Kehinde Fanimokun – Page 13

It’s Beginning to Look A lot like Christmas….

Christmas is incontestably, undoubtedly and most definitely my favourite time of the year. Jesus was born and for that alone Christmas is a BIG DEAL!

I’m so blessed to be able to spend Christmas with my family every single year and this year is especially different cause I haven’t seen two of my sisters in 4 months and we’ve missed each other.

Below are pictures from our Christmas tree and this year, Taiwo and I had help from my beautiful cousins, Dara and Diamen. We decided to keep things simple with gold and silver and I feel this is very much representative of my family. We are simple and content but love a bit of a sparkle every now and then.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!

Monica (my cousin) and Uncle Dayo sent us ‘Santa’s Grotto’ (that’s what Taiwo has named it anyway, Lol) 🙂

The Jinadu’s sent us this cake

Laitan, Daddy and Gbonju.

xXx

The Come Back: Old School

First and foremost I’m extremely regretful of the hiatus Bonita Valli has experienced over the past month. I’ve got a million and one blogs to upload however, I’m swamped with NYSC obligations and so start my job at UBA on monday…. *sigh*

As you may (or may not) know, I’m also the House 38 PR girl 😀 so in addition to this, I have to focus on our current ’10 days of Christmas’ promotion which kicked off on Wednesday this week with major flash sales. Naturally, this leaves me with very little time to work on Bonita Valli, however, I’ll try my utmost best to keep you all updated.

I can’t promise to upload everything in the right sequence so beware, I WILL get carried away and end up with a mish mash of all the blogs.

I’ve decided to launch my come back with these old school sunglasses I stumbled upon amidst my mum’s belongings. I’m pretty certain they were my Dad’s back in the day seeing as they’re Boss and for their classic refinement, he’s drawn to that brand.

The temple arms and frames of these retro shades are highlighted by tortoise shell (if I’m not mistaken) and the rigidity with which the arms spring up signifies that they were made to stand the test of time. Although way too small for my oversized head, I’ve made the decision to rock these babies regardless. Hope you like.

Ps: I waxed my eyebrows for the first time last Friday at a Spa called B Natural. That spa is a blog for another day.

Pps: My new friends from camp, Somme, Princess and Chinenye have convinced me to go natural hence the messy excuse I’ll call my hair. Let’s see how long that lasts.

Ppps: I co washed my hair for the first time on Monday. Yes, the little things in life excite me.

The Veniviici Interview

Shopping is what I do. Be it in-store shopping, online shopping or even window shopping, I’m constantly feeding my eyes with the latest fashion developments that spring up. It’s therefore no surprise that VeniViici is the latest of my online shopping obsessions.

Going live on the 1^st of October this year, www.VeniViici.com provided an alternative route to international shopping realms. Based in London, England; VV interacts directly with their brands, ensuring every shopping experience is conversant of recent trends and current seasons. With the aim of delivering a service representative of quality, they are cautious of upholding brand image and authenticity.

Aderonke Adeyemi is the down-to-earth and friendly (with a hint of humour) entrepreneur behind VeniViici and having waited nine months for the birth of her online fashion baby, I deemed it necessary to hold an interview with her and see what she had to offer. Here’s how the interview went…..

What does VV represent and what is your underlying inspiration?

http://www.veniviici.com is a UK based multi-brand apparel and accessories online store targeted at the African Market, Veniviici is a statement, an experience. It represents convenience, ease and value for money. Our aim is to create a one stop fashion platform that breaches the gap between fashion on international platforms and Africa, starting with Nigeria.

My underlying inspiration for Veniviici was driven by the ease and convenience shopping online allows for. I love clothes and there’s nothing easier than being able to sit at the comfort of your home or office and browse the plethora of fantastic clothes and trends available globally. All I had to do was click a button from wherever I was, regardless of my lifestyle, location or time constraint and shop whatever I wanted from a different country. I didn’t physically have to get on a plane or trawl busy high-streets. I just had to click, pay, receive and someone else bore the pain of ensuring my goods got to me. It was a no brainer!

Who is your target market and how would you describe the VV customer?

Our target market is extremely wide however still very focused, the typical Veniviici customer is 18-45 with an eye for awesome style and fashion. They understand that we as a brand can be trusted to deliver quality along with authenticity and integrity. The Veniviici customer is interested in current and affordable trends and pretty much likes to look good.

