The creative process behind every outfit is unique. Depending on the inspiration behind the outfit, the client’s preferences, and the fashion designer’s abilities, different outfits come out with their unique looks.
Over the past few weeks, we have interviewed various fashion entrepreneurs like Adepeju Okunnuga, Olamide Ajayi, Rosie Young, and Adeyeri Adijat on the creative process behind some of their original pieces, and this week, we spoke with Omowunmi Adebayo on the creative process behind an original piece – The Avante Garde Dress from her Omo-Olope collection.
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An Ekiti state indigene, Omowunmi Adebayo is the founder of Wunmmiescouture (WC) and a graduate of Systems Engineering from the University of Lagos. Wunmmiescouture is an eponymous fashion brand that offers bridal, bespoke, and ready-to-wear outfits for both women and children.
My best mantra in life is, “There is no impossibility to those who put their trust in God”.
Wummiescoutures, which has been in existence for 10 years, started after Omowunmi heard a sermon on finding purpose, she keyed into it and it stirred her on to start a fashion business, as a fashion designer contractor, as a side hustle while in the university. In 2011, she learnt how to sew by herself by loosening old clothes, observing her contract tailors, and YouTube.
What was the Process of Creating the Avante Garde Dress like?
The Avante Garde Dress is one of the outfits from my Omo-Olope Collection. The collection was inspired by my gratitude to God for the journey so far. I wanted to create a collection that showed the different skills we had acquired so far at WC.
As the name implies, the Avante Garde dress was inspired by Avante Garde which means a high fashion couture dresses. Along with wanting the dress to be avant-garde, I also wanted it to show off a woman’s figure in a sexy but subtle way.
It is one of our best designs at WC.
The dress was made from a shimmering damask fabric with feathers, mesh and beads attached to it to give it an extra touch of elegance.
The first step to creating the dress was sketching the design out. After this phase, we proceeded to creating the patterns, cutting the garment, sewing the outfit, and then to the beadwork. The finishing came in last.
The features that stood out in the avant-garde dress are its high shoulders, the drooping beaded neckline at the front, the triangular mesh at the back, the high front side slits with pleats detail at the side to enhance the hips, the feathers effect that gives it a spiky look at the top of the sleeves, and the bottom of the dress.
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What Inspires Your Outfit Designs?
Most times, I am inspired by the fabric I want to use, fashion trends, the comments and requests from clients, my environment, and, most importantly, myself. Since I like to make functional outfits I always assume the position of the client and wonder what outfits I would love to buy and wear if I was them.
What Factors Did You Consider in Picking the Fabrics for the Dresses in the Omo-Olope Collection?
Fabrics are a very important feature of any outfit. This makes me very conscious of the materials I used for every collection. The Omo-Olope collection had fabrics that ranged from crepe to silk, damask, lace, garbean, and so on.
I wanted a collection that showed off the wide range of fabrics we can work with at WC and so that inspired my fabric choice for the collection. For the avante garde dress, I chose the damask fabric because it was the most suitable for the design I had in mind.
Fabric combination majorly depends on the style of outfits. But most times, before we mix any fabric, we test them against each other to make sure none of them will run.
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What Factors do You Consider When Making an Outfit?
1. Functionality.
Depending on the occasion the outfit is to be worn to, I design. Different occasions call for different styles and this has to be considered when making any outfit.
2. Fabric.
When it comes to making outfits, I always consider the fabric to be used. I consider the quantity, quality, and type of fabric to be used.
The amount of fabric that is available goes a long way in determining the style of clothes I will make. Also, the quality and type of fabric I’m working with determines, to a large extent, the type of outfit I’ll make, as fabrics determine how an outfit will look when completed.
3. Body Shape and Size.
Every person has a different body shape and size. When making an outfit, I consider the body shape of my client and focus on accentuating their good features.
4. Target Clients.
I also always consider my target audience when making an outfit. Based on what I know about them – their likes and dislikes – I design outfits for them.
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What Factors do You Consider When Making an Outfit for Children?
1. Comfort.
Children need to be as comfortable as possible in their clothes if not they will not wear it. So, we always make sure the inside of all our kiddies outfits are fully lined with skin-friendly lining and the fabric is super comfortable for them.
2. Allowance.
We do not make kiddies outfits as snug as adults outfit. This is because they grow very rapidly and if the outfits are snug they will outgrow their clothes before long.
3. Cute Styles.
When making children’s outfits, we focus on simple and cute detailing because every mother wants their child to look beautiful.
In closing, she said, “Creativity is unique to every individual. Make sure that you allow your creative side to show in every design but also make sure it is a functional piece. The functionality of a dress is based on your target market and audience.”
