When it comes to fashion, one can never go out of style. Since the beginning of time, African fashion has always worked with some accessories that are pleasing to the eyes when it comes to our own fashion audience.
Right from time, African clothing has embraced some orisirisi like cowries, beads, bangles, etc. Even today, we still find a way to blend these things with modern things like earrings, waist belts, and platform shoes.
Imagine a cloth that will make people talk and make ‘wow’ comments, even without needing plenty of accessories. Kadiju can do something like that. The brand has work on amazing designs that usually excite their audiences.
Their main focus is to become the main fashion brand that every woman will go to. And for this reason, they recently dropped a collection in the year 2023.
In this article, I will take my time to critique some of the clothes in the collection.
These are very similar outfits, except that they have different colours. I’ll be honest, the dress is fine. However, the volume of the cloth is too much. Anyone who wears this will just get swallowed by the cloth, especially if their height is short. Also, the design across the neck is not looking good at all. It is giving a vibe of wanting to choke the model.
Even though the cloth is attractive to the eyes, the difficulty in wearing it will make somebody just dump the cloth in a wardrobe out of frustration.
I think the clothes will be better if they are worn for some occasions. Let me say, a fashion event, entertainment shows, talk shows, and even dinner parties. They will make more sense for those kinds of things. Additionally, women who like luxury and too much shakara will like them a lot.
This is because there’s no doubt that you will wear these clothes and not feel confident. Confident to the extent of even walking into the President’s office.
This particular cloth is a Kadiju Pink Mini Puff Dress. It is a double-layer bubble hem dress. I can see that the sleeves have too much volume. The fabric of the cloth looks like one that was crafted from soft cotton or something.
I like the sleeves; they are beautiful. But the structure and volume do not go well with the shortness of the cloth. That is another negative thing I can spot out here; the gown is too short. And this kind of gown will interest the younger generation more, that is, the Gen-Zs.
Also, the cloth lacks flexibility. If anyone wears this, they will feel restricted after sitting for a long period of time. The designers should do better with these things.
This is one eye-catching outfit from Kadiju. Peek at the minimalism in accessories? Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. Simple, clean, and chic.
At first glance, one thing stands out, and that is the fabric. The Organza fabric used seems almost intentional. When walking down the stage, it easily catches the light, drawing the audience’s attention to all the places you want it to go.
When I look at this cloth, one thing is clear to me: the designers ensured the cloth has structure. I like how the neckline covers the collarbone, as it should be. The sleeves are short and shaped well in a sort of right-angled cut.
Speaking of the trousers, they look like something that was designed in patterns. The straight vertical lines of light and dark grey make it slightly different from the top, but ensure that it is not entirely basic. This creates a simple balance with the top and bottom pieces.
Overall, this is a chill co-ord set, suitable for several occasions, although the fabric might be too much for simple settings. But that can easily be fixed by creating varieties of the same design with different fabric types.
This is not your regular jumpsuit. From the sleeves, you can already tell that this is something out of the ordinary. And something with such a pattern and volume doesn’t need too many accessories.
The deep V-neck exposes the collarbone, which is an accessory on its own. And from there, you see the structured tailoring all the way to the bodice and then the pants.
Even though the sleeves have too much volume, the trousers are where the main attention is. The length of the cloth is not bad. I can see that it almost touches the ground. And because of the way it is free flowing, somebody can easily mistake it for a skirt. But making it into trousers is the best option here.
The side pockets are one functional aspect of this outfit, and it is something that I have come to notice that Kadiju never misses.
Now, here is where there is a small wahala; the top needs improvement. The designer should adjust it well so that the neckline and sleeves will balance well. Another thing is that this cloth may not really look good on someone with a smaller body frame.
This dress is fine. You don’t even need to add extra things to the dress after wearing it. It looks good enough as a standalone. The yellow colour is an easy eye-catching look that can even be spotted from miles away. And when walking the runway with such, best believe that even those in the backseat would catch a glimpse of it.
Taking a closer look, there’s a way the waist area has been narrowed by the designer. It is not very obvious, though, but this is done to ensure a nice fit on the model that wears it.
This particular dress is so fine. The pink colour is like that of bubble gum. I like the combination and simplicity. I also notice the way the sleeve is sewn. From there, there is the bodice, tailored straight with no added features, ruffles or anything. It is just plain and basic, and that plainness is carried down to the skirt.
Unlike the bodice with a simple and sleek structure, the skirt involves added fabric, which makes it seem exaggerated. With its length around the ankle, the excess fabric kind of sits weird, as they aren’t long enough to be called a trail.
So, with the big sleeves uptop and the excess fabric below, dramatic is not a far off word for what this outfit gives. But this type of drama is unbalanced, and that is where the improvement comes in.
So, with the big sleeves uptop and the excess fabric below, I think dramatic is the right word to describe the vibe that this outfit gives. But this type of drama is unbalanced, and that is where the improvement should come in.
Since the skirt is already tailored with these excesses, having a simple look for the top would have been much better. Right now, with volume up and volume down, the dress looks bulky, and so does the model.
Black, short, and simple, Kadiju sure knows how to wow an audience. I must say I am wowed.
The ruffles are the star of the show, as they are present all through and create a fairy feeling. This can be called a Butterfly dress, simply because of how the ruffles sit like feathers, and fall beautifully across all parts of the dress.
The neckline is deep, creating a V shape that exposes the neck and collarbone enough for a dainty necklace. The sleeves aren’t doing too much. They are designed long and slim, without any volume. The designers tried with this one.
Well, well, what do we have here?
These are two attractive items of clothing. Let me start with the cloth on the left. I cannot help but notice the button down modern top. The sleeves look like a balloon-like thing. I guess the designers did that intentionally. Looking at the outfit, I can tell it was made from original clothing material.
One thing I don’t like about this cloth is that it lacks creativity. The designers should look for something to attach to it to make it look finer than it is, like this.
For the cloth on the right, not bad. It is obviously a garment with a V-shaped neckline. But it’s looking too rumpled. The cloth’s patterning should be tweaked or even changed completely.
Out of all the clothes in this collection, these two are the simplest. The one on the left is a basic top, with black trousers. The white top is a regular, basic T-shirt. This kind of cloth can be worn to casual outings and hangouts. Nothing too formal, nothing too serious; just chill and vibes.
For the cloth, it is quite simple. It is just a tube top and a mini skirt. I think the designer intentionally made it two-piece.
I think the model should have considered wearing a denim jacket. It will go so well with the overall cloth. For the skirt, it’s spot on. It’s for classic baddies.
I’ve taken my time to carefully critique these clothes, and I can say that the way Kadiju uses volume so well. When you take a careful look at the outfits, you can see the level of feminine style. She has also focused on keeping it African, even though she added some Western things. Altogether, the blend of cultures makes the outfits stand out well.
To conclude, when you look at Kadiju’s work, fashion designers like Stella McCartney, Donatella Versace, and even Phoebe Philo come to mind. Their respective works go well with Kadiju’s styling focus on women’s wear.
This collection shows Kadiju’s talent and capabilities. In fact, I can boldly say our fashion space is in safe hands. Why? Because Kadiju is in it…