What about Elise?
Choosing Elise to begin with the representation of the brands that transmit the message of social awareness around feminism is not accidental. This brand has been deeply rooted in fighting for body rights since 1933…
I was so impressed when I discovered that the RFSU has created this fashion brand in order to emphasize on everyone’s right to decide over their body, sexuality and identity. The brand is named after Elise Ottesen-Jensen, the founder of RFSU. Elise - also known as Ottar - has dedicated her life in fighting for women's rights to understand and control their own body and sexuality.
Wandering around the brand’s collections one can come across t-shirts, sweatshirts and tote bags among other things. All clothing are made of organic cotton and in line with Fair Wear Foundation's code of conduct. The hues are clear and the messages on them are bold. Can’t help but wonder about the looks on my peers’ faces when wearing my mansplainer slayer t-shirt on…..:)
Fashion nationalism
Can fashion be seen as an act of political statement? I am sure this is not what you might have expected when you come across the term ‘political’. But writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie claims that fashion can be political and proves it by deciding to wear only Nigerian designers to public events.
We have been trained to consider fashion frivolous and guilty of rejecting diversity and ethos. In Lagos though this doesn’t seem to be the case. Clothing is being used to express creativity, to please rather than to prove status. And the well known writer communicates that by the garments she puts on her own body.
I can’t help but wonder whether this could be the case in other parts of the world. Parts where talent and creativity are being overshadowed by fast fashion industry which has taken over the world the last decades. What if we all decided to support made in ….(our country)? Unique garments from talented people made with respect for the human and the environment. Wouldn’t that be a way to give a message, to make a political statement?
As Chimamanda notes in the following video : ‘ In Lagos - the most stylish city - fashion is one true democracy.’
