Shot on location in Abidjan

Photos: Temi Kogbe Styling: Leslie Love Model: Kiitan Words: Bayode 

A project by the legendary Afrobeat collector, DJ and founder of Odion Livingstone record label Temi Kogbe aka "mon cousin". We came up with the concept as a way to express longevity and re-use. And ideas of Africa's thriving second hand clothing culture known colloquially as 'bend down selector', where many 'ordinary' Africans buy their clothes came to mind. I wanted a classic fantasy shot, without it being a voyeuristic cliché, seeing an old well used Pokit bag being carried on the teeming streets of Lagos in traffic; x 5 hand-me-down, upcycled, down-cycled and recycled, and still going strong, portraying Lagos spirit showing that even in the most challenging circumstances somehow people still find space for creativity and self expression. Whether innocently or deliberate is a matter of debate but it's certainly not done for art directors, magazines or the influencers' selfie lense.

To get the bag to Lagos was long…. first sent it to my aunt and uncle's in Paris where Funmi was to collect it and take it for her brother, Temi in Lagos. But Funmi's plans changed and she went directly to Lagos omitting Paris! Double irony was that Temi, the photographer was in Abidjan!

"but anyway we sha got the bag there…."

But there was a hidden poignancy in the title, 'Funmi Couldn't go to Paris', it made me think about fashion in Africa and how countless indigenous talent and creators, the Funmis, the Bolas and Femis that never make it to Paris but get on perfectly well…..

@livingstonestudio @leslielove01 @pokitstyle

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