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By Rita Okoye
Let’s talk about what is trending, Branded fashion.
As part of the African culture, many Africans naturally drift towards custom made clothes due to their love for their rich culture and the need to create outfits that fit their diverse body types. But what if the stress of getting measured and long wait periods can be minimised, in exchange for African-branded clothing that promotes African heritage?
This was probably the thought running through the mind of a talented fashion designer, Razaq Ayomide Rahman when he established Blvck Kulture.
Blvck Kulture is a ready-to-wear branded fashion label that redefines African streetwear. Its designs embody a fusion of exclusivity, luxury, and the African identity. It is a brand dedicated to crafting exclusive outfits that not only exemplify quality and sophistication but also celebrate the strength, resilience, and strength of African Identity.
Since Blvck Kulture’s establishment, it has made some significant advancements in the fashion industry, including earning recognition in publications for its loyalty to promoting urban luxury fashion. Aside from this achievement, the label has also won the Best Urban Wear TMA awards in 2015 and the Emerging Brand AFC Awards in 2017.
As their little way of contributing to the fashion scene in Africa, Blvck Kulture sponsored the 2022 Caleb Adoh Cup, a departmental sports competition hosted at Caleb University, in partnership with F8 Football Africa, as a way of encouraging young talents to partake in promoting African excellence. The fashion label has also been able to into new market spaces by collaborating with various renowned artists, brands, and industry leaders in creating stylish garments and some of their partners include: Lucas Ried, MVP, Toby Grey, Dano Milk, Intel, Legend Extra Stout, Nigerian Police Force (NPA), Itel, Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS) and many more.
Blvck 2022 is a collection filled with different, unique pieces of luxurious, branded attire and their artistic ensemble. The first of the collection is this lovely piece.
It is a midnight blue T-shirt made from fine cotton fabric mixed with polyester material. It starts with a round neckline, a feature commonly found on T-shirts. It is followed by short sleeves, and the rest of the bodice falls to the hip area, where it stops. The insightful part of this design is the imprint, ‘BLVCK’ made on the chest line with a white Plastisol ink, which makes it stand out amid the dark coloured background. The branded T-shirt was designed to be a Unisex attire, which allows both males and females the luxury of looking good, unapologetically.
The next attire in the Blvck collection is a pale pink T-shirt also made from a top-grade cotton fabric mixed with polyester material. Like the first of the collection, it begins with a round neckline, followed by short sleeves and a bodice that falls to the waist area, unlike the first, which went slightly beyond. The interesting facet of this T-shirt is also the imprint, ‘BLVCK’, made on the chest line with a black Plastisol ink, which makes it pop. In contrast to the first piece, a little spicy detail was added to the print on this shirt. In place of the ‘V’ in the BLVCK, the shape of the African continent on the world map was used as a symbol that speaks beyond the word BLACK and identifies with the African heritage. The T-shirt was also designed as a Unisex garment that can be utilised by both men and women to look good.
Finally, on the rack is a plain white T-shirt equally crafted from a cotton fabric blended with polyester material. It carries the same features as the first two pieces, spotting a round neckline, accompanied by short sleeves and the rest of the top that drops to the waistline. Dissimilar to the other two in the collection, this piece is devoid of an imprint, remaining plain. A Unisex piece like the rest, the ensemble allows for both male and female use.
The Pros
Seeing as all the outfits are smart casual t-shirts, it gives room for versatility. This means the T-shirt can fit in for almost any kind of occasion or activity. Also, with it being sets of tops, it provides a wide option for styling, allowing you to pair it with literally anything, miniskirts, joggers, slacks, shorts, leggings, jeggings, and even denims.
The Cons
Though a creative set of attire, the collection lacks that touch of uniqueness. It still shares many similarities with other branded shirts out there, except that this collection can be argued to be of higher-quality fabric. In addition, aside from the BLVCK printed on the shirt, there is nothing else that highlights ‘AFRICA’, and the brand is meant to showcase the African heritage. As a suggestion, rather than only sticking to the imprint, which is notably very significant to branded fashion, the designers could consider infusing, even if it’s just a sprinkle of premium African fabrics like Kente, Batik, Ankara, Adire, Bogolan, and many more. For instance, it could be added to the sleeve hem, lower hem, or even used to make a pattern on the shirts that is relevant to Africans and is equally creative.
Overall, in evaluating the three unisex branded T-shirts in colours, midnight blue, pale pink and plain white, there is indeed a distinctive interplay of aesthetics, comfort and versatility. The midnight blue piece gives the collection a refined edge. Its rich and deep colouring holds a classic appeal to it, and though the colour may fade over time, a promise of extended durability is assured. The pale pink addition is also a well-executed outfit that is undeniably stylish. Its fabric makeup is commendable, and its hue is fitting for both genders compared to other deeper pink colours. The last plain white variant, equally a brilliant inclusion to the collection, is the perfect representation of timeless simplicity that wraps up the collection.
No doubt, Blvck Kulture poured their craftsmanship into this. Through the detailing of the collection, the designer infused identity into the garments, ensuring that each T-shirt spoke to the broad demographic of both genders without sacrificing individuality. The commitment to quality, wearability and breathability is noteworthy and reflects the forward-thinking of the brand. With minor refinement from the designer, these outfits undoubtedly have the potential to become shinier than gemstones.
In essence, Ayomide’s 2022 collection is a true representation of artistic craftsmanship. Each garment carries a distinctive narrative reiterating the brand’s dedication to style and cultural importance. We acknowledge Blvck Kulture’s effort to remain at the forefront, pushing boundaries, setting trends and delivering distinguished outfits that speak volume. Looking ahead, we will continue to anticipate the surprising creations and inspiring pieces Blvck Kulture will come up with.
