The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Butterfly

  • ‘Our metamorphose from lava to the butterfly stage’

    ‘Our metamorphose from lava to the butterfly stage’

    Olabisi Saunders is a fashion designer and CEO of  O’ Saunders collection. You run into her at a recent exhibition of her latest collection titled Metamorphose in Lagos. In this encounter with AISHA ADEBAYO, she takes you into her world.

    Tell us about your latest collection. One thing I would say is that I have been consistent, I have not lost my style from the onset. My unique style uses painting with massive sleeves. Now, I  use more colors than before. In the past the brand was known for white only but now we metamorphosed from the lava stage to a full-grown butterfly.

    What makes the painting on your fabrics unique?

    It takes a lot of financial responsibility, a lot of hard work, and sleepless nights. One thing about painting in pieces is that you cannot paint the back and front at the same times. Also, you have to cut paint before sewing and sometimes you sew before you paint the fabrics. It actually depends on the style of the outfit that you want to sew or paint. It hasn’t been easy but these are pieces that are unique for those who can appreciate the efforts that we put into it.

    If you don’t sell, how do you recover your money?

    That is one thing about doing a collection. Sometimes, you do things you know maybe people might like or maybe people might not like but at the same time, you will not let go. I am not a designer who will just wake up and say ok I have this or I have that. When you look at all my collection at a glance, you can tell that they are beautiful, that is one thing that makes the brand unique.

    What inspired your designs?

    Life, arts, painting, and nature.

    Who are your targets?

    You will have to be very free, athletic, and very confident. Some of the pieces actually make people confident. But, the crux of the matter is that the personality also matters. Sometimes, you can put the same pieces on two different people, this one will look better on one than the other.

    Who is the O’Saunders woman?

    The O’Saunders woman must be confident and willing to take risks because my clothes are all about risk. Not everybody will say this sleeve is massive.

    Read Also: Nigeria’s economy will witness boom in 2024, Presidency assures

    Some of my sleeves are like 2 yards of fabric just on one sleeve, so you will have to be able to take risks to wear my clothes. It is wonderful and nice to wear and you can wear it everywhere you go. My clothes are unisex, especially the warm jacket and kaftans.

    Do you also produce accessories?

    The funny part is that I started with accessories at the beginning. One thing about my brand is that I have a passion for it. The accessories I do are made of leather. I have canceled an order of 20 bags just because the lady didn’t do it right. So that is one thing about me I need to make sure my products are good from the lining to the fabrics. Everything you see is leather. 100% leather

    Is there a reason for you to invest in accessories?

    Yes, I love them. I’m obsessed with bags and shoes. You can tell someone’s character or personality by their shoes and handbags.

    What are the challenges?

    There are a lot of challenges in the sector. Firstly, the personnel is a big challenge,  your tailors sometimes drive you nuts. So, I have to do it myself, especially when two or three of them have an emergency at the same time.

    How do you start designing?

    My mum, I started with my mum. I grew up in a home where my mum was a fashion designer and I went to fashion school in Ghana. I also have a degree in fashion design.

  • Jammeh: Butterfly that calls itself a bird!

    SIR: His Excellency, Sheikh Prof. Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh has called the bluff of the rest of the world. Jammeh is talking tough and has literally told the world to go to hell. Jammeh has not only rebuffed all pleas to respect the wishes of the Gambian People and concede power to the opposition which won the presidential election late last year but has vowed to resist or even crush  any foreign invasion of the Gambia to remove him from power.

    Jammeh while slamming the decision of the UN Security Council, African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) asking him to respect the wishes of the Gambia people and the constitution, had declared that only God can remove him from power even if he chooses to rule for one billion years.

    Jammeh has handpicked justices of the Gambian Supreme Court to hear his legal challenge to the election which he disputes while also vowing not to concede power under any arrangements whatsoever.

    His confidence seems to have been bolstered by the pledge of allegiance made by the country’s military chief but then hearing Jammeh’s rhetoric, one would mistake the Gambia for the African version of North Korea in military might.

    So what big meal has Jammeh eaten like the proverbial nwa nza that has pushed him to challenge his Chi to a wrestling contest? The nwa nza is the tiny weaver bird in Igbo folklore which Chinua Achebe made allusions to in his evergreen classic Things Fall Apart. The nwa nza after a heavy meal challenged its Chi (god) to a wrestling contest.

    Jammeh presides over a tiny country of less than two million people and the Gambia has less than 1,000 men under arms to defend the country from external aggression. The Gambian Military depends on military assistance from Turkey, Pakistan and Muammar Ghadaffi before his fall from power.

    According to the CIA Factbook 2016, the Gambian Airforce has less than 5 aircrafts in its fleet and the Navy has nothing other than glorified patrol boats in its arsenal.  The Gambia military has not been associated with any battle feat in recent times, save for its participation in ECOMOG interventions in the Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s.

