The designer Lola Faturoti, London born and Nigerian raised, is deeply influenced by both her roots as a grand daughter of a traditional Nigerian designer, and her own personal history.
Her designs marry art and cultures, sensuality and spirituality into fashion, reflecting her philosophy to borrow from the past in order to move towards the future.
Faturoti arrived in New York in the early 1990’s after studying in London. While working in New York’s trendy Charivari boutique, Barbara Weiser, President of the company, took note of Faturoti’s unique style and helped her launch her first show, bringing her into the interna-tional spotlight. In 1995, Faturoti represented the United States as the best young designer to the Annual Osaka Fashion Committee in Japan.
After the acclaim of her first shows, she left fashion to regroup and hone her creative vision during a four-year hiatus. Faturoti returned in April 1999 with a celebrated show, that led to the acquisition of a Lola Faturoti design by the prestigious Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the recognition as one of the “Best in America” by Amy M. Spindler of the New York Times Magazine.
In February 2000, Faturoti’s designs stole the headlines from Ralph Lauren by staging her show on the street for the crowd leaving his presentation. Her fashions, have been recog-nised by Amy M Spindler, Cathy Horyn, Hilary Alexandra, Polly Mellen, Constance White and Andre Leon Talley. And they have been seen on the pages of the New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Allure, WWD, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and The Daily Telegraph.
After considerable success with an impressive following by the international press, Faturoti decided to expand her international presence by spending some time in Milan italy. After four years spent in Italy, Lola returned to the city she considers home in 2005, launching her “comeback collection for Fall-Winter 2007-08. “New York is my city, I love New York. I think when you’re born there’s a city for you, that fits perfectly and I think New York is that for me. The energy, the freedom of New York helps me to be free in my inspiration, to liberate myself.”
Fall/winter 2012 Collection,” Potraits Of African- Indochina”
Faturoti is inspired by the Documentary “ Indochina, Traces of a Mother” which tells the story of the French Colonised West African Solders that were sent involuntarily to fight in Vietnam between 1946 – 1954. Children that were born of marriages between these soldiers and Vietnamese women were shipped back to Africa by the Colonial army after the war, never again to see their mothers and causing them to have identity problems.
Lola Faturoti designs retail in high end boutiques and department stores worldwide
Such as:
Europe:
Sugar ( Arezzo Italy) Nia ( Rome Italy) Tessabit ( Como italy)
Asia:
Harvey Nichols ( Hong Kong ) Loveless ( Japan ) APT ( Japan) Le Ciel Bleu Japan)
Middle East:
Harvey Nichols ( ryhadh), Bloomingdales ( Dubai ) Mimosa (SA)
America:
If boutique(Ny) Inago (LA) Ruth Shaw (Md)
www.lolafaturoti.com
Lola@lolafaturoti.com
dresses for a ball