'Bjay'
Ensemble
1970s
1970s
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Victoria Folashade ‘Shade’ Thomas-Fahm was born in Nigeria in 1933. In 1953 she travelled to Britain with a view to training as a nurse under the sponsorship of the British Council but her interest in fashion led her to instead take an evening class to gain her National Diploma and subsequently enroll at Saint Martin’s School of Art to study fashion. Thomas-Fahm returned to Lagos, Nigeria in 1960 and established her own boutique at the Federal Palace Hotel, Maison Shade (later known as Shade’s Boutique). She also opened a factory on the Yaba Industrial Estate to produce her contemporary reimagining of local Nigerian garments and textile techniques. Championing Nigerian fabrics and silhouettes, Thomas-Fahm designed for the cosmopolitan, working woman. Her boutique swiftly became the go-to place for people of style in Lagos and she counted diplomats and royalty amongst her regular clientele.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
|
| Title | 'Bjay' (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered aṣọ-òkè of sányán and àlàárì type, woven cotton and lurex. |
| Brief description | ‘Bjay’ ensemble of a bùbá, ìró, ìpèlé and gèlè of embroidered aṣọ-òkè sányán and àlàárì, cotton and lurex, Shade Thomas-Fahm, Nigeria, 1970s |
| Physical description | An ensemble consisting of a bùbá blouse of cotton woven with lurex stripes and embroidered in two colours. The bùbá blouse has a wide open neckline and wide, cropped sleeves. The bùbá blouse is worn with an ìró skirt made from a large rectangle of cotton with embroidery, which is wrapped around the bottom half of the body and tied at the waist. The ensemble is worn with an ìpèlé shawl and gèlè headwrap of matching textile. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Gallery label | Thomas-Fahm often re-imagined traditional Nigerian styles for the modern woman. She created a pre-tied gèlè (headwrap) to make getting dressed easier, and added a zipper to the ìró. Originally a wrapped garment, the new style of ìró allowed cosmopolitan women to move around with ease. V&A, Room 40, Africa Fashion (02/07/2022 - 16/04/2023) |
| Credit line | Given by Shade Thomas-Fahm |
| Summary | Victoria Folashade ‘Shade’ Thomas-Fahm was born in Nigeria in 1933. In 1953 she travelled to Britain with a view to training as a nurse under the sponsorship of the British Council but her interest in fashion led her to instead take an evening class to gain her National Diploma and subsequently enroll at Saint Martin’s School of Art to study fashion. Thomas-Fahm returned to Lagos, Nigeria in 1960 and established her own boutique at the Federal Palace Hotel, Maison Shade (later known as Shade’s Boutique). She also opened a factory on the Yaba Industrial Estate to produce her contemporary reimagining of local Nigerian garments and textile techniques. Championing Nigerian fabrics and silhouettes, Thomas-Fahm designed for the cosmopolitan, working woman. Her boutique swiftly became the go-to place for people of style in Lagos and she counted diplomats and royalty amongst her regular clientele. |
| Other number | T.4-2022 - Previous number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.2438:1 to 4-2021 |
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| Record created | May 9, 2021 |
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