Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Collage of Mr. Dada's work, courtesy of Tunji Dada
Image of Mr. Dada & model, Andrew Bicknell, from www.elephantart.com
Image of Mr. Dada and Dao in the studio, and models, from www.flickr.com
TIME & PLACE: Saturday, February 14, 2009
477 B’WAY – at Broome Street, 4th floor
2:40PM– Intimidated by the tiny elevator, we chose to hike up the steep old stairs which led us into an over-heated loft space which brought back fond memories of loft parties in the late eighties – when a big space downtown could be had for @ $1,000 a month. We were greeted by some startling paintings, which alluded to some of Mr. Dada’s many inspirations: among them, Goth, S&M, and fetish.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
We were intrigued about the Nigerian-born Mr. Dada and his work after reading the following write-up WWD wrote 9 or so years ago.
“Tunji Dada is an avant-garde designer whose passionate _and vibrant punk-meets-couture styling and affection for _innovative fabrics results in "One-of-a-kind pieces that walk that famously fine line between apparel and art".
The bohemian-style collection would be at home in an artist’s closet. He’s dressed quite a few dancers - the Atlanta Ballet, the Boston Ballet, the Houston Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, the Den Norske Ballet in Norway, and the Colorado Ballet. The soft, flowing lines of the clothes would make them good easy pieces to thrown on after rehearsal.
THE SHOW - THE "SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE" COLLECTION
WHAT WE LIKED– the “small, medium, large” concept, which said, Mr. Dada, was inspired by traditional Japanese kimonos.
The dresses, tops and skirts layer and wrap around the body and can be adjusted and/or tailored to fit each woman’s unique shape. As we all know, you could put 3 different “size 4” women next to one another and they’d each fit the same item of clothing differently.
Although the designer used the mushroom brown that was popular this season, Mr. Dada also used a great deal of color – varying shades of red and purple, and some retro hand-printed paisley print. The fused gauze and wool fabric pieces made for an interesting texture story. The fringed skirts, one of a kind necklaces with beads and tusks and the wild hair and dark eye shadow further contributed to the bohemian feeling.
Tunji Dada’ designs are sold in the USA, Europe, and Japan.
For further information, visit the official website [currently under “deconstruction”]
www.tunjidada.com
Contact information: Showroom tel#: 212-529-0500//info@tunjiada.com
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