Fashion books and their importance in the industry

Books in general are very important to read and a great source of information. From early childhood days in Ikeja, my brother and I would buy lots of books of varied titles from Julie Pharmacy and Masco Supermarket. I still remember the title of one of those books, The Irish Famine by Elizabeth Byrd. This was a very poignant and moving description of starvation in Ireland. Such was the scope and variety of books my brother and I read, we are would then review them together.

My love of books gradually led me to gravitate towards fashion, which is my enduring passion. While at Design College in Manchester, I read avidly on fashion designers, especially the French couturiers. When I graduated, I would always search bookshops such as Waterstones, Daunts, Foyles, and department stores such as Selfridges on Oxford Street, which always have great displays, especially gigantic coffee-table books on fashion and style. Anytime I visited other countries, I always visited their bookshops.

Kinokuniya bookshop in Dubai mall, My favourite hunt for fashion books.

Book on African textile “Adire”

However, the major impact that reading about fashion, especially biographies, had on me was the great insight they gave me into the lives of the designers, especially the hurdles and triumphs they encountered on their developmental stages in their careers. I learnt a long time ago through reading these fashion biographies that it was never going to be an easy life. 

When i worked as a costume designer and art director on a UK film, I dashed into Daunts to buy a book by Chinamanda to have it displayed on set.

Waterstones, Piccadilly London

Yves Sainti-Laurent and Valentino were very fortunate to have business partners that helped them look after their fashion companies while they were able to concentrate on designing. I never had much luck with financial investors. I was promised huge capital to be invested in my fashion lines, but nothing ever came of it. So, I was determined that I would plough back into the business all the gains I made. This required and still does, great discipline. Reading a book on the American fashion designer, Calvin Klein, gave me great insight into the business side of fashion. He said that for a fashion designer to become very successful in the 21st century, he has to be able to combine the talent of designing with business acumen. So I always kept an eye on the accounts and learnt how to navigate both terrains. 

The indigo bookshop in Toronto, Canada. They have a beautiful facility, where you can sit down and read any book you like.

Outside Sag harbour bookshop, the Hamptons, New York.

Barnes and Noble another favourite hunt, long island, New York.

You learn so much from books, especially the secrets designers reveal that can be very uplifting and inspiring. We used to sell to department stores in the UK, back in the mid-90s. We would sell a couple to each store when the buyers viewed the collections. I always wanted great orders, but had to be content with what orders came my way. There was no black person i remember who even sold collections then, the clothes were beautifully made and very international in appeal, hence I was able to manoeuvre my way in, and,  I stuck to my name, “Ade Bakare”,  much to the chagrin of the buyers: “oh well, your clothes are beautiful, the style will captivate my clients“, a buyer once said. However, it was only recently I read when Valentino started selling his ready-to-wear line to the American markets, the buyers of Saks, Henri Bendels, and I imagine would only select a few at the beginning. I guess we were not doing too badly.

Mood fabrics shop, Manhattan. They always have a nice selection of fashion biographies.

 Sadly, we do not have books on fashion designers, especially in Nigeria; the few on African designers are written by the West. We need to tell our own stories so the next generation can learn from our mistakes and successes. Instead, what you see on the bookshelves here is “How To Become A Millionaire“ or other get-rich-quick reads.

With the hostess with the mostess Tundun of Jazzhole bookshop,a brilliant bookshop in Ikoyi Lagos. Great ambience.

I recently wrote a book on Aso Oke, which was inspired by the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu. At a fitting one day in State House, Marina, she quipped,  Why don’t you write a book on textiles like Aso Oke you use often. I guess as being a medical doctor and intelligent, she knew the benefits of such an endeavour. The book took a few years to finish, and she was kind enough to order copies, which she gave out at her Esco annual event in Lagos, as gifts to the guests. It is a well-detailed book that took some staff, friends, and myself on a journey to Iseyin, Ibadan, and Abeokuta. It will be available next month at Jazzhole Bookstore and Quintessence in Lagos, Nigeria. The book is also currently available on Amazon.

Book I wrote on the fashionable african textile “Aso Oke”