By Yemisi Suleiman
Onifaari Collection recently debuted the Onifaari Collection as a celebration of Yoruba Heritage. The collection, which features exciting designs of a culture-centric product line, is intended to portray its wearers’ unique, alluring, and glamorous fashion sense.
The Onifaari collection got its name from two Yoruba words, “Oni and Faari,” which, when translated together, means “The Stylish One.” Hence, Oladimeji Oyebode, the Creative Director of the brand and the design lead of this collection, towed an intentional path in delivering style and confidence for the proposed wearer.
The Onifaari collection showcases Ankara, Kampala, Aso-Oke, Adire, Plain, and Patterned Cotton fabrics. These fabric choices by Oladimeji showcase the Nigerian heritage while merging it with elegance. The designs in the collection are Dress shirts, Kaftans, Shorts, Trousers, and Dashiki.
All these are with so much precision that customers can wear all of them with agbada from other collections or even as a standalone piece of fashion.
The trousers are made in true Yoruba fashion with drawstrings and full-length trousers with cuffed hems. The shirts are made as Buba with needlework that is of medium weight on the chest area. The shorts are fitted for shorts for lounging, beachwear, or even for other functions as may be desired by the wearer.
The Kaftan, which has its usual sleeveless arm, is embroidered on the chest and lightly around the hems of the tunic; the tunic also has flares to give it a truly Yoruba feel. The Dashiki is short or long-sleeved, with the length almost at the knee, while it has some appliques or embroideries as part of its designs.
The collection boasts Brown, Gold, Green, Burnt Orange, Black, and Purple colors. Each color is used so that complementary colors are included in the complementary piece of clothing for easy pairing, thus making the collection more straightforward for people with mild difficulties identifying colors.
This approach does not mean that the collection is color-coded; it just means that the colors are easy enough to match other colors.
The Onifaari collection bridges the gap between the old and young Yoruba man while upholding heritage and modernity. The designs’ versatility is a testament to Oladimeji Oyebode’s commitment to creating timeless pieces that can stand alone or fuse with other fashion products to create a magnificent marriage of fashion and art.
Indeed, Oladim Fashion House knows its onions regarding fashion, and the Onifaari collection attests to that.
Oladimeji explained the idea behind the collection as being based on the average Yoruba person’s interest in fashion and entertainment. He details his experience sourcing fabrics while explaining that the fabric choices hinge on what the older generations used to wear before the new generation re-invented their styles, as he did with the Onifaari collection. Oladimeji showed us his skills as a gifted Draper, Tailor, and product design guru to craft all the pieces in the collection.