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Interview with designer Tereneh Mosely of Idia'Dega

I met Tereneh Mosley designer for Idia'Dega about 11 years ago while living in Pittsburgh. We quickly found a way to partner and eventually became friends. She was smart, stylish and had great hair! Time flies but luckily some things stay the same. As the years have flown our paths have led us both to fashion. We were delighted to show her latest collection, Eni (Hers), at Warehouse Gallery during New York Fashion Week. Tereneh's work is alluring and collaborative in every sense.

Hi Tereneh; how are you?

Great!  A bit of jetlag and reverse culture shock.  This time last week I was in a tent in rural South Rift Valley in Kenya and today I was walking around NYC.  But overall I am really thrilled to be back here and also to be back at Warehouse Gallery.  I learn so much for you and Kamau, even in one day I learned something new about the collection and presenting work. It is wonderful.

We are excited to feature the Eni collection at Warehouse Gallery! We have been fans of your work since you started designing. Please tell us a little about your new collection.

And I am a fan of Warehouse! Thanks.  The new collection is all about the way the OMWA ladies Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans always look so stunningly beautiful, timelessly elegant and feminine.  The layers of dresses and kangas (Swahili fabric), their jewelry, no matter what they are doing.  They can be gathering wood and they look like they could walk down the runways of Paris, they are so well put together. It is amazing.  So the collection has to do with those elements of dress but also little extra feminine, colorful touches that you can add to make something even more special.  So for example there are little beaded shoe clips, you can add a clip to your basic black pump, for some color and texture, a bit of something new and unexpected.  We are also really about less, buying less, we are eco!  So the idea is how to get one or two things to change the wardrobe, add elements to your wardrobe rather than recreate your look every season.  I think individual style is more important than fashion.  Even the women of OMWA, they have basic wardrobe but they wear their clothes differently.  I can tell who is coming something just based on how their kanga is draped over their shoulders – J may show more shoulder than E, for example.  I love that about how we dress, it is or it should be so personal not conforming.

I understand that you’ve spent 2-months in Kenya working with the Maasai women, in a village, to create this lovely collection. How did the collaboration come about?

I was lucky enough to have done my master’s thesis research and design work in Kenya, through a Rotary Foundation scholar program, ten years ago. I made great friends in Kenya, stayed in touch so when I finished a recent stint teaching in Asia I flew through Kenya rather than straight to the US.  This was in 2013, I had emailed a group called SORALO, a Maasai-led conservation group, dedicated to the social, cultural, environmental conservation of the Maasai.  They work with groups all over Kenya and has just formed this collective of women artisans in Olorgesailie.  So in 2013, I went to Olorgesailie and literally “sat ‘round the circle” of women for weeks until one day, Esther Mpuyuk or “Chairlady” as she is called asked me why I kept showing up.  This was all in Maa, which is a language I am still learning to speak.  So anyway, I think me showing up all of the time and my patience helped them to trust me.  So in December 2013 not long before my visa expired, we started sketching out ideas for our first collection.  Which was a challenge in a way because most of the women of OMWA had never held a pencil because they had not gone to school.  So we had to combine our design processes together to make something happening. We have just finished our second collection and are still redefining that process.

What advice do you have for young fashionistas interested in perusing a career in fashion?

Be curious about the world.  If you only love or get jazzed about clothes, fashion is not for you.  Fashion is about the woman wearing the dress, about the life she leads wearing that dress, not about the dress – Chanel said something to that effect.  So true. You have to be curious about everything, everything. Design comes from everywhere.  Watch, observe, sketch.  Also think about the future of fashion.  Where will it go based on climate change, shifting economic power and culture?  One of my students in Asia said to me, “We won’t be able to wash our clothes in water, because it will be too precious to use, so what will our clothes be?”  I think that is an interesting problem to be solved.

