Over the weekend, April 23, 2016, American recording artist, songwriter and label owner Beyoncé released her new album ‘Lemonade’ through a 60-minute audio-visual television special on HBO. The following day, she made the album available as a digital download on Tidal, an online streaming service she co-owns with her husband Jay-Z. Lemonade is Beyoncé’s sixth studio album and is inspired by Beyoncé’s grandmother Agnéz Deréon and her husband’s grandmother, Hattie White.
The album is “based on every woman’s journey of self-knowledge and healing,” according to the promotional materials for Lemonade released by the artist’s camp. Indeed, the HBO special took the viewer through varied emotions ranging from happiness, and anger to forgiveness and hope. To help the audio-visual album come alive, Beyoncé enlisted the help of several fashion designers, among other things, including Nigerian fashion design house ‘Maki Oh.’
“Maki Oh is a womenswear brand that fuses traditional African techniques with detailed contemporary construction. Founded by Maki Osakwe in 2010, the Maki Oh design ethos challenges prevailing notions of beauty and analyses cultural norms through a womanist lens. The brand is centred in a strong sense of identity and culture, creating narrative pieces that function as direct channels of communication. The Maki Oh vision extends beyond physical beauty to a textured, layered, and three-dimensional aesthetic, embodying the philosophies of sustainability, preservation, strength and complex simplicity,” explains the design brand on its website.
Maki Oh has been worn by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama who cites the brand as one of her favorites, along with other high profile American celebrities. The brand has also enjoyed extensive global press features.
Check out the posts shared on Instagram by the design house announcing their feature in Beyonce’s audio visual album and visit Maki Oh website for more information on the brand.
“The Queen + beauties, including the gorgeous @amandlastenberg in our teardrop adiré dress in the @beyonce film #LEMONADE,” the designer shared on Instagram, adding, “Truly honored to be a part of this!! #Epic.”
“Love this shot of the gorgeous @amandlastenberg in our teardrop adiré dress in the @beyoncefilm #LEMONADE”
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
