Designer Chinedu Ukabam, founder of the label Chinedesign is giving us the premiere of his new collection "Marrakesh," named after the major Moroccan city. Ukabam visited Morocco a few years ago, when Marrakesh caught his attention and his heart. "It simultaneously reminded me of all the places that I have spent my childhood in [Middle East, Europe, Africa]. The very first day I walked into the Souk (marketplace) at Djemaa el Fna Jeffna, I made up my mind that I was going to create a collection inspired and named after this city." Ukabam, a smart and sensitive artist, is bridging these timeless forms and patterns with contemporary culture.
"I love patterns and Marrakesh is covered with geometric tiles like these." he added, "I spent a lot of time walking with my head down and bumping into people while trying to figure out the looping pattern of a sequence. Usually there's just a handful shapes that are symmetrically repeated at different angles to create a new shape. It can take quite a while to "crack the code" but its a lot of fun." You can find more about his inspiration here- The Making of the Marrakesh Collection by Chinedesign. His art and new collection speaks of love, patterns and dedication to Marrakesh. All pictures by Temi-Tade Kujore.
