ANA KATA S/S 2012 COLLECTION BY UCHEA NWABUZOR

Am really in love and overwhelmed with this lovely collection by creative designer Onyenauchea Nwabuzor (known as Uchea), a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Ana Kata is an avant-garde clothing line that is inspired by cultural exploration, grounded in African culture, and filtered through personal experience. It pays homage to memories of the past, yet constantly seeks new directions in fashion, either by introducing something fundamentally new, or constructing something familiar in an unexpected way. In this manner, Ana Kata looks to simultaneously honor the past while trailblazing the future.

From 15 semifinalists, Brandice Hender son and her team at Harlem’s Fashion Row selected the top six designers, evaluating portfolios and interviewing designers in person. Six collection concepts were voted on by the public, and in the end, Onyenauchea was one of three designers elected to present her runway collection on September 16, 2011, during New York Fashion Week.

Onyenauchea Nwabuzor has an interesting background from being a freelance seamstress at Arlene Wilson Studio in Providence, RI, interning at Vera Wang, a patternmaker for Lynn Kohls made-to-order eveningwear, assistant to PR Director at Comme des Garcons NY to styling for private clients and companies such as The Vicious Mark. and music videos for Devendra Banhart and Zola Jesus

On top of this Onyenauchea’s work has been featured in magazines such as Surface, Nylon, V, and Elle and also on the Italian Vogue website.

So soak up the abundance of fresh print on all these beautifully, creative and adorable dresses, skirts, tops and trousers. This is definitely a contender brand for Africa’s fashion industry.