MyWeku

We are delighted to feature Eki Orleans , founded by Hazel Aggrey-Orleans. Hazel Aggrey-Orleans was born in Germany and spent 17 years in Lagos, Nigeria. With regards to the inspiration that led to Eki Orleans, Hazel states that “I ventured into the financial world as a marketeer about 8 years ago but always knew this was not going to give me the passion I sought. After speaking to a friend who talked passionately about her career in the film industry, I knew I had to come up with an exit strategy. I knew whatever I started had to involve an African element to it and so I started with my first collection of scarves, combining Indian and African fabrics: Two cultures that play around beautifully with colour. That then led me on to designing my own fabrics and dresses”

As Hazel puts it “Eki Orleans is about beautiful prints, so we design our own prints drawing inspiration from traditional Ankara cloths. It aims to bring out the feminine aspect in every woman, and embraces its love for colour, as well as having a fresh out take on African-inspired fabrics. My goal is for Eki Orleans to be known as a brand associated with elegance, quality and the intricate use of silk prints”

Eki Orleans put itself firmly on the fashion map with an accessory range of scarves that combined Ghanaian Kente silk with Indian silks and embroidery. These scarves were breathtakenly beautiful and aesthetically unique.

Towards the end of last year Eki Orleans brought out its first collection (SS10) which used abundant rich colours to create soft draped dresses.

 

Their next collection, the AW10 was inspired by spicy earthy tones and consisted of quite edgy cuts. As Hazel says “In this collection we experimented with different types of silks. Orleans Designs philosophy is to use colour, especially in the duller climates. Although slightly toned down compared to our SS10, our AW10 collection still continues to inject an energy of colour”.

The next collection Hazel and her small team are about to unveil is the SS11, which is inspired by the tropical oceans and consists of soft waves.