Ankara T-shirt x Ankara Tank top

I am well aware of the humidity and heat that come with summer. A good number of people wear less clothes during this season because of the heat. You can dress less while looking stylishly different at the same time. Tank tops and T-shirts are usually rampant during this season. Some people wear plain ones, some wear lined ones, and others were the ones with graffiti designs. I actually have some myself, and the comfort they give in this humid condition that comes with summer is priceless. I thought it would be a good idea to have a tweak to regular tanks & tees so I made the suggestion to my sis. My suggestion was to use Ankara fabrics to spice up tanks and tees with aesthetically driven motifs. Long story short, she was able to bring this to fruition. I am still yet to see this done by any other person. The closest I have seen are Aztec print pockets on tank tops, T-shirts, and dress shirts. Asides from the T-shirts which have Ankara pockets, the tank tops have motifs made in Ankara as well. The motifs range from the map of Africa to the quaver music note, and more to be added as we go on.

I was opportune to be the model for Noah's Crew's summer collection of unisex T-shirts and Tank tops. Here are some pictures from the shoot. I hope you enjoy, and give your feedback's. It is much appreciated

Afrika tank top

Ankara African wax print pocket T-shirt

Ankara African wax print pocket T-shirt

Mutato tank top

Ankara African wax print pocket T-shirt

Ankara African wax print pocket T-shirt

Ankara African wax print pocket crown navy blue tank top

Ankara African wax print pocket T-shirt

Halisi tank top

These are some T-shirts/Tank tops that I am almost positive people would ask you where you got them from out of admiration (and also because they have not seen such before). I learned a while back to get common things in unique designs, it does magic trust me. All of these are up for sale. To purchase, go to the store HERE. Yesterday was a pretty long day. I would be going to The African Experience Festival today, and I am hoping to get hold of good finds, and also have a good time. I would be sure to let you all know how it goes. Stay blessed.

@XcessP

Shoes made in Africa (Oliberte, Sole Rebels, & SAWA)

To my surprise I came across shoes MADE IN AFRICA. I am more than positive this would be a surprise to a good number of you, because I am from Nigeria and I am also surprised. When I say shoes, I mean shoes of good quality and international standard. I tweeted the other day on how amazing it would be if infrastructures were placed in Africa to serve other parts of the world just like they are in China. I was talking about this, because of how much more jobs would be created, and how that would in turn grow the economy. I randomly stumbled on 'Oliberte shoes' on the internet, and saw they were made in Africa, Ethiopia to be precise. I took a look at their collection, and I was beyond impressed. This prompted me to research if by any chance there were other shoes made in Africa. I then came across 'Sole rebels shoes' and 'SAWA shoes'. I looked up these companies as well, and found out they are also based in Ethiopia.

"What is going on in Ethiopia??!!" is what kept ringing in my head. I mean there are 3 shoe company's that I know of in Ethiopia, and there is no single one in Nigeria, then there is a problem. Well that is not the purpose of this post. I am just impressed and excited so I decided to share some pieces from these respective companies, and have you go look up their websites yourself, and who knows you just might fall in love too.

SAWA shoes happened to be my favorite followed by Oliberte shoes, and then Sole Rebels. I wasn't too impressed with Sole Rebels, but there were a couple of decent pieces. I mean we have to start from somewhere so hey it's understandable.

                  These are Oliberte shoes, and they have good collections. I would get one for myself.

I love the navy blue suede finish of the shoe above, and the the shoe below looks really nice and casual. The color strikes me, and it would work perfectly for the spring season. 

I find their signature Ethiopian map sole interesting, and I admire the idea behind that.

Be sure to check out Oliberte collections HERE

I must say Sole Rebels still have some fine tuning to do with their designs, but the shoes are hand crafted so I would give it a pass. These are 2 pieces out of their collections. 

Their flats happen to come out a lot better , and seem to be comfortable. Be sure to check out their site HERE

And here goes my favorite, SAWA shoes. I find them executing the aesthetic aspect very well, and the quality is evidently top notch. I believe if they market their products effectively, they would compete very well with several brands based in the western world. Here are some of their collections

Be sure to check out their site HERE as well

I have something in store for you all this summer, and it would be put out soon. I probably would put up a sneak peek on the blog soon. Be on the look out, and be sure to check back with the blog so you can be the first to see this. You don't want to miss it. Leave your comments so I know what you feel about these shoes. I hope the summer is going well for all. God bless.

@XcessP