Orange Culture Unveils Its FW23 Collection “What if Love Never Comes?”

Earlier this week, creative director Adebayo Oke-Lawal unveiled the fall/winter 2023 collection for his brand Orange Culture, titled “What If Love Never Comes?”, which will be exhibited at the Tranoï show in Paris from March 2-5.

Billed as a commentary on human wholeness, the collection examines the questions we ask ourselves about belonging, identity and purpose. Inspired by the ostracization of single adults whose lives within society are measured by the lack of a romantic other, this collection explores a universe where love never comes and must be found in spirituality, a larger being, or within oneself.

Speaking on his inspiration for the collection, Oke-Lawal says, “There is something redemptive about asking ourselves important questions, especially the ones that society never quite allows us to ask. With this collection, I wanted to introduce a new curiosity on belonging – what we own and to whom we belong. One of the ways we are socialized is to be in search of something that would complete us, and often there is a ticking clock that governs the acquisition of that thing. We live in a world where self-love is so easily compromised in favor of romantic love and external validation.

“We are corrupted by the illusion that we cannot attain wholeness individually. And often during that search, we abandon ourselves and give into the idea of incompleteness,” he continues. “What if love never comes? Are we to abandon completely the possibilities within our lives – all of which we own – and give into the pressure of endlessly searching? The language of individual wholeness is important to me, and I take it as a pointer for the way forward in living a fulfilling life.”

The collection features a unique color story that depicts the ultimate love story: the one found in oneself. Instead of dark and moody tones, the collection employs a spectrum of colors, from watercolor prints to dark greens and bright oranges. It comprises woven fabrics made by CABES (an enterprising collective of makers in Burkina