Rise: Mai-Gidah – Mai-Gidah is a contemporary menswear brand by Ali (Alec) Abdulrahim, the brand is typified by the very personal nature of the design, mostly are complemented by his childhood memories and into his current travels.
Mai-Gidah is a contemporary menswear brand by Ali (Alec) Abdulrahim, a Ghanian Belgian currently working in London. The label launched after he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. Born in Ghana and trained in Belgium, the brand is typified by the very personal nature of the design, mostly are complemented by his emotions and the memories he carries with him since his childhood and into his current travels; from Accra, Ghana to London via Holland, Italy and Belgium. His journey allowed his aesthetic to be influenced by differences of culture, especially codes in art, fashion, and architecture.
For his Spring/Summer 2016 collection, Alec explore the brighter, more vibrant side of his aesthetic. Inspired by Chinoiserie’s bird motifs and dreamy colours, this collection sees a further development of the label’s core themes of gentlemanly tailoring combined with fluid shapes that reveal ingenious details and technical expertise. For example a smoking jackets and long coats deconstruct military elements by unconventional placement. A two-tone black and red coat incorporates a backpack, providing inventiveness with techno fabrics and a knack a creating functional new shapes. This collection also influenced by the Ghanaian Dagomba tribe who scatter their native dress with amulets. The wraparound details also convey this idea, adding to the different silhouettes that can be achieved.
As a designer, Alec honours the way garments used to be made. He creates novel silhouettes, letting traditional ways of masculine dressing exist alongside modern men’s styles. “Menswear is pretty basic, so I try to push the boundaries without getting too extravagant”, says Alec. The result of this collection is a seasonal burst of colours infusing expertly cut statement pieces that are wearable without losing Mai-Gidah’s formal distinctiveness. (Text Teuku Ajie)