Online fraud is still very much at the forefront of people (especially Africans) minds. What precautions have you taken to reduce this risk? Our customers can feel safe shopping as all payments are directed to third service providers such as Google check out, PayPal and InterSwitch. All these providers are reputable companies and secure payments through SSL certification. The Veniviici site also carries the VeriSign seal, which certifies that we are who we say we are as well as a reputable organisation. The site is scanned regularly for malware. Our customer’s security while shopping on our sites is paramount to us. We are currently pursuing our own SSL certificate so that all information passed on the site is encrypted and finally we have our own in house fraud detection processes some of which include verifying large transactions and requesting ID and the payment card upon delivery. All transactions are also insured.

The style book is something unique to your website. It consists of amazing Nigerian designers (House 38, The Tobi Hannah Label and Facuade) what is the idea behind this?

The stylebook is our own version of a magazine. The plan for Veniviici.com is that it serves as one stop fashion shop, where viewers can read up on the latest trends, get healthy shopping tips and advice, learn who the Veniviici team are. It also serves as a means of expression for fashion writers, designers and other creatives., companies can also advertise on there as we’ve had just over 10,0000 views in our first 15 days of being online. The first release is no where near where we plan to take the style book, so look out for awesome articles over the next few months.

Where do you see VV in ten years’ time, what is the ultimate dream? (Any possibilities of an own label?)

Wow! I’m going to try my best to put this in words.

In ten years we would be first a household name, an authority in the fashion industry, a clear influence in fashion terms. From a large portfolio of brands to our very own in house labels, the platform is dynamic, to catering to every one from the petite woman to the tall man.

Fashion is sexy! It is , it’s a platform everyone can identify with. In 10 years Veniviici would have dynamically expanded its platform to include TV, market places that showcases talent that lies within Africa to the rest of the globe. We have tons of exciting things lined up for Africa.

That one stop fashion shop, it is crucial to clarify that although we have created a market for Africa we really are a global business.

Our plan is really to influence the way retail is carried out in Africa, showing the customer very clearly that quality doesn’t always have to come at a premium.

Ade the CEO/MD of Veniviici

I wish Ade all the best with VeniViici.

visit VV at http://www.VeniViici.com

xXx

Ps: I’m off to NYSC camp tomorrow! Eeeek! Wish me luck!

Pps: I still have one more post to upload on Wimbiz but that’ll have to come much later *sigh*

Day 4: LFDW

Day 4 was by far the most tasking. I experienced simultaneous feelings of pressure, excitement and rage!!!! I was thrown orders from a hundred different angles and was even sworn at because of a slight hiccup in the flow of the show. Behind the scenes was nothing short of mental and consequently, the entire show ended on a bitter sweet note.

Bridget Awosika was showing on the Saturday and her immaculate collection was was a breath of fresh air! Each piece was a pristine white with delicate criss cross stitches running through the fabrics. Like Jewel By Lisa, she was perfectly happy with me snapping away backstage and so I did. Her collection was an exquisite modern day tale of a dainty goddess and I was captivated by her choice of fabrics and particularly the nature of her two piece ensembles. Without a doubt, this was my favourite of the night.

Anita Quansah’s presentation was fascinating. She had her models break dance as the lights flashed and even had a model come out in a white cloth before revealing her final piece. It told of a story of a bejewelled woman amidst a forest of expensive adornments each one of course to the desire of my jewellery box. Definitely the most innovative show of the 4 days.

Here are pictures of the final day at the MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week…

Chic minimalism from Bridget Awosika

Isn’t that just precious?

Makida during the fittings for Bridget Awosika

The Saturday show was packed!!!!! I take no credit for the above picture. Bridget and Chika.

Anita Quansah

The final model for Anita Quansah came out wrapped in a white cloth…

The model then dropped the white cloth revealing this daring piece. It drove the photographers crazy!!! It was fantastic! By the way, I take no credit for the above picture.Odio Mimonet

Chika (Elite model) and I

Darrell (wearing a hat), Michael, Jenny (on the phone), Michael (green shirt), Andie (black lace top) and me! In short, me and Andie with the Blow PR team!

xXx

Ps: I really ought to learn how to edit my photos. Lol

Day 3: LFDW

Without a doubt, the Day 3 schedule at LFDW was my best yet! Grey and Jewel By Lisa were showing and their collections were fantastic. JBL was sweet enough to let me take backstage photos of her collection and best believe when her run through was in progress, everyone and everything else was brought to a standstill. Contrary to what was expected of a top designer, she came off as really lovely and her collection was even more spectacular in reality that it appears in pictures (if that’s even possible). The pieces were heavily beaded and intricate with blocks of black separating the fireworks of colours. They worked wonders on the eye and it was obvious they were worth every penny charged.

I didn’t see much of the Grey collection pre-runway; however I caught the entire collection in the evening and my God was it outstanding! Their complete collection was very rich, extremely simple and gracefully feminine. It was right up my alley with every piece bringing my heart to a satisfying beam. Courtesy of my new friend Adeola, I was introduced to Obi, one of the Grey designers, and then caught up with him after the show. He was refreshingly well mannered and even agreed to take a picture with me.

Jewel By Lisa used almost all the models. Quick changes were crazy!!!

House of Tara did all the makeup. They are amazing artists!

The Grey Show

One of the guests at the show
Day 3 was so hectic, I had to call Wura (far right) to help out. Ohh and Daniella (2nd from the left) was in town 😀

We found Iyun (far right)

IamISIGO designer. Loved her outfit…. and that nail polish, *sigh* Love!

Grey designer, Obi and I.

From here on, I take no credit for the pictures.

This was my favourite Grey outfit…. Amazing! The tailoring was very well executed I’m almost tempted to call it ‘craftsmanship’… Totally awesome! The model appeared to be walking funny, however it was due to no fault of hers. There was a wardrobe malfunction backstage and she held it together very well. Great job!

My favourite Jewel By Lisa outfit.xXx

Ps: I’m ill 😦

Pps: Call up letter’s out tomorrow. Eeek!!!

Day 2: LFDW

Day 2 was off to a good start. Once again I showed up on time and began assisting Ify from Kiki Kamanu as she was getting the fitting sorted for their show on the Saturday. Kiki herself showed up later in the day and seemed to have taken a liking for me. I even assisted her with styling one of her models and if you know what I’m like (but more importantly what Kiki’s like) you’ll appreciate that this was a big deal for me!

Typically Nigerian, designers showed up around 5:00pm- when the show was due to start- and once again the show was delayed for roughly two and a half hours but what did we all expect right?

Maki Oh and Sunny Rose were featuring on the runway for Day 2 and I have to admit they were my favourites of the night.

Model run through.

Adeola in Grey. Me in Gap.

Adeola in Grey

As the press arrived

Before the show started I bumped into an old friend from secondary school, Shamo! She was working with Sunny Rose.

Journalists

I do not take credit for the following pictures. Here are my favourites from Maki Oh!

There’s something about the minimalist shoes that I love! And they go so well with the minimalist outfit too!

Once again I take no credit for these pictures, but here are my favourites from Sunny Rose.

xXx

Ps: Can you believe that while the show was on, some random girl came over to the DJ’s plug (she had been charging her phone there) and pulled out her phone charger along with entire sound in the hall. I was in shock. My jaw was on the floor.

Day 1: MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week

Style House Files presented the first Lagos Fashion and Design Week sponsored by MTN. The show ran from Wednesday the 26th to Saturday the 29th and seeing as I was interning backstage as well as front house for the duration of the event, I experienced a lot of drama and was under immense pressure.

Leading up to the event, I had showed up late at a briefing with Blow London, the PR team in charge of the event. This is because until the very last minute, I was uninformed about the time and date of the briefing. You can only imagine my fury to find that not only was I the last person to get there, but I was also the only one that was informed at the very last minute. All eyes were on me as I walked in and all talk about punctuality appeared to be directed towards me solely. From then on, I made up my mind that I’d do everything in my power to alter this perception.

On Wednesday the 26th we were all to arrive at the venue, Eko Hotel, at 9:00am prompt, however I showed up at 8:30am and my plan was already in full swing. Michael B from Blow PR told me just how impressed he was with my punctuality and as a result, I was made the coordinator of all interns backstage. Equipped with a walkie talkie and clipboard I started assigning interns to the various design teams.

Right before the show started, I was told that I’d be working front house as well as backstage as I would be calling the show assisted by John backstage, Ola the sound technician, Dada the lighting technician and Jenny, Darrell and Micheal the front house team. As you can imagine it was manic, there was tons of pressure and communication was key.

Nevertheless, I pulled off the job and still managed to get a good view of the show. I must say, I was particularly impressed by Phunk Afrique’s Collection. The splash of colour, the feminine maxi’s and the chiffon were all objects of my wardrobe fantasy.

My backstage Pass