“Great style should be available in all sizes because fabulous, fierce, kick-ass women come in all sizes- Serwah Asante”

Rue 114 is inspired by and created for women who believe that every shape and size should be celebrated as beautiful. This season, Rue 114 is proud to present its Intro 2012 Capsule Collection, “Et Dieu Créa La Femme” (And God Created Woman). The collection is an homage to and celebration of the female form at all its sizes. Beauty is too mysterious, too coy, too “Saturday night” to be confined into a size 6. The Rue 114 design aesthetic is deeply informed by what it means to be a modern woman of the world, and as such, the inspiration for each collection is limitless. This season, bold African prints in sexy and feminine silhouettes serve as the palette for the Rue 114 introductory collection.

Creative Director/ Founder
Serwah Asante is the Creative Director and Founder of Rue 114. Style has informed her existence since before her birth. Hailing from two of the most suave looking parents this side of the Atlantic, one could say that style and fashion were ingrained in her genetic makeup. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a BA in Sociology, Serwah continued her studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NY. In November of 2010, Serwah launched Rue 114 as a platform upon which to celebrate beauty and style at all sizes. Inspiration for the Rue 114 brand is deeply informed by the designer’s Ghanaian roots, New York City upbringing, and eternal love of travel. Each collection is born of the global perspective and responds to the call of what today’s woman; whether in Laos, Lagos, or Los Angeles; needs to be edgy, unique, powerful, and always feminine.

“She was approached in 2010 by Crystal Bridges director Don Bacigalupi to create unique and stylish uniforms for the museum’s frontline staff.

After visiting the Museum site and discussing the vision and mission of the museum with Bacigalupi and museum founder Alice Walton, Momolu developed designs for a vest and sweater for the male employees, and a dress and blouse for the women. She also created a
custom fabric print for the scarves and ties worn by guest services staff.

Momolu took pains to find ways to connect her Crystal Bridges designs with the museum itself, and with the landscape of her adopted state. Long before the museum buildings were completed, she spent time in the forest on the Crystal Bridges site, gathering samples of local
flora for color and texture.

“Walking around the grounds of the future museum site enabled me to become at one with what the creators of the museum fell in love with; the beauty of Arkansas right at your feet,” Momolu said. “It was at that moment that it dawned on me to be inspired from the very place the museum would call home, the grounds surrounding it. I gathered leaves and berries and flowers that were well known to the area with the hope to create a signature print that not only represented Crystal Bridges,but show the beauty of Arkansas.”

Visitors to Crystal Bridges can see the result of Momolu’s work on guest services staff in the museum. The scarves in Crystal Bridges’ signature colors are reserved for staff members, but a variation of Momolu’s print is also available for purchase in the Museum Store.

About Crystal Bridges

The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of landscape. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and  preserving outstanding works that illuminate our heritage and artistic possibilities.

Founded in 2005 by the Walton Family Foundation and opened 11-11-11, the Museum takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities also include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds and a Marlon Blackwell-designed museum store. Sculpture and walking trails link the Museum’s 120-acre park and gardens to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.

For more information about Crystal Bridges visit CrystalBridges.org. “

The movie will premiere in UK cinemas on March 9th, 2012.

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Photocredit: Miles Warren

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Bunmi Olaye, London-based Nigerian designer and Creative Director behind the fashion brand Bunmi Koko has decided to step down from her position with the company she created with Francis Udom in 2009.

In two years, the brand has been catapulted in the limelight and won many international accolades including ‘Emerging Designer of the Year in 2010’ at the African Fashion Awards, ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ 2010 and has been featured in magazines and newspapers such as Drapers, Evening Standard, Grazia, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Arise & Vogue. Bunmi Koko caught the eyes of many celebrities such as Nelson Mandela, Hilary Alexander of The Telegraph & former Spice Girls Melanie Brown to name a few.

Bunmi Koko has also been invited by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall to attend a reception at St James’s Palace, celebrating West African culture in July this year and then went on to be commissioned by ITN to give ‘expert commentary’ on the wedding gown worn by HRH Catherine Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, on the ITV Royal Wedding Coverage during the day of HRH Prince William and Duchess Catherine Middleton’s Royal Wedding.

Bunmi Olaye is not quitting fashion but moving onto new horizons and is currently working new projects: ‘I have not giving up on my dream, however the time has come for me to pursue a vision that is entirely my own‘. Bunmi Olaye

No further information will be released of yet as for the reasons behind Bunmi’s resignation, but all can rest assured to find out more about it in the near future.

Photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo

Photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo

Photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo

Photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo

Photocredit: Simon Deiner/SDR Photo