REVIEW: Chiip O’ Neal at Cape Town Fashion Week
Ghana’s David Neal Dodoo presents a solid Chiip O’ Neal collection at Cape Town Fashion Week
Relaxed Tailoring and Opulent Fabrics: A Look at Chiip O' Neals Latest Collection.
Fresh off the plane from Ghana, gender-neutral label Chiip O Neal by David Neal Dodoo, had the onus to maintain the momentum that would close off the first evening of Cape Town Fashion Week.
They delivered in every way possible. Founded in 2019 by Dodoo, the Ghanaian luxury label is now five collections into its four-year career and made its Cape Town Fashion Week debut on 23 March 2023.
Amongst its unconventional yet functional shirting cuts, and its charming use of warm colours, Chiip O Neal’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practice through upcycling materials is one of the brand’s many strong attributes. An African brand gaining global recognition while remaining steadfast in its sustainable practice is no mean feat. Under Dodoo’s creative direction, the brand continues to move from strength to strength in this regard, and AFI is proud to hand them their deeply merited flowers.
In its expert upcycling of discarded pieces, Chiip O Neal’s recent Spring/Summer 2023 collection showcased the possibilities of marrying elegance with craft-oriented, slow, and sustainable development in fashion. The evening’s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection confidently continued in this vein, with consistent use of relaxed tailoring and gauzy yet opulent fabrics, possessing elements of a resort collection. For this collection, the label diverged from its usual warm reds into cool tones of blue, including a gauzy, loose-fitting black shirt, with a blue rose print, pulled together with ribbons in place of buttons. This was paired with tailored blue shorts, creating an unconventionally graceful silhouette.
Denim, which is a trend on global runways, made its appearance in a deep navy blue, tastefully adorned with a minimally embroidered yellow plant motif. One highlight of the show was a collared vest with a Chiip O Neal emblem on the right-hand side and cropped mid-chest.
With raised shoulders and a semi-circular opening, the top confidently shows off the wearer’s torso, playing with symmetry while stylishly de-gendering the classic crop top. The denim ensemble made a further play on symmetry and silhouette through the layering of wide-legged pants with yellow embroidered flowers growing from the cuffs and disrupted by a trapeze A-line skirt. A pair of square-toed leather boots with a medium heel finished off the look.
Chiip O Neal produced a successful show that precipitated a fashion week in which African designers demonstrated the deep connection and awareness of global trends that makes them world-class.