As you will already know, our love for Bloomsbury’s finest concept store Darkroom is eternal. So when a new product, collaboration or story comes from the dynamic duo Rhonda Drakeford and Lulu Roper-Caldbeck, we’re all eyes & ears. Invited to celebrate the launch of a special installation of Buki Akib‘s Wives bag collection, we were thrilled for another excuse to pop in. The bags are simply wonderful – with a mix of geometrics, texture, colour and African styles. The Nigerian-born knitwear designer, who graduated from Central St. Martin’s, is not just a textiles extraordinaire – ethics are equally important to her too. For this line of bags she worked with Nigerian-based artisan weavers who hand made the tribal, indigenous and colourful accessories.
The Wives collection is inspired by the story of Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti and his twenty-seven wives. Capturing the essence of each one, the bags are explosive, sensual and wonderfully charismatic. The pastel colour palate in the collection is highlighted by the use of dark motifs and pattern which make for hard choosing – I’d like them all please! Darkroom’s Aztec Camera collection is still on show, and the new range of bags strikingly compliment the entire collection. We’re not surprised either, there’s a very clear concept directionally and aesthetically throughout.
Installation runs until 7th June.
Photograph © We Heart
Photograph © We Heart
Photograph © We Heart
Photograph © We Heart
