By Rita Okoye
Cloud 51 is the latest collection from Fo Couture. Cloud 51 collection is a collection that showcases dresses with little to no designs while being made out of Ankara, lace, and plain cotton fabrics. The collection is a reminder that women’s dresses do not have to have excessive frills and embroideries. It was well accepted by the minimalists who were present at the private launch of the collection.
The collection has gowns that are short and long, there are other clothing items like shirts, shorts and even blazers but it is mostly designed as a gowns collection. Fo Couture was able to give designs that are simple, chic and quite multi-purposed. Cloud 51 collection is a testament to the creative director, Oluwafunmilayo Afolake Okedairo’s commitment to creating pieces that are simple yet impactful in boosting the confidence of all who wear them.
One of the dresses is a short dress which is fashioned in the style of an A-line around the lower part, the upper part is a wrap-around style with a white fabric at the edge of the fabric where the wearer pulls both edges firmly to the chest. The upper part of the same short dress has a bit of a puff which is equally short-sleeved.
The gown has a slit at the back for easy movement. Among the dresses in the collection was another long gown which has a spaghetti strap with a fishtail at the lower part and a slit for easy movement. The shirts were buttoned down with a cuffed hem at the end of a short sleeve while a breast pocket was added and a bishop neck collar was attached to the shirt too.
Afolake explained that she got her inspiration for the collection while she was staring at the clouds during one of her trips from the fabrics market runs, she further explained that she was tired and could not help but visualize the designs in her head while staring at the clouds from a moving bus. The collection further highlights her skills at sewing, tailoring and even Fabric manipulation and this is most evident in the fishtail style which she added to one of the gowns, it has the possibility of making the wearer look and feel like a live version of a princess from any popular animation.
The collection is perfect for minimalists but other fashion enthusiasts can enjoy working with the dresses, shorts and even shirts especially if they are looking to complement it with jewelry or as a compliment to clothing items from other collections. Fo Couture did an amazing blending of minimalism and fashion to make what can still be regarded as timeless and adaptable.