New designers pop up everyday and quite a few of them are undoubtedly talented. We’ve had our eyes on quite a few up and coming brands and we will be highlighting some of the major on-the rise- brands you need to know in the Discover series.
BNS:Why did you start your line ?
We see Nigerians/Africans as very fashionable and gradually embracing fully the western fashion, we wanted to be able to fuse both without totally losing our history in a simple,classy and chic way. Brands that fall in this category were pretty expensive so that was the starting point.
We want to make good quality afro-contemporary fashionable items available for the average Nigerian. We are a luxury brand that you can afford. Tokatoka is a unit not a person, we explore the strength of a collective.
Who is your favourite celebrity or influencer to work with?
[Some] of the people we have worked with include Chinonso Arubayi , Chioma Sylvia Odimba, Juliana Olayode and Toyosi Clay and we love them all. We also have Beverly Naya, Zainab Balogun and Lola Ojetola on our wishlist!
Tokatoka is a unit not a person, we explore the strength of a collective.
BNS: How would you describe your label?
Toka Toka which is a Hausa word for grey simply exemplifies the spectrum of emotions a woman goes through in her life, nothing is truly white or black, we all live in shades of grey. You are sometimes happy or sad, you win some fights and you loose some, sometimes you want to slay other times a laid back look will do.Whatever your emotions are we hope to capture you in our designs.
BNS: What do you believe should be the foundation of every woman’s wardrobe?
The foundation of every woman’s wardrobe should be blend of comfort and style that reflects your personality. To us that is a kimono look, Kimonos are comfortable and have a touch of African to it.
BNS: Who is the Toka Toka woman?
The Tokatoka woman is a confident woman who is not afraid to express herself in the different areas of her life.The boss woman, The sexy wife, The slay queen, the ‘I no send girl next door’, The ‘notice me I’m coming chick’. Just be you and be confidently you.
BNS:Where do you get style inspiration?
Like a puzzle, different pieces make the picture,so also in life different different emotions make a human
We take different components from different places fuse together to make magic
A major source of inspiration is our indigenous fashion evolution e.g the agbada
Who: the Toka Toka Collective, Creative Directors of Toka Toka Lagos.
What: Classic contemporary womenswear.
Where: Shop Toka Toka at their store. Follow them on Instagram @tokatoka_lagos
Are you a fan of TOKA TOKA LAGOS ? If you’d like to be featured or there is a brand you think we should feature email style [at] bellanaija dot com. We’d love to hear from you!
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