SS24 Dawn Collection: Emmy Kasbit Colour Splash Fashion

When fashion columnists called for more creative fashion, Emmy Kasbit responded, ‘Game on!’

Emmy Kasbit is a Lagos-based fashion studio established by Emmanuel Okoro in 2014. The brand was specifically tailored for unconventional men and women who derive pleasure from African attire. Unlike many brand today that uses what you would call ‘Normal’ African prints, Emmy Kasbit adopted a distinct style. Each collection released is made from their signature Akwete textile and has an ‘Nsibidi symbol’ delicately crested by their network of skilled women weavers. The Igbo tribe of Nigeria inspired the brand’s unique symbol, and it is known as one of the oldest forms of writing.

Over the past ten years, Emmy Kasbit has evolved and is now supported by Uyoyo-Oghene Precious Joshua, who currently sits as the Assistant Lead Designer. The label has also created several collections within that period, ranging from their Autumn/Winter 2021 SCARS collection to their SS23 Home Come-In collection. This year, they unveiled their SS24 Dawn Collection, which was specifically inspired by the life of the Ekpe secret society of Southeastern Nigeria.

In this article, I will critique their 2024 Collection in four categories: Black Magic, Pink Stars, Powder Aura, and Carton Spice.

BLACK MAGIC

The Black Magic set consists of two wears. These outfits share one similar characteristic, the use of black crested fabric. However, this similarity didn’t affect the distinction in style. Allow me to break it down for you.
The first of the set is a classic men’s suit. It’s a three-piece outfit made up of a matching suit jacket/coat, tapered trousers and a crew-neck inner. Similar to suits made by Taryor Gabriels Clothing Co. and its likes, the attire features modern aesthetics. However, it carries an additional attribute that brings it to the limelight, a sense of African symbolism. This makes it an easy pick within the African male population.

This suit coat has a lapel collar, slightly padded shoulders, long sleeves, a single button and flap pockets. On the other hand, the inner wear in this piece is slightly different from the monkey jacket/waistcoat, suits are known to come with. It is a sleeveless button-down outfit with a crew neck. It is made from a black silk fabric that shares the same crest used in the overall set. The exciting thing about the innerwear is that it can be worn as a stand-alone.

Lastly, at the bottom is a simple tapered trousers with belt loops, two seam pockets, a front zipper and a button. It is the everyday tapered trousers with little difference except for the crested Nsibidi symbol.

The outfit is brilliant makeup. Because it’s a detachable set of three, it can be styled in different ways, like the picture below, according to your desired preference.

Still, the one aspect that could use adjustment is the size of the suit coat. It is slightly oversized, so it doesn’t have that firm look that suits usually have. The designers can make this better by slightly slim-fitting the coat to make it look and sit better on the wearer.

The last outfit in the Black Magic set is a two-piece attire. On the upper part is the same inner used in the first outfit. However, the lower facet tells a different story.

At the bottom of this attire is an overlay skirt pants probably inspired by the common skirt trousers. It’s a unique design that you rarely see on men, but very similar to Maison Margiela’s skants or skirt-pants. While this feature may not exactly sing the tune for most men, it stands out in the market for individuals who prefer not to play it safe.

This pant was created by fusing traditional straight trousers and a skirt-like look. The trousers were made from a plain black fabric, while the skirt was made from a branded black fabric. What I particularly find alluring about the design is the subtle criss-cross pattern of the skirt overlay and the upside-down V parting it created.

The only recommendation for this attire is for the designers to switch their choice of upper wear. While the current one works, much better options like a white short-sleeve t-shirt would bring out the beauty of the piece even more.

PINK STARS

Pink stars set introduces the brighter shade of pink. However, even pink comes in different hues, and Emmy Kasbit decided to leverage that. This set was created using two different shades of pink and fabrics: baby pink and deep pink. I will critique the ones made with the baby pink first.

The very first design in this category is a unique three-piece attire. It has a simple, straight pair of trousers that comes with two seam pockets and a notched hem. It also has a long-sleeved top made with a red brocade fabric. This section of the outfit only has a button-down upper bodice and a curved hem as its highlights. The most intriguing part of the outfit lies in its third piece. This facet is a tailored wrapper fashioned like the traditional attire of men in the Urhobo tribe of Nigeria or the traditional attire of men in Ghana. This inclusion gives more representation to the roots or core of the African way of dressing, without compromising current fashion demands.

However, I believe that the outfit can do better than the red long-sleeve shirt it was given. The colour doesn’t match the aesthetics that the baby pink crested fabric is giving. A more complementary colour, like the white prints on the pink fabric, would have done justice to the attire.
If you have ever experienced Gabriela Hearst’s runway events, then you can attest to the fact that this piece shares a few similarities with her power suit designs. This outfit is the only women’s outfit in this category. It is a two-piece attire with a button-down mini gown and blazer. The mini dress features elements such as a collar, a half-button-down front, a carton-coloured belt with a crested metal and a slanted hem. For me, the last feature stands as the only highlight of the dress. On the other hand, the blazer ticks all the boxes of what a blazer should have or look like.

