Contemporary womenswear label Onalaja just launched their new Fall 21 line. The collection embodies the symbolism behind the leopard. In Yoruba culture this animal is the epitome of wisdom, survival and bravery, and the choice for Onalaja’s models this season was important because each woman both elderly and young share stories of survival. The elderly provide a sense of guidance to the young and demonstrate the power of shapeshifting and camouflaging into this new wild world. This vivid composition is further juxtaposed with the fusion of 70’s disco glam that mimics the Metallic elements and beaded sparkles all intertwined to recreate the traditional leopard print pattern. Culture and tradition is authentically immersed through the means of both three-dimensional and surface decoration, incised, relieved, woven, imprinted, beaded, and carved all in the echo of the Africa we know.
