Autumn Adeigbo – Color Culture Conscience
By: NewNaturalista
Autumn Adeigbo
I caught up with fashion designer Autumn Adeigbo in action. She was shopping for jewelry in New York City, the sounds of sirens and crowds behind her. She was looking for pieces to compliment her latest collection, which she’ll be showcasing for a big client.
“We can chat now if you don’t mind all the noise,” says Autumn. I imagine her scurrying through a busy boutique. Her voice was clear, strong and passionate. I began asking the basics right away, and she jumped right in. “What are some things that inspire you?” I ask. “Most definitely women and color,” she answers. “The power that a woman has, even when she doesn’t know she has it. I design my dresses to accentuate the waist, the hips, the legs. In terms of color I had no I idea I was so talented at color!” Autumn laughes and continues. “I have a way of looking at fabrics and putting them together to produce a powerful color palette.” Her inspiration this season? Orange. “I would also say prints, baby pink leopard and silk chiffon, I fell in love with that.”
I love interviews like this. It was hurried but powerful and engaging. Autumn’s energy and passion for her work comes through the phone immediately. “With my first collection I used prints that evoked rich feelings, with ethnic undertones,” she says, as she continues to explain her use of color and ethnic fabrics. I began to think about Autumn’s nigerian background. Her pieces certainly evoke a powerful presentation of African influence. “There is something so magical about it (Africa),” says Autumn. “It’s time we start taking care of the people there.”
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- Dada Pineapple
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- Grace Brown
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- Sylvia Grey
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- Grace Yellow
Autumn was born in New York City to parents originally from Lagos, Nigeria. They knew from the beginning that fashion was in her blood, she was voted best dressed in elementary school, donning a leopard print outfit. Autumn went on to graduate from Spelman College and Parsons School of Design.
After years of working as a celebrity fashion stylist, Autumn decided to develop her own line, donating 5 percent of the sales from her dresses to groups that work with healing victim’s of sexual violence in Africa. “I knew I wanted to connect the women of the States and London to people who inspire my dresses. I saw a documentary on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and it delved into how they use race and gender as a strategy of war to demorialize women. They knew that if they broke down the women they’d break down society,” says Autumn. “After seeing that I cried and knew I had to do something.”
Autumn says her dresses are a reminder and a positive representation of the women of that region. “I’m lucky to be living in the States, but if my parents had chosen to live in those regions I would be wondering why doesn’t the world care about me?”
Her clothes can be purchased at several boutiques in NYC and Boston, she hopes to have them available on line by this fall. “I can’t wait for others to have access to my work. I’m really proud of it.”
Click here for a sneak peak of Adeigbo’s fall 2010 collection.
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Doubt know how I missed this article. Her work seems truly inspired. Wonderful to see an artist channel their talents in a way that benefits themselves and others.
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