Fashion vs Football.

‘When you hear designers complaining about the challenge of their profession, you have to say: don’t get carried away its only dresses’-Karl Lagerfeld
I can’t claim rights to be averse with what goes on in both worlds; the diversity, glamour need I say arduousness that accords both, they have been written in class history books as a sartorial for this generation and more to come. Both I have utmost admiration but no personal grounds for comparison whatsoever. Reminiscing about the days of my strutting gracefully down my passage turned aisle with my ’hand me downs’ or my preciously thrifted wears-mini style stalker. With the invent of You-tube and its fledgling subscribers its easy to attest to this profession & adopt some credibility for work we knew no arse to. A reflection of the Who, an expression of our persona; pop of colour for happy days, sloppy days for flip-flops,  safe haven to mask certain body insecurities-body con tight pieces and artistic head gears etc. Being a bit of a fashionista, I could probably know a thing or two here but I must reiterate am no EXPERT! Just a field playa. Growing up I was so liberal with my choices much contrast with what the teens adorn in these days; the Gothic, Edgey  lingo in reference to style was something I never came across to, hence my limitations. I would say that the past few decades has seen progressive successes, the magnitude of perfection that goes into a dress, late nights efforts it takes from designers and their mood boards to models, its certainly not nearly as easy as it looks on the racks. It’s a broad industry , Granted!
  ‘Design is a constant challenge to balance comfort with luxe, the pratical with the desirable’-Donna Karen

With expansion quicker than a wild fire, recruiting many alongs; stylists, hair-dressers, make-up artists It’s a whole other set-up shifting base swiftly. Seems like a woman’s world but the Men thrive as well with their guts in full throttle ;that’s for those who refuse to shy away and pick up a needle. However when a wider majority of us don’t have the forum of its pleasures, it begs; how much of all these fancy-nancy translates visibly to our economic growth*ponders*...Fashion in its totality is huge, deep and a big contender on a larger placement of things in the universe; might seem fleeting & fickle to some making it only challenging to always be on that high with collaborations from compatible creatives.

         ‘What’s becoming too obvious to me is that fashion is Art’-Lupita Nyong’O
 But Football, that Major!. As a sport lover, I chided anyone who had no clue to Football, was such a passionate conversationalist -No joke! .It aches me, because no matter how dumb we like to claim  at least we know that in a game of Football there are two different teams. Its particularly hard to talk about the sport without adorning credit to the Lads -its obviously a Man's world; the vigorous runs/training, stamina building, skills coaching etc. but that's not to say we shy away. We have equally over the years zoomed in and clinched our spot in this all Male-encompassing activity and sweated it out too. Football has brought stars to our doorsteps; academic /training colleges and scholarships , opened up careers in both its broadcasting and photography.

         ‘Football unites everyone, there is no sentiment when it comes to that’-Daniel Amokachi
 I recently watched an episode of the Malta Guinness show; Fashion vs Football, though it really doesn’t chronicle around these teams in their true elements,working their turf but it aims to depict how both worlds helped the Nigerian Economy and its perception. Two passion –driven enthusiasts who have delivered   their crafts in the  most aplomb ways to the world. I politely dusted the antics of the Fashion gurus as they were no match to the Football mates, but before the end of their airplay ,a thought hit me; these two world are game-changers and been making waves for quite some times but whose impact resonates well with us.
                    ‘Obviously Fashion is a different world from football’-Zinedine Zidane

 Filled with an air of August at how eloquently LDA expressed her views, which were valid but what a common Nigerian would ask ‘how much? Those lovely dresses don’t come cheap abeg!…Its no doubt Football unites the nation ,brings 90mins of succor to our hearts and keeps the kids engaged; has way longer standing, but Fashion pulls its own crowd-deserves some applause too. Ultimately we can only hope both acts like distant relatives and explore their transformative angles. Truth is, no one like me should be put in this dilemma, its obviously hard to find the softer side to lean towards to, a combination of both would/might be…(your choice). Bearing in mind that it takes some form of regality, panache, prim-proper nature to totally embody one and the other filled with ruggedity, strength, will and physical energy. Unopposed to both it boils down to our level of patriotism and willingness to growth; how did likes of CFC, MAU grow while their counterparts Zuhair Murad and Tom Ford thrived!

                   ‘It will take decades for fashion to meet football’-Anonymous
 Nigeria with its young independence, sky-rocketing Economy with this much development and so little help, much more in the years to  come. Perhaps we should do more than just loving either…We will get there someday.


Amy Raves….Fashion vs Football what’s your pick, I dig the latter anytime, with my red lips, perfectly tailored shorts & classy pumps of course…What do you guys think,you agree?or not..sound off in the comment section...

 
                                           THANK YOU FOR READING!!!

Photo credit: Lanre Da-sliva Ajayi fashion show 2014