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There is an African adage that says, ‘If you send a child where he wants to go, you will see his best pace.’
This quote reveals a glaring truth: You can never underestimate the power of passion and interest. Eshun George proved this from age 13 when he single-handedly decided to venture into fashion after watching his mother repurpose Kente cloths. And ever since, he has been doing tremendously well as a rising fashion designer. With his skills and expertise, Geovante, his fashion label, was launched.
Since 2019, Geovante has been committed to its core mission of crafting beautiful attire with knowledge of explored African fabrics and styles. However, to keep their outfits globally inclusive, a bit of modern design was imbued into their stitches and that has given them a winning edge. Each piece crafted by the brand is a rare interplay of style and handwoven textiles, which highlights their artistic skillset and uniqueness.
Since its inception, the brand has gone above and beyond to ensure that it keeps producing exquisite custom wear and collections, one of which we will discuss here, the Geovante 2022 collection.
For the first piece in this collection, we have a two-piece attire: A long-sleeved blouse and trousers. The blouse is a simple collared long-sleeved button-down blouse made from two fabrics, a hickory stripe and a Mikado material. The hickory fabric is the major one used to create the piece. However, the designer introduced a sprinkle of the Mikado fabric in creating the cuff part of the attire. The design ends with flat buttons and a bow tie at the neck area made with the Mikado fabric.
The second piece of this set is a classic mid-bell bottom made from the Mikado fabric. The pants begin with a waistband and are sewn down as slightly fitted trousers up to the knee length. There, a flounce, also known as an outer ruffle, is crafted by a spiral cut that makes the bell part wider and more voluminous. Because of this same feature, it is easy for the trousers to be mistaken for a pair of culottes. They almost share a similar width; however, they are quite different. Compared to the culotte, where the volume starts from the waistline, in this piece, it is mainly stationed at the bottom of the hem of the attire.
Everything about this piece represents professional, formal, but chic. It’s a beautiful ensemble with carefully picked fabrics and designs. And while there is no major downside to the piece, there is one thing the designer might want to consider giving a touch-up, the neckline. We undoubtedly understand that the neckline was intentionally created as a collar to complete the formal look. However, it doesn’t give enough breathing space for the neck, which can cause discomfort. Buttoning it open wouldn’t be an option because it would hinder the beauty of the bow. Therefore, we suggest a lowering of the collar to rest on the shoulders rather than clinging to the neck.
Next in line is a Co-Ord set. In this set, Eshun George outdid himself with the designs he used. The set is a two-piece design comprising a cropped top and a maxi high-waist flared skirt. This set was made with top-notch lightweight denim fabric for that stylish look. The first piece of the set is the cropped top, which offers a square neckline, followed by two long, pointy and slightly puffed Juliet sleeves that are equally held by an elastic material at the wrist. At the front part of the blouse are dart lines and an open partition held together by a crisscross rope.
The second piece of this set is the maxi flared skirt. As described, the skirt is designed in an almost floor-sweeping length and was created with a slim-fit cut on the hip and waist area. Then, at close to mid thigh, it flared out to the ankle with the introduction of tiny pleating stitches or the Caribbean style, as you may call it. The fusion of these two features on the piece helped not only to accentuate the hip curves but also create comfort and free movement.
The dress is indeed a sensation. It featured puffy long sleeves, adding more beauty to the design and the long flared high waist skirt makes the outfit eligible for all occasions. And because of the dress’s detachability, you are given the freedom of styling it in whatever way you like. However, while everything about this set speaks quality and modernity, Designer George should consider offering a wide range of options for the blouse. The reason being that some individuals are sensitive to donning themselves with ‘revealing’ clothes. Creating other options with the same fabric gives clients room to have more options to choose from and get the same outfit with slight modifications.
If you are looking for a classic example of how you can make a statement in a semi-casual occasion, then this third piece has got you. It is a two-piece set, made from the Hickory fabric used in the first set, and it comprises several features.
This ethereal design is a cropped double-breasted jacket, which is one of the classiest wears for formal settings. Like many coats out there, this topcoat started with a collar. The type of collar used in this design is called a divided peak collar, which is usually found on this kind of jacket. It is a type of collar where the lapel is slit or separated. The jacket also features long sleeves, further accentuated with square-shaped flat shank buttons of the back colour, rimmed by silver-coated edges. To secure the jacket are also double rows of buttonholes.
On the lower part of the set is a short also made from the same fabric. It sis so stylish that though it started with a waistline, it also included a short front zipper and additional button closure. Stopping above the knee, the short additionally carries the inclusion of two unseamed pockets, which gave the dress a solid ‘check’ stamp.
Standing as one of the outstanding pieces in this collection. There is not much to point a displeasing finger at because the designer knows what he is doing. But to be an inclusive dress, additional length to the shorts would, most likely, draw the attention of people who are against wearing outfits that are too skimpy.
Overall, the three designs in the collection are wonderful apparel. The bell pants in the first set look splendid, the complete look of the second dress is what we will call a ‘killer’, and the last dress just sings classy to and to. It is best to say that Geovante and Eshun George did a remarkable job with these three pieces. The fact that the flow balances with the designs, the colours, the top-notch fabrics, and the stitches shows that Geovante is not one to play with.
A resonating applause goes out to Eshun George for bringing such beautiful designs to the frontline of the fashion industry and for making an impact in the global trendy movement. From all that has been seen, it can only be said that more is to come.
By Seun Emmanuel
