‘About That Curvy Life Collective’ back with plus size fashion for LFDW

Following the success of its debut appearance at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2016, About That Curvy Life collective will be showcasing its collection at this year’s edition.

Founded by Latasha Ngwube, the brand’s collective has achieved engaging Africa in the conversation about body positivity and size inclusion through the fashion week platform.

Ngwube, speaking on what can be expected from the ATCL collective this year, said, “We are extremely proud of the historical success The About That Curvy Life Collective achieved in 2016

“Launched at The Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2016, we made history as the first plus size fashion show on an international fashion runway in Africa.

“Pursuant, The Collective was featured across several international media outlets including CNN, BBC, Yahoo, and The Guardian. This eventually led to our invitation to make history in Ghana by taking The Collective to the Glitz Africa Fashion Week 2017, Accra, Ghana.

“Notwithstanding, we’ve had one year to grow and set new goals and we have taken that chance seriously. Some of the value adds include, but are not limited to, the following:· First, we’re working with two new designers will be debuted on the runway including Abuja based NORI by Uga Akinbode and Lagos based Osuare by Osuare Egbuonu.

“Alongside veteran Assian by Matthew Gordon, who debuted his brand at The Collective last year and has since gone on to showcase at several international fashion shows around the world, these three designers have an eye for the material best suited for a curvy consumer, as well as the elements that make any piece more suited for their bodies, such as colour and fabric.

“Their clothes are constructed with the body of the wearer in mind. Further, they have terrific personalities and work well as a team, which is integral to success of The Collective.·

“Also, we’re placing laser focus on creating market opportunities for participating designers. For the first time, we hope to take the designers on a continental roadshow. Thus, in addition to having noteworthy aesthetics and a point of view, our designers must demonstrate a capacity to scale up production to meet consumer demands.”

“When I look around at the women and men in my life, my parents, my siblings, my friends, I can’t help but imagine that a sizeable amount of that money can be attributed to sales from plus-size clothing.

“What strikes me even more is the possibility, in light of the dearth of plus size brands in the country, which the majority of money spent on plus size clothes are on imported items. As the nation looks to curb imports and promote exports, and as Nigerian fashion brands, in the midst of increasing competition, struggle to create and communicate unique value propositions, plus size fashion merits serious consideration.”

ATCL DESIGNERS’ PROFILES

1. Eponymous brand, Osuare, is a cosmopolitan African women’s wear brand that caters to the needs of women of all shapes and sizes. Osuare Egbuonu specialises in the use of hand-painted and hand-dyed prints. Her pieces are edgy, reflecting originality and heritage.

2. Owned by Uga Akinbode, Nori Clothing is a woman clothing brand based in Abuja. The brand specializes in ready to wear and bespoke. They cater for people of all sizes, and ages, and for the simple yet
sophisticated, fashionable and edgy woman.

3. Creatively led by Matthew Gordon, Assian is a contemporary plus size fashion and lifestyle brand that strongly believes in being size inclusive and operates based on the belief that “we all matter.”