Anjolaoluwa Abiosun
ATAFO has always been about producing high-quality, luxury pieces with exceptional craftsmanship and tailoring. In simple terms, the eponymous brand has been committed to delivering sartorially elegant ready-to-wear pieces, a theme that inspired the ATAFO Spring/Summer ‘24 collection. The collection paid homage to ATAFO’s Benin heritage while showcasing the classic ATAFO design.
The traditional wear took us to Benin, Edo State — its creative designer’s state of origin, where the men pair white short sleeves embroidered with two patterns of the Oba of Benin’s dance instruments (Ada and Eben) and a skirt with a walking tool to complete the look. However, ATAFO put a twist to this traditional attire on this collection as he experimented with the concept of layering on traditional wears while infusing modern and classic sartorial elements like tapings, waistcoats and the like. One consistent element throughout the collection was the use of velvet.
While speaking about traditional wear, he disclosed that he wanted to showcase his extended culture through the collection as he thought it would be great to see the power of men in skirts.
“We’re bringing Benin to the runway. I’m very happy about where I’m from, and I want to show you my extended culture, so the traditional wear is inspired by the Benin heritage. As a proud Edo boy, I thought it would be nice to show the power of men in skirts, and they still look strong,” he said at the fashion showcase.
Soon, he unveiled the bridal collection, which showcased ATAFO’s signature tailoring and craftsmanship as the collection transcended gender with women styled in tailcoat suits, and men in the same regalia. The collection particularly focuses on civil weddings, so he spared us the ball gowns as he introduced a new side to his bridal wear with short dresses, form-fitting tube wear with minimal trains, hats, tulles, and layering that combined corsets with cottage core bridal attire. In general, the bridal collection was simple yet elegant.
“It’s quite interesting that civil weddings where you practically sign your life away but are the least one you celebrate. So we are focusing on civil weddings and telling you that they are important and we are keeping them clean. For the bridal, for the men, we are keeping it very classic, you’ve seen these looks before, but now you’re seeing them crafted by ATAFO,” Mai Atafo disclosed during the runway.
He wrapped the showcase up with his contemporary designs as he infused his signature ATAFO patterns into creating sophisticated contemporary pieces which blended street style with work wear. From short patterned two-piece dungarees to gathered long skirts paired with crop jackets, the collection explored all ends of the variation. Sheer two-pieces, ATAFO t-shirts, metallic corsets, flared pants, spray-painted suits, every style was explored but with attention to detail.
The collection shows cohesion as ATAFO interprets Sartorial Reverie in every style form. “We’re a suit maker, we like craftsmanship, sartorial elegance, and we’re now trying to explore the multidimensional levels of sartorial.”
The cast of young models projected his intended multidimensional level of sartorial with a perfectly executed walk, with some more memorable than others. ATAFO never fails to deliver when it comes to sartorial pieces, but whether the collection is groundbreaking is debatable. However, we were promised sartorial elegance, and the collection embodies this.
ATAFO’s Spring/Summer ‘24 showcase was organised in partnership with The Macallan, a world-renowned scotch whisky brand whose commitment to craftsmanship, excellence and luxury aligns with ATAFO’s.
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