The rhythm in patterns

I used to love working with printed and woven patterns, but haven’t worked with these textiles for some time, just hadn’t come across ones that... grabbed me. I had also frankly kept away intentionally, reason being how could I make a print I’ve bought from Lord knows how many meters roll and available throughout fabric stores worldwide… how can that be special or different. My absolute worst nightmare is making a stunning dress in a chosen print, and I run into the same print made into may be something else…cushions may be :/

So, the issue here is essentially control…I want to know that the 5 or 10 pieces I’ll make with that print are as exclusive. Until I happened to find myself in a space where I’m surrounded by nature constantly, where I’m seeing patterns everywhere around me, a reminder of how patterns are innate to African creative expression, likewise the realisation that control is an illusion! How these prints and patterns have been made into garments and enhanced and who will wear & embody them is what will set them apart.

In my most recent fabric trawls all I could see, all I’m currently falling for are prints and patterns, and that is very prominent in this drop of a handful of pieces.

I then also found this article  https://www.contemporary-african-art.com/african-patterns.htmlwhich and it made me feel like my sidestep into pattern isn’t misguided nostalgia, but it feels almost fated. The author of this linked article describes print & pattern inspiration in the most beautiful way: “I see pattern making in Africa as an innate thing, akin to rhythm” I mean! how poetic! totally in tune to the GoodFriday design journey, looking back to move forward fully aware of our rich creative history.

Marrying both my passions of textiles, music and a collective African cultural memory, sublime!

Good Things Take Time

Helloooo out there!!!! It’s taken a minute for us to get into this year. There’s been lots to tackle and I have realised I will need patience and stamina to forge ahead…and sadly in my grown age I am gradually losing patience, a virtue I used to count as one of my best. Age comes with a realisation of how everything is impermanent and how precious time is. What do these self indulgent musings have to do with a clothing design business, you may ask? My emphatic answer is …Time!!! Making special things needs, no demands! time. Time to think, time to trawl, time to immerse yourself in your craft, time to source textiles and trims, time to fall in love, time to obsess and then, time to make. No one ( myself included) needs to buy another shirt frankly, but there is always a craving for something different, something that enhances your personal style! Something you slip on and it just changes your mood, puts a pep in your step 😁. Making you feel elevated, other worldly even but yet still wearable and comfortable enough to tackle your everyday battles and victories unhindered (always wishing you all more victories!) . 

We are currently living with the abundance of everything, but often lacking finesse and care, time starved yet much so much excess with zero essence. I think this has made us all so much more discerning. We long to have experiences or pieces that are different, that feel personal with details that surprise and amuse us. We need, yes NEED pieces in our lives that make us…feel… 

We are committed to making garments with feeling … just allow time and patience, and on that note...

Check out our handful of new pieces, a stunning voluminous silk blend voile shirt to name one. The fabric is exceptional! Soft, but crisp, every fold and twist creating volume and dimension, with a hand pleated long elegant cuff detail. A distinctive piece that can be worn both formally and casually, under or over, tucked or let loose, giving a timeless statement every time it’s worn. 

The power of RED

Red, a colour that has been persistently re-occurring in the latest Fashion catwalk seasons despite the super neutral pallet of “quite luxury”

Interestingly, Red evokes and has become synonymous with the greatest opposite emotions than any other colour, Love, Anger, Confidence, Dominance, Passion & Danger, Strength & violence.

As everything in Fashion and apparel is heavily impacted by lifestyle, social, economic & political realities, it’s been fascinating to see how this highly polarising colour has been embraced by so many design houses in their various ranges. (I mean even Rick Owens/Prince of Darkness showed Red & colour for his “Vision of joy”SS24)

A sign of the times, may be, with so much globally shared anxiety and uncertainty, the colour Red is about showing (and hopefully getting to feel) Self-assured, Confident, Capable, Strong even a little dangerous... (Sarah Burton’s McQueen was the best example of this in my opinion https://nowfashion.com/alexander-mcqueen-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2024-paris/#f3881567-586035

It is exactly this global mood and feeling that starts to feed into how trend in this case the colour red has crept into most designers’ subconscious, it has been existing in my head for a while now & when we found the most beautiful cotton crepe fabric in the most striking rich red colour… it was love reconfirmed.

The colour and its relation to fashion & apparel has been so cleverly written about in this article https://www.nssmag.com/en/fashion/25747/a-history-of-red

For us the symbolism is just pure strength of will, passion and energy this colour can lend to our pieces.

Pieces we persistently, defiantly, passionately, lovingly continue to make.

Column Dress

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Woven Boxy Tee

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