David Tlale has said “(he is) the drama.” He is drama BUT is able to get away with being such a “diva” by delivering designs that somehow, cleverly, manage to be dramatic yet not over the top. Sounds like a contradiction but really he pulls it off. For Autumn/Winter 2010, he delivered a Hussein Chalayan like collection, especially with his architecture meets fashion theme. Titled “Fantastical Structures,” Tlale says his collection was inspired by architecture as he “radically revisit(ed) our understanding of form and structure in fashion and architecture.”
Was it radically against the norm? Not necessarily, at least on the global fashion map. But, in terms of what we have seen coming out of Africa, he gave us a collection that was progressive, radical and compels its wearers to just enjoy life.
Ditching the runway for an installation fashion show, Tlale made his audience focus on every detail in Fantastical Structures. For example, a model in a rich forest green dress had larger than life shoulders that incorporated wires, among many materials to create the look. In another instance, a female model dressed in a full tulle white dressed paired with a velvet bolero type jacket sat on a chair placed in the middle of a ladder while her fellow model climbed a gold ladder. The model on the ladder wore a floor length long sleeve gray dress that boasted beautiful design details on the sleeves, middle and hem of garment.
Brilliant collection.
Photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo
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.
