17 February 2024 |
What better way to round out the first day of London shows than with Tolu Coker, whose marvelous collections have quickly positioned the designer as one of London’s most exciting emerging labels. Ahead of designing her AW24 outing, Coker had spent two weeks in Ghana, where she was enamoured with Accra’s hawkers; roadside vendors who weave in between traffic to sell produce that they balance in impressive, towering piles atop of their heads. There was a personal connection, too: Coker’s mother was a hawker before she migrated from London to Nigeria.
Coker translated styles she saw on the streets into buttery, ‘Sunday Best’ oxblood suits, knife-pleated minidresses with puffy sleeves and patchworked denim waistcoats. There was plenty to marvel at here, particularly the brilliant headwear, made in collaboration with Virna Pasquinelli, which included XXL bowler hats and baseball caps, alongside sky-high, basket-like creations. As models paraded through the showspace, the audience whistled and cheered and beamed with radiant smiles – it was totally joyous.
Photography courtesy of Tolu Coker.
