Nigerian designer Deborah Kehinde launched her third collection ‘Royal’ under clothing line ‘Rhoda Doxa’ at Orange The Runway Fashion Show (Volume 1) this past Sunday at Herdmanston Lodge; four other designers showed their collections as well.
Deborah showed 15 pieces of a collection that caters for both men and women. Royal, she stated, can be dressed up or down for any occasion and the collection was created for couples who like to wear matching outfits. “The reason why it is dubbed ‘Royal’ is because most of the designs are matching designs for couples to give them that royal effect,” she said. Royal, she added, embraces the idea of being in love and the African culture.
Royal follows Deborah’s previous collections ‘Fumilayo’ and ‘Odunayo’. She had launched her first collection ‘Fumilayo’ under the line ‘Rhoda Doxa’ in October, 2014. ‘Fumilayo’ translates to ‘Give me joy’ and also refers to Fumilayo Kuti who was the first woman to have driven in Nigeria. ‘Odunayo’, which followed after, translates to ‘Year of Joy’.
Up until this collection had Deborah catered mainly for women. This collection, she said, was much applauded at the show. Persons are always looking for something new to add to their wardrobes at home and what would be a more royal occasion than Christmas, the birth of a King! What makes this designer stand apart from many of the other designers making African print pieces is that Deborah goes the extra mile to see that cloth and design are up to standard. She refrains from getting any African prints from the Chinese market in Guyana although it costs less. Quality, she insists, matters most and she imports all of her own raw material.
Deborah can be contacted on Facebook at Dara Kehinde, on Instagram at Darakaie, or at 652-1833. Persons can check out her blog at Rhodadoxa.blogspot.com. (Photos by Infinity Photography)
