The starting point for the ‘EKEMINI’ collection was the incredibly ‘talented Mr. Victor Ehikhamenor’. Ituen’s fascination with Victor’s work got her researching the age-old culture of African body art. The research developed into the confluence she has aptly named ‘EKEMINI’. The art of fashion or fashion as art is an innovative body art collection where it is more than wall hangings.

For this innovative body art collection, Ituen Basi collaborated with the multi-award-winning artist, Victor Ehikhamenor, who is one of Nigeria’s most progressive contemporary artists. He is prolific in producing abstract, symbolic works with unmistakable ties to his Nigerian background.

An influence of old African, in a new world.

The garments showcase elegance, craftsmanship, intelligent pattern cutting, structured forms, soft lines, and signature tassels fondly called the ‘Edidiong and Nkoyo’.

This innovative Ituen Basi collection tells a detailed story on how Fashion and Art can have a creative symbiotic relationship.

ITUEN BASI COLLABORATES WITH VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR culled from an article
We have always believed that fashion as an art form, can throw down its commercial guns and take on the full embodiment of the creative arts, as was aptly illustrated through the fabrics of Ituen Basi collaborating with the amazingly talented Nigerian Artist Victor Ehikhamenor to produce the beautiful ‘Ekemini’ collection first previewed at the inaugural Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience.

The collaboration which brought two energetically creative forces together went beyond just slapping the artist’s patterns and paintings on a piece of fabric. They created breathing art, the models became a live canvas that strutted down the runway as part of a grand exhibition, instead of someone just wearing a piece of cloth. We had been so immersed in the distorted human shapes illustrated, the sway of the fringing on the clothes and the interesting allure of the collection as a whole; from the hair to the print shoes, that we were completely unaware that the beautiful illustrations which adorned those fabrics were conjured by an artist, until months later when we found out.