Skirts have been a staple with women for years, just like trousers have been with men. As the years have gone by, styles and designs of skirts have changed in so many ways. Now, we have A-line, pleated, pencil, handkerchief, high-low, and asymmetric hemline skirt amongst others. Here’s the making of an asymmetric hemline skirt.
Previously, we interviewed Mojirola Olatunbosun on the making of the chic sunflower yellow mini tote bag. This week, we spoke with Bukunola Akindele on the making of her sassy asymmetric hemline skirt, called Shindiva, created from scuba and fringe fabrics.
Bukunola Akindele is a fashion entrepreneur and the creative lead at Romi and Rire. Romi and Rire is a ready-to-wear brand for men, women, and children. She is also the creative lead at Tees by Romi and Rire and the co-founder of the Tailor-on-The-Go app that helps improve the business process for fashion designers and tailors.
Romi and Rire was born out of its creative lead’s love for being a businesswoman. One who bought fashion items from Turkey and Dubai and resell in school, she always wondered why such items were not readily available in Nigeria. WIth tailors sticking mainly to the local iro and buba and not using ankara to make English wears, she decided to start her own brand to change this narrative. Thus, Romi and Rire was born.
What was the Step-by-step Process of Making the Shindiva Skirt?
The Inspiration
The journey to the making of this skirt started when I got an order for a skirt. The first thing I did was to pray for inspiration and design, then I started my research trusting the Holy Spirit to help me come up with something good. In the course of my research I found a design that I liked but then I had to think of how I would make it my own. Once I had an idea of what I wanted to work with, I went ahead to sketch the design.
I had recently worked with fringe as a design in my fashion illustration class so it seemed to pop in my head at the perfect time. That’s how I was inspired to infuse fringes into my design. Then I had to decide what fabric/material will work best with my design. I insured a senior colleague to help with that, and she suggested scuba.
The Fabric
Fortunately for me at that time, I hit the market and found a very unique scuba that wasn’t as common as the conventional plain puffy scuba, and it was available in so many colours which was perfect. Next thing I had to cross out was making sure I had fringes to match every colour. This was a dilemma for me because I had to match the colours of the fringes to the fabric.
However, most times the issue was getting the fringe. It took a lot of searching and searching before I could get colours that fit, especially when the customer insisted on a particular colour, or I just saw a colour that I felt was sweet.
Once that was done, next thing I had to tackle was looking for the right person to help me execute the design flawlessly. So, I contacted a friend of mine, we discussed the design in detail, and made lots of costly mistakes along the way till we eventually got it right.
When we were done, we took it for fitting and the rest is history. This client was the very first client to launch the design, so she was given the honours to name it, which is how the name for the skirt came about. The more orders I took, the more tweaks I made to the design. I went fringe shopping and I saw that there were different shades to a particular colour as well. From there, I started trying out the ombre design for it.
The Making
This skirt can be made with or without a pattern. With a pattern;
Firstly, create a basic skirt foundation using your client’s measurements. Next, map out the length and the dimensions of your skirt on your pattern. For example, the length of the skirt, and desired shape of the hem line.
Afterwards, mirror your pattern. As this is an asymmetric style, you will need to work with the full front. Once you have mirrored your pattern, you will need to draw out the style lines. In this case, the one that runs from the side seam to the hem, and also calculate how the fringe will be laid out unto the pattern. You will also need to mirror your pattern at the back as well, so, you need a full front and a full back pattern, as the fring goes from the from all the way to the back.
Now, trace out from your pattern the flap/overlay design on the skirt at the front and the back. Lastly, cut out your waist band from your pattern and your pattern is ready. By the time you are done, you should have a full front and full back pattern, a pattern for your flap and one for your waist band as well.
What Factors did you Consider when Making This Skirt?
1. Her Preference
I asked a lot of questions before I made the skirt. She also sent me things that she had in mind. I had to take permission for her though to allow me sketch something from scratch and she gave the go ahead. The questions I asked and the designs she sent me were helpful in designing the skirt. I designed it once and she approved it immediately.
2. Her Choice of Colour
I had to also consider her colour choice. She picked the colours all by herself and I had to meet her colour requirements. All I had to do was search for the colours in the market.
3. The Fabric Choice
I had to decide what fabric works best for the design because fringes can be heavy, especially when used in the quantity I used mine. I had to consider what fabric will work best with fringes. Also, we had to think of how to make it fitted without showing off too much. That’s how scuba fit the profile.
There it is, the making of the Shindiva skirt. What was your favourite part of the making process? Do let us know in the comments section below.
