It’s the third day after the release of the Weiz Dhurm Franklyn Spring-Summer 26 collection titled “Virtuoso”. The new collection is many things – for this writer, it’s a three-course meal, a trilogy, a triadic chapter that marks the brand’s unwavering craftsmanship. From ready-to-wear to couture and a bridal ensemble, Franklyn’s latest feat stands tall.
Abelia Franklyn, the timid but highly skilled creative director, worked tirelessly for months. “It’s been a rollercoaster of work back-to-back for the past few months. For the past three months, I managed to get a decent sleep yesterday”. She tells iMullar.
The Weiz Dhurm Franklyn brand is leading a renaissance for avant-garde prowess in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, through its structural, larger-than-life, and provocative pieces that often blend elements of surrealism while alluding the female figure.
Founded in 2014 by Abelia Franklyn, the brand has been spotted on African and international socialites like Rita Dominic, Toke Makinwa, Achieng Agutu, and Chioma Ikokwu. Within the span of 11years, Franklyn has gathered staggering notability, showing at both local and international fashion weeks. In 2022, the brand won the Future Awards Africa prize for fashion.
Early Beginnings and Being Self-Taught.
For Abelia, the genesis of her fashion brand tracks back to her teenage years. She remembers sketching a lot during her time in secondary school. She started going to the fabric market in Alaba, a rural area in Lagos, Nigeria at age twelve. Her feeding allowances served as a means of securing these fabrics, mostly Ankara, which she would later take to the local tailor shops.
“Back then, I had a mental picture of what I wanted the tailors to create for me in my head, and most of the time, some of the artisans found the designs a little peculiar and might eventually decline working with me,” Abelia remembers.
However, she soon began gradually learning the ropes of fashion design through a personal lens rather than a formal education. “Because I had a tough relationship with tailors, I started visually learning how to cut during my visits to the tailor shop”.
Presently, Franklyn’s designs are technical with a high level of craftsmanship, and while she still struggles a bit with finding the right artisans to work with. There’ve been people who are willing to stay and learn because of the fascination with her craft. While studying theater arts at Unilag, she created her first-ever womenswear piece, which eventually turned out to be unsuccessful. This was all part of her formative years before the formation of the Weiz Dhurm Franklyn brand in 2014.
Inspiration and Creative Independence
Abelia draws inspiration from life. She believes life is the greatest form of art, and this is evident in her work. As an avid reader, the designer loves history. You could tell from her SS18, which draws inspiration from the Egyptian pyramids, she’s also inspired by women and even the Ocean- Franklyn’s AW 15 is a nod to the historical figure, Bridget Bishop, and for her SS25 titled “UKIYO”, she created pieces that paid homage to the beauty of the sea.
The creative director is also largely inspired by great fashion houses like Alexander McQueen and Schiaparelli. The Franklyn brand is not new to criticism; in fact, over time, some of her designs have been somewhat assessed for being “too western” and compared to leaning heavily on some of the mentioned houses. However, this characterization is often complex and polarizing, given how sometimes tedious it is to differentiate between inspiration and copying.
However, Abelia is very big on permissiveness. “I’m very big on freedom and being able to create what I feel like. If you get to see the deeper cuts and meaning of what I create and get to link it with our African roots and heritage, so be it. But I am not bound to make you see things how I want you to see it. It’s not in my place to do that”. She says.
Franklyn’s philosophy is also rooted in her core belief- spirituality and a strong sense of cohesiveness. “I’m a very spiritual person, I believe in a higher power, and with my designs, cohesiveness is very important to me (although I believe it’s not something you have to force). For me, once there’s a vision, I let it marinate for a bit and just let it lead the way, that’s how I achieve the best result of my designs”. She explains.
The virtuoso show is one of Franklyn’s numerous stand-alone shows, despite showing at various fashion weeks worldwide, Abelia enjoys the creative sovereignty she has come to achieve over the years, despite economic and infrastructural pressure, the biggest rule in the playbook remains – collaboration. As a designer, fashion is a very important part of life, and all that matters is having people whose vision aligns with the brand. “There’s a means of fulfillment that comes with hosting standalone shows, despite it being way more stressful, you know that people are going to be fed fully with all the essence the brand can give as of that season”. Abelia explains.
Success and the Perpetual growth of the Brand.
Growth comes with time, and Abelia attests to this. It also comes with success, and for the designer, personal success, and the ascendancy of the brand go hand in hand. To the creative director, it means freedom and blooming in your truest form. Success also means the ability to create without restriction; it means being better than last season. “When I am creating, I would always compare myself to myself only: I have to compete with my past self creatively and growth-wise for the brand”. Franklyn says.
As the tides for African fashion continue to turn, Weiz Dhurm Franklyn moves with heritage and an unwavering sense of self-identity.
Written by Bolaji Akinwande.
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