    In fact, the Gambia’s closest neighbour Senegal had in the past successfully intervened militarily in the Gambia to stop an attempted coup and reacting to the present situation, Senegal has indicated its willingness to enforce the UN, AU and ECOWAS resolution asking Jammeh to cede power to Adama Barrow.

    Jammeh is not only weak in military strength but even more vulnerable financially. According to the World Bank, the Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world without any significant natural resources. The country’s budget is funded through bilateral and multilateral aid while government institutions are managed through technical assistance from multilateral and bilateral donors.

    Tourism is the country’s main source of foreign exchange besides foreign aid. With Jammeh’s belligerence and war like posture, he risks losing aid and tourists if he comes under the Security Council sanctions (if no military action is taken against him). So head or tail, Jammeh loses as the noose on his neck tightens.

    One then wonders who or what is beating the drums for Jammeh as it is clear only him can hear the music he is dancing to.

    ECOWAS and the AU must be commended for standing by the Gambian electorates and insisting on Jammeh’s exit from power, unlike in the past where the African leaders who are mostly sit-tight dictators will rally round one of their own. However, whether Jammeh will come to his senses and quit or get the Laurent Gbagbo type of humiliating treatment will be known in the coming weeks.

     

    • Maduka Onwukeme,

    Lagos

  • Fly like a butterfly

    DOTUN attended the school’s alumni meeting a few weeks ago. Here, he met a number of his old school mates and they had become a shadow of themselves. Guys who used to be the toast and envy of all had deteriorated so badly and they all wondered why he looked so clean and radiant.

    “The only thing that keeps me going is my dear Amaka, the woman who has made me to fly in emotional colours. She is a wonderful heart to be with and every moment spent in her company makes me feel better and younger. She helps you plan your day in a unique way and when you are down, she is ever ready to proffer solutions that would make you go to bed with a heart filled with joy.”

    That, for him, is the emotional tonic required to fly around like a butterfly.

    A strong, healthy relationship can be one of the best supports in your life and business. As you look around for success stories, you find that good relationships improve all aspects of life as well as strengthen your health, your mind, and your connections with others.

    However, if the relationship isn’t working, it can also be a tremendous drain. Relationships are an investment. The more you put in, the more you can get back.

    For some, no matter what they put in, the other party would just not make them fly because the relationship was not based on trust but on lust and material gains. Once you find yourself on the edge like this, it is better to device ways to repair the trust and love in a relationship on the rocks.

    At such moments, it may be better to withdraw from the hustle and bustle to nature. That was exactly what Adunni did recently and it took away the emotional confusion without stress. Here, she saw a beautiful butterfly flying and perching around. The brightly-coloured insect stole the show. It was beautiful watching the overlapping rows of tiny scales jumping around in excitement.

    However, she discovered that as beautiful and exciting as it was, the experience did not last forever.

    To understand this, you need to understand that as beautiful as the butterfly is, it has a short lifespan. The average lifespan for an adult butterfly is 20 to 40 days. Some species live no longer than three or four days; others may live up to six months.

    From egg to adult, butterflies undergo a series of physical transformations known as metamorphosis. After mating, the female butterfly lays her eggs on a caterpillar food or “host” plant. The eggs can hatch within a few days, or within months or even years, depending on whether the conditions are right or not.

    In addition, a caterpillar’s first meal is its own eggshell. It then spends most of its time eating the leaves of the plant on which it hatched. An adult butterfly uncoils its long, straw-like proboscis to sip nectar from flowers, juice from rotting fruit and water from puddles.

    Many butterflies have developed interesting ways of defending themselves from predators. One method is disguise, or “cryptic colouration”, where the butterfly has the ability to look like a leaf or blend into the bark of a tree to hide from predators. Another method is chemical defence, where the butterfly has evolved to have toxic chemicals in its body. These species of butterfly are often brightly coloured, and predators have learned over time to associate their bright colour with the bad taste of the chemicals.

    Interestingly, it also reminds you about the lyrics of the song by Westlife, titled; ‘Flying without wings’.

    It talks about everybody looking for that special thing, that thing that makes them complete, the thing that brings excitement to their emotions and life in general. The song writer hints that such pleasures and excitement occur in the strangest places, places where you never knew or imagined that you could find Cupids arrow.

    The big question then would be where can you find the kind of love that you truly desire?

    Well, some actually find it sharing every morning while others have to stay away from the maddening crowd to find it in their solitary lives. If you do not get it here, then you may just rediscover lost affection in the words of others or in the deepest friendship. Friends whose hearts are as beautiful as the butterfly can be a great asset. These are the kinds of hearts that you would cherish all your life.

  • Flying with a butterfly

    DOTUN attended the school’s alumni meeting a few weeks ago. There he met a number of his old school mates and they had become a shadow of themselves. Guys who used to be the toast and envy of all had deteriorated so badly and they all wondered why he looked so clean and radiant.