'Half Your Team' a dress from the SS' 2016 collection in progress while Tereneh was in Kenya IMG_0769-1

Completed dress at Warehouse

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Eni-Warehouse-02Photos: Top -- Tereneh Mosley (@idiadegafashion)

Bottom -- Kamau Ware (@kamauware)

Lesley Ware on September 20, 2015 at 10:11 AM in interviews, meet, New York Fashion Week , travel, Warehouse Gallery | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Tokyo Runway Meets New York | FW 2015

Tokyo Runway, Japan's most popular business to consumer fashion event, debuted during New York Fashion Week last Thursday in Lincoln Center's Salon. With its exciting new concept 'Tokyo Runway meets New York' seven Japanese fashion houses showcased their collections for autumn 2015. Check out the roster along with some of my favorite looks from each label!

FIG & VIPER // Tokyo Street Style

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AULA // clean contemporary clothing

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DOUBLE STANDARD CLOTHING // layered and textured designs

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DRESS CAMP// bold colors and couture inspired dresses

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MASTERMIND feat. A-GIRL'S // preppy yet street limited edition collaboration collection

TRMNY MASTERMIND LOOK 2

RICCIMIE NEW YORK// savvy collaboration with Nicole Miler

TRMNY Riccimie look 5

HAN AHN SOON // feminine layerd designs with a dash of whimsy

Han_Ahn_Soonphotos: Fernando Colon, 2015

Lesley Ware on February 26, 2015 at 11:31 PM in New York Fashion Week | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Raul Peñaranda | FW 2015

Raul Penaranda is a designer clear in his vision. His latest collection, which debuted on Valentine’s Day, was suitably inspired by the power of romance! Abundant with gorgeous materials and simple cuts, which are his signature, Penaranda’s designs ranged from edgy to elegant. All of the pieces had a refined sophistication and quality craftsmanship. The girl who would wear these clothes is romantic, modern, and believes fashion is an extension of herself.

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Raul’s mantra is DREAM-VISION-REALITY

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I started following Raul in 2010 when I was a New York Fashion Week newbie. Click here to read our exclusive interview + here to see past posts.

Raulpreppingmodel_1-Aphotos: Justin Bellucci, 2015

Lesley Ware on February 26, 2015 at 12:59 AM in New York Fashion Week | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Ivana Helsinki | FW 2015

Ivana Helsinki is an independent art, fashion and cinema brand by Finnish designer Paola Ivana Suhonen. For the past 8 seasons I’ve been following Paola with awe! Each collection is it’s own adventure-filled story with all the elements: character, setting, plot, theme, and of course magic!

Happy to report that my love is sustained for another season. I’m going H.A.M. over H.O.G. (Heart of Gold)! It’s 24-karat.

Click to download Heart of Gold FW Lookbook and here to see past Ivana Helsinki x Creative Cookie posts. There’s much to adore!

Heart of Gold aw 15-16 Ivana Helsinki

 

♥♥ a lookbook preview ♥♥

Heart of Gold AW15_lookbook_high res

Images used with permission from Pirjo Suhonen

Lesley Ware on February 25, 2015 at 11:23 PM in New York Fashion Week | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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iiJin | FW 2015

iiJin creative directors, Christina Minasian and Cassian Lau, proved a theory that I've believed to be true for some time -- everything is better when you pair it with sneakers! This season’s collection was called Le Flâneur which is French for “the stroller,” and also the name of an 1842 painting of the same title by artist Paul Gavarni. Many of the pieces were different which added to the cool factor of this leisurely collection. The cohesion came from the dark colors, plaid pieces, and thoughtful tops and bottoms. My favorite look was the applique bomber over a multicolored sequin dress. iiJin’s precious pieces are daring and perfect for the bold.  

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photos by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Lesley Ware on February 25, 2015 at 09:43 AM in New York Fashion Week | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Raul Peñaranda Sketches | FW 2015

Here's a preview of Raul Peñaranda collection 'Romance'. Be sure to check back soon for a full report!

FALL-2015 ROMANCEIllustration used with permission of pr @ raul peñaranda, llc

Lesley Ware on February 21, 2015 at 11:54 PM in New York Fashion Week | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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