Style & Design
Momo
Originally published on Wednesday, 25th February 2009
Momo
“I think this is the only black designer showing in London,” noted the gay, black LA resident sitting next to me. And he was right. So with a front row packed with all kinds of ethnicities, Momo’s show made for a refreshing change before it had even begun. The brainchild of designer Fati Asibelua, the Autumn/Winter collection has already had a turn at New York’s Mercedes Benz shows before arriving at On/Off. Merging old world African influences with tribal ancestral traditions, this was clearly a collection close to the designer’s heart, pulling on everything from African sculpture (echoed in the wooden installation which served as Momo’s catwalk backdrop) to pixilated animal prints.
But if this collection was anything, it was neither gimmicky nor overly literal. The tall, stiff African head-wraps on the models (including girl of the moment, Jourdan Dunn) were made of the same slick, wet-look black material as adorned their legs, while the entire collection remained refined in both tone and silhouette. Slimline copper pants came with sheer midriffs under cropped jackets, silk taffeta was hand woven to create a kind of boucle effect on kaftans and coats, and jersey sheath dresses in subtle zebra, snakeskin and giraffe prints were regal and simultaneously sexy. Informed by a palette of greys, browns, coppers and black, this collection had us wishing for Mo mo more.