     “The only thing that keeps me going is my dear Amaka, the woman who has made me to fly in emotional colours. She is a wonderful heart to be with and every moment spent in her company makes me feel better and younger. She helps you plan your day in a unique way and when you are down, she is ever ready to proffer solutions that would make you go to bed with a heart filled with joy.”

    That, for him, is the emotional tonic required to fly around like a butterfly.

    A strong, healthy relationship can be one of the best support in your life and business. As you look around for success stories, you find that good relationships improve all aspects of life as well as strengthen your health, your mind, and your connections with others.

    However, if the relationship isn’t working, it can also be a tremendous drain. Relationships are an investment. The more you put in, the more you can get back.

    For some, no matter what they put in the other party would just not make them fly because the relationship was not based on trust but on lust and material gains. Once you find yourself on the edge like this, it is better to device ways to repair the trust and love in a relationship on the rocks.

    At such moments, it may be better to withdraw from the hustle and bustle to nature. That was exactly what Adunni did recently and it took away the emotional confusion without stress. Here, she saw a beautiful butterfly flying and perching around. The brightly-coloured insect stole the show. It was beautiful watching the overlapping rows of tiny scales jumping around in excitement.

    However, she discovered that as beautiful and exciting as it was, the experience did not last forever.

    To understand this, you need to understand that as beautiful as the butterfly is, it has a short lifespan. The average lifespan for an adult butterfly is 20 to 40 days. Some species live no longer than three or four days; others may live up to six months.

    From egg to adult, butterflies undergo a series of physical transformations known as metamorphosis. After mating, the female butterfly lays her eggs on a caterpillar food or “host” plant. The eggs can hatch within a few days, or within months or even years, depending on whether the conditions are right or not.

    In addition, a caterpillar’s first meal is its own eggshell. It then spends most of its time eating the leaves of the plant on which it hatched. An adult butterfly uncoils its long, straw-like proboscis to sip nectar from flowers, juice from rotting fruit and water from puddles.

    Many butterflies have developed interesting ways of defending themselves from predators. One method is disguise, or “cryptic coloration”, where the butterfly has the ability to look like a leaf or blend into the bark of a tree to hide from predators. Another method is chemical defence, where the butterfly has evolved to have toxic chemicals in its body. These species of butterfly are often brightly coloured, and predators have learned over time to associate their bright colour with the bad taste of the chemicals.

    Interestingly, it also reminds you about the lyrics of the song by Westlife titled; ‘Flying without wings’.

    It talks about everybody looking for that special thing, that thing that makes them complete, the thing that brings excitement to their emotions and life in general. The song writer hints that such pleasures and excitement occur in the strangest places, places where you never knew or imagined that you could find cupids arrow.

    The big question then would be where can you find the kind of love that you truly desire?

    Well, some actually find it sharing every morning while others have to stay away from the maddening crowd to find it in their solitary lives. If you do not get it here, then you may just rediscover lost affection in the words of others or in the deepest friendship. Friends whose hearts are as beautiful as the butterfly can be a great asset. These are the kinds of hearts that you would cherish all your life.

    As elusive as love seems to be, some actually find it at the right time, in the right place and with the right person. It could be found in the eyes of a lovebird, in the heart or just in the things that they do. The crux of the matter is that when great hearts find that special thing, you’re flying without wings.

    It is usually better when partners eliminate assumptions about the things they like, challenges, achievements as well as how the personal finance duties should be divided up.

    Money is emotionally charged and can bring a lot of anger. But it can be great at opening up a dialogue and improving communication. It is, therefore, important to manage your money as a team to ensure that you have a stronger, more fulfilling relationship.

  • Get Butterfly experience

    Get Butterfly experience

    DO you care for a fabulous skin? Then you don’t have to go any further. Launched on February 28, 2012 in Georgia, USA, but coming soon first time to Nigeria,Africa, April had an initial goal to produce cosmetics that were not harsh to the skin and to provide women with the proper education on skincare and make-up application.

    After watching how many teenage girls, including her own daughters, skin would become damaged as a result of trying an array of cosmetic lines, she vowed to step in with a solution.

    Wearing make-up is a big part of a young girl’s adolescent years, so she wants to make sure that the make-up they are using is not harmful and she plans to educate them on the true purpose of cosmetics. This applies to adult women as well.

    Butterfly Cosmetics features a light coverage hypoallergenic mineral line, as well as the popular “kamouflage”- a complete blemish and scar cover.

    “Nigeria being the giant of Africa gets to be the first stop for the Butterfly Cosmetics experience which proudly carries the slogan, Looking Fabulous and Loving It,” so says April Smith from Buena Vista, Georgia, the brains behind this international cosmetic line.

    The rapid success and international interest in Butterfly Cosmetics subsequently inspired April to create and launch her couture clothing line, Laschon Kouture. The perfect marriage of haute couture and fabulous face make for an endless stream of inspiration for April. She debuted Laschon Kouture earlier this year with her fall/winter couture fashion line. These products will soon be available to consumers on close range in Nigeria.