this beautiful detailing that will go perfectly with crop tees, while the Moreni Puff gloves are the perfect addition of drama to any simple outfit.
These two pieces work perfectly together but still stand out apart. The petal top gives the illusion of a heart when worn and can be worn alone- as seen on our cover star Dolapo – or over a white tee for a more modest look.
The raffia jacket exudes attitude with a touch of tradition. The inspiration for this jacket – the Ekpo masquerades of South-South Nigeria – is definitely an additional reason to want to wear it. Alone, it’s a standout piece, but with accessories, it will leave you feeling like you can rule the world.
While we paired these pants with the raffia jacket above, feel free to pair it with a plain shirt for a more casual look. If you’re feeling adventurous, mixing patterns can be a fun way to add personality to your outfit. You could pair it with a statement crop top for that extra pzazz!
It’s a colour haven with this pair, a wonderful pool of oranges, green and blue – all happy colours. And so you can be sure that wearing any of these pieces or even both will lead to double happiness. Fashion maths, don’t ask.
If this cover taught me anything, it’s that style and its expression, much like gender and sexuality, isn’t linear. Oh, that and the fact that Nigerian brands are owning the style game right now. Don’t be left behind; shop these looks!
