LAURENCE airline

    It's always exciting to see a new creative talent on the rise, but what of an entire culture? At the beginning of the month, ARISE magazine once again played host to leagues of Nigerian Fashion Week style scouts for a celebration of African derived talents. In its second year, ARISE Fashion Week displayed designers from within and without the continent who found inspiration in African culture. Many a delightfully patterned catwalk was to be seen, but a personal favorite was Cote d'Ivoire couturier Laurence Chauvin Buthaud of Laurence Airline...

    Working with Ivory Coast craftsmen and women for the fabrication of his garments, Laurence is striving to prove that "fashion and cultures can successfully collaborate to create possibilities for the future." And what a future it shall be. In the creation of these street style gems, Buthaud is building a base for an economy in a community that has been struggling with violence and political unrest for a decade. Currently, the designer is working on plans for a learning space where youth will be taught fashion skills such as sewing and knitting. 

 And so, you go Laurence Airlines, you look fly, and you help pull a community out of the economic pits. I believe what we have here is a win-win kind of deal...