LAGOS, Nigeria,  January 13, 2009– Deola Sagoe will give the fashion world a unique and breathtaking spin on military attire at the much anticipated showcase of her Fall 2010 collection at the ARISE Magazine African Collective. The show is a part of Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week and will be held February 13, 2010 under the tents at Bryant Park. The collection is a seamless fusion of elements found within the African and Western militias, fashionably remixed with a blend of ethnocentric accents and military silhouettes.

“I have always been fascinated by military gear and wanted to create something that would look like African body paint, but not tattoos, an elegant, chic and somewhat formal representation of what this body paint tends to look like,” explains the designer.

The collection features signature scissorwork, resulting in clean stripped, sliced, shredded detailing. The stripes are a take on geometric body markings found on the bodies of Maasai warriors within Eastern Africa

The collection is titled “Above the Fray,” a play on a phrase culled from classic military jargon, often used to depict kings and generals peering down from mountain tops overseeing fighting soldiers. The phrase, “Above the Fray” connotes a person or entity, standing a cut above the rest, a testament to the Deola Sagoe the person and the brand with 21 years of design under her belt. Fashionistas, afficionados, buyers, and spectators are all invited to witness ethnofusion at its best, as Deola Sagoe keeps her fashion flag flying above the fray this February.