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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.”
Now back on the magazine spread, not her best shot on the cover, but the first two pictures of her ed are actually pretty good for Terry Richardson standards... I'd really like to see Lana by Alasdair McLellan actually.