However, after looking at the whole attire, one question comes to mind: Why was a carton-coloured belt included in the first place? It doesn’t complement the piece in any way. Rather than serving a purpose, it was colour blocking, and that shouldn’t be. Using a neutral colour such as black would have worked better.

Deep Pink

When I first saw this look, I thought to myself, ‘Now the red brocade has found a complementary partner’. The deep pink and the red brocade go so well together. This is probably because they both share darker shades. This mini gown, much like Zara dresses, has a unique combination where the upper part is made of brocade, while the lower part is crafted from a deep pink fabric.

The upper part is a regular long-sleeved shirt, and the lower part is a simple straight skirt; however, the addition of a perfectly parted, tailored flap.

For this dress, I see no room for improvement. It is simple but classy.

I particularly love the clean detailing in this outfit. It reminds me of some of the pieces made by bespoke fashion designers like Seyi Vodi. The wear features a clean mixture of contemporary designs and the African essence that would make it an easy buy in the fashion market.

This set comprises a customised t-shirt and ankle-grazer pants. The customised t-shirt was created by combining the brocade fabric and the deep pink fabric. The brocade was used in the creation of the sleeves, while the pink material was used in the cut fusion that made up the entire t-shirt look. The shirt also has a firm collar and buttons that run down the front of the shirt.

The bottom part is a free-form trouser that barely grazes the ankle. That is the reason it is called ankle-grazer pants. At the hem of the trousers are beautifully tailored draping strings that add more appeal to the look.

Like the previous outfit, this outfit is too crisp to be touched. It’s a 10/10 for me.

POWDER AURA

In the Powder Aura category, there are just three outfits. Hinged on the colour palette division I have been using to critique the collection, the Powder Aura section focuses on attire that was made with powder blue fabrics.

The first garment in this category is a three-piece attire solely made for women who love alternative style or Alte dressing. Like attires produced by fashion labels like Orange Culture, which are known for pushing boundaries with expressive garments in unconventional ways, this outfit aimed to do the same. It contains a t-shirt, an innerwear and straight pants. The t-shirt is customised with the brand’s symbol and uses refined fabric. Besides that, it is identical to a regular t-shirt. The innerwear carried a bit of Black Magic into the Powder aura. The wear was adopted from one of Black Magic’s attire and combined with this new piece.

At the bottom lie the straight pants. It’s a simple pair of pants similar to conventional straight pants. However, the added spice to the look is the infusion of another fabric at the back. Upon closer inspection, you would discover that while the front maintained the customised fabric, the back introduced a powder blue fabric that fits into the look and blends so seamlessly that it is almost missed.

The last of this category is a two-piece with a scarf. At the top, a plain white elastic body-con blouse. It features long sleeves and a crew neckline. After that comes a midi pencil skit.

This part of the piece is catchy because of the attributes it is spotting. First off, it is a two-layer skirt. But unlike the step-by-step layers, this one is a skirt-on-skirt look. The inner part of the skirt was created by using the black silk fabric from the Black Magic category. On the outside, there is an overlapping skirt made from the powder blue lace. This part features two side slits that give the overall outfit a unique appearance. Lastly, the set comes with a silky black scarf that can be styled according to preference and a black customised waist belt.

Indeed, the outfit looks appealing, but the designers may consider switching the plain blouse for a top that carries the primary colour of this category, which is powder blue. This would give more rhyme to the overall piece.

CARTON SPICE

Alas, we have made it to the final category in this collection. This last category spots designs made with a carton base colour. While the main silk fabric used in most of the designs is two-toned, beige brown is the overshadowing colour.

The first outfit is a modernised example of how the traditional Igbo men in rural areas dressed decades ago. This is quite symbolic because it raises the notion that even now, fashion still remembers. The set consists of a sleeveless button-down shirt, a wrapper knotted stylishly to the sides, and straight pants. The first two pieces were created using the two-toned fabric, while the trousers were created using the red brocade fabric, which is dominant in the Pink Stars category. This outfit will most likely only be suitable for traditional events like weddings, festivals or chieftaincy title ceremonies.

What is my suggestion for this outfit? Take out the pants or replace the fabric used. The red brocade has no relation to the main fabric in use.
The very last set in the SS24 Dawn collection is a simple two-piece. It consists of a button-down long-sleeved shirt and a regular pair of straight pants. The only feature that distinguished this outfit from any other simple, casual two-piece for men was the fabric used. This particular attire was created with the use of the two-toned silk fabric. It is a smart-casual piece that can fit into formal and casual occasions. However, I suggest that the designers retouch the sleeve length of the shirt. The hanging ends don’t look appealing.

In conclusion, the SS24 Dawn collection was indeed power-packed. It was a rollercoaster of colour schemes and mouthwatering designs. Emmy Kasbit and its designers, Emmanuel Okafor and Uyoyo-Oghene, have done spectacularly well. But I can see them doing even better in the future. What do you think?