Shadders Interviews : KACHI Designs

Former UH student Chigozie Anaele is the Talented Brainchild behind KACHI designs. Anaele grew up in London, spent two years in Nigeria and settled in the United States at the age of 15. Shadders stumbled upon her designs on Facebook and could not help but share with you all. KACHI Designs represents style, elegance and couture, she conjures up the animated and fun-loving side of every woman. Her eclectic collections of contemporary and vintage-inspired apparel and accessories imbue life through African culture. You’ll find that Kachi Designs are multi-faceted and whether ready-to-wear, or custom-made, Kachi pieces bring life and sophistication to any wardrobe. Read Shadders interview with Anaele Below:

Shadders: Hello and thanks for taking time to talk to us. Tell us a little bit about your background. Where is home for you; Where did you grow up? Raised in Houston, but culturally rooted from Nigeria. I was born in Nigeria before moving to London. Following London, I moved to Houston, Texas.

Shadders: Where did the interest of designing spring from? I have always had a creative side when I began making jewellery in all sorts of colours. I was bored with my clothing, so I decided to change it up. My interest peaked when I successfully made an outfit that received raved reviews. Since then, I have continued to hone my craft and make it my passion.

Shadders: If not a career in fashion design, what would have been your second choice? My second choice would be the continued pursuant of my Chemical Engineering career. I would have definitely finished my Masters program in Engineering as well.

Shadders: Your ultimate career dream is to become a fashion designer, what steps did you take in making your final decision to go with it? The final decision came with ease. I knew that my career in fashion was a passion. In my decision to dedicate myself full time to my dream, I had to decide to leave the Master program in Chemical Engineering at the end of the spring semester of 2010.

Shadders: Your design approach is very classic and elegant, is there any time period or person who influenced your style? My fashions are influenced by the 1940′s, 1950′s and my love for the hit show “Show Train”. I love bold colors that stand out but create a sense of style and couture.

Shadders: You now have your own clothing line, Kachi Designs. How did you come up with a name for your line and why? I was contemplating with the name for awhile. I kept throwing around the word “catchy” and that I wanted a name that was catchy. It dawned on me how I was describing my title with catchy and then the light came on. I took “catchy” to translate into “Kachi” (naija accent).

Shadders: What steps did you take to mentally prepare you for moving your creative talent from a hobby and a dream into launching a clothing line? At first, it was overwhelming making the transition from a hobby to a business. The orders were constantly being placed, thanks to viral marketing. But when you love your work and you have a passion, you easily forget about chaos.

Shadders: You use African fabric and prints for your designs which expresses your heritage. I like that. At this point, designing in the US, who is your target market? My market consist of the women who wants to bring definition to their wardrobe.

Shadders: Do you intend to take your design into mainstream America?.Most definitely, it allows me to share my culture and uplift it in a positive light.

Shadders: To be a designer, one must constantly put on their creative cap. Where do you draw your inspiration from? I draw my inspiration from colours, my personality, along with the 1940′s and 1050′s era.

Shadders: Tell us briefly about the inspiration of your recent collections. My recent collection is titled “Mood Swings” with a hint of the 1950′s couture look through a black and white phase thrown with a bold colour such as red, blue, yellow, etc.

Shadders: In this vast market, there are designers from all walks of life. We applaud designers such as yourself, for continuing to push African fashion forward into the industry. As a designer, how do you think this can successfully be done? With my continued efforts, I think that fashion speaks loudly and sets a stage. With the compliments of African textiles and patterns, creating couture pieces and everyday wear will contribute to the success of African fashion.

Shadders: What are some of the short term goal for KACHI DESIGNS? My goal for the next (6) months is to make my designs more available to the fashionistas.

Shadders: What are you currently working on? I am currently designing my next collection and hope to participate in numerous fashion weeks to share my work.

Shadders: Do you have any upcoming events where you will be displaying your fabulous creations? Yes, I do. I will be displaying my creatiosn at the AfriPRO Houston Holiday Annual gala, where they will be honoring Houston texan Amobi Okoye , Dikembe Mutombo, and many others. For more info, please visitafriprohouston.org/gala

Shadders: Is there a particular cause that is close to your heart? Breast Cancer!!!

Designer Chichi Anaele

Photo Credits: Photography & Art Direction: .AE. Photos, Makeup: Erin Teagle, Wardrobe: Kachi Designs

Kachi Designs Contacted here:
Website Click Here “Love the Site BTW”
Twitter Click Here
Facebook Click Here and YouTube click Here
There is no stopping this young lady. She has more to come, so definitely stay tuned!

This entry was posted in interviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

0 Responses to Shadders Interviews : KACHI Designs

  1. Akua Ghana says:

    Kachi stuff are nice, i think my soul connects with her designs will look into it

  2. Adjeibea says:

    wooooooooooooooooooooooow

  3. Pingback: Bold Colors, Bold Print—Catch Kachi Designs at Africa Fashion Week New York | Shadders - Best of African Inspired Design

  4. Pingback: AFWNY 2011: AFRICA FASHION WEEK NEW YORK – RECAP « WCN TRANSMEDIA GROUP

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>