Whether it's on the runway or in a high fashion magazine spread, African inspired prints and head wraps seem to be everywhere these days. While I love seeing these beautiful fabrics getting the attention they rightly deserve, I can't stand seeing them labeled as "tribal" and without any info on where the fabrics come from. So instead of buying African inspired pieces from major retailers like Forever 21, Anthropologie or ASOS, I went in search of a local line that used real African fabrics in creative and modern ways. Enter, Busayo, a gorgeous clothing line featuring Nigerian prints based in NYC and founded by designer Busayo Olupona.
I instantly fell in love with the entire collection, so I reached out to Busayo to set a lunch date and find a way we could collaborate. Over our lunch meeting, she told me more about the line, how she went from being a corporate lawyer to a clothing designer and about her most recent trip to Nigeria to hand pick fabrics. We really hit it off, laughing and cracking jokes like we'd known each other for years, which told me her energy would be great in a video. We decided to do a series of hair wrap tutorials together using some of her fabrics to show women how to fuse traditional Ankara patterns and wraps with their own personal style. And as an added bonus, Busayo offered to give away one of her custom made scarves to one of my viewers!
The videos have been a really great addition to my Chescalocs YouTube channel and have not only inspired my viewers but also added a more authentic voice on this "trend".