There is a lot of talk about the computer-animated remake of Disney's "The Lion King", directed by Jon Favreau. The film, released this week, is currently being praised for its visual effects and for its score that also features Beyoncé's song "Spirit" as the lead single from the soundtrack.
But if you are into fashion, want to pay homage to Africa and in particular to its plants, you should check out the latest collection of designs by Vlisco.
The Dutch wax company dating back to 1846 recently launched a series of fabrics that could be considered as a brief compendium of African botany with prints inspired by different plants, leaves and fruits.
You can choose between star-shaped sections of sliced okra composed into a playful pattern, prints of a thriving kola plant (the kola nut is the linchpin of many Igbo ceremonies), boughs of a cashew tree in season with ripe cashew apple fruits and cashew seeds ready for picking, and there's also a Lagos spinach plant in full bloom.
The fabrics are available in different bright colours, going from earthy tones of browns, red, orange and green to bright fuchsia, yellow and aqua green.
On the Vlisco site there are suggestions on how to use these fabrics: one of the most original way is definitely to cut out the motifs decorating them and employing them to create three-dimensional elements as shown by the mermaid gown on Vlisco's site. The dress features voluminous sleeves made with multi-coloured fabric leaves.
Another original way to employ these colourful fabrics is creating a pattern for the dress following the shape of the prints: the star-shaped okra slices inspired for example an airy ruffle dress with an off-shoulder neckline. In a nutshell, no, you don't have to be a botanist to be inspired by these prints, but you must let the prints and plants inspire you in a natural and spontaneous way.
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