It’s no secret that the London-based, Nigerian-born designer Duro Olowu loves the raw material of his trade. His exuberant 1970s-style dresses, spliced together from silks he designs himself and an eye-popping array of vintage couture brocades, chiffons and georgettes, are prized for their deft handling of color and pattern. In “Material,” a monthlong exhibition-cum-pop-up shop Olowu has curated at Salon 94’s Freeman Gallery, this passion is given free rein. “For my collections, I always start with the fabric and then work my way to the designs,” the designer explains. “I know so many people who work in this way — not just designers, but jewelers and artists. Everyone starts with the materials.” Arranged in a mise-en-scène alongside pieces from Olowu’s spring 2012 collection will be material-inspired objects and art that have in turn inspired him: drawings by Lorna Simpson, photographs by Juergen Teller, woven canvases by Tony Cox, paintings by Katherine Bernhardt, portraits by the 82-year-old Malian photographer Hamidou Maiga, West African textiles and vintage couture fabrics from Abraham of Switzerland. Handling is very much encouraged. “This is not a precious display of precious things,” Olowu stresses. “It’s an opportunity to come and shop, to learn about new people and come away with some new ideas.” Whether you leave with a carved wooden coffin in the shape of a Nikon camera from the Ghanian artist Paa Joe or a book on West African architecture, says Olowu, the point is the same: “It’s intended as a visual feast.”