By Jemi Ekunkunbor

It was a journey through history last Sunday when My Q, a fashion and lifestyle company, launched its new collection themed, “Roots” at Rele Art Gallery, Victoria Island, Lagos.

My Q, a company that continuously, looks for ways to change the African narrative through fashion and lifestyle products, curated a collection that paid tribute to over 17 historic Nigerian women.

The women are: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti ( Lioness of Lisabi), Emotan, Queen Amina ( the warrior), Flora Nwanpa (. ), Moremi Ajasoro, Margaret Ekpo, Queen Idia (The Queen Mother), Alimotu Pelewura, Dora Akunyuli and Stella Adadevoh. Others include, Hannah Dideolu Awolowo, Hajiya Gambo Sawaba, Kudirat Abiola and Efunroye Tinubu (Madam Tinubu).

According to CEO My Q, Yeside Laguda, “we are honouring women who have fought for our independence, our freedom and democracy.”

The new collection carefully crafted from chiffon adire, includes wearable pieces that reflects the 21st century woman, as well as bits of the historic women listed above.

The collection boasts of floaty dresses, tunics delicately embellished with glistering beads and stones. Each piece comes with its unique detail such as, dramatic sleeves, tie-neck, pleats and flounces etc.

Speaking on why she started doing her own adire fabric, Mrs Laguda says: “we wanted to wrest control of resources. We started about 11 years ago but gradually, manufacturing mills have shut down. It got to a stage that 90-95 % of our resources are being imported. Sometimes, people order pieces and we would try and import and it will just take forever to come. So I decided to start designing and making my own fabrics. I’ve worked with adire in the past and it worked well for me. We always sell out whenever we did anything with it. I can do anything with adire. It’s a clean canvass for me to work.”

The artsy event which attracted Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also brought together an assemblage of political stars, fashion influencers as well as loyal My Q clients.

In her remark, Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, while tracing the origin of Adire to her native state, commended the designer, Yeside Laguda for not only promoting culture, but for bringing local fabrics such as adire to the limelight.

She pointed out that although adire originated from Abeokuta, it has become a choice fabric loved all over the world.

She urged My Q to collaborate with other stakeholders in other to take adire and other local fabrics to international level.

Mrs. Onanuga also called on Nigerians “not to wear anything other than adire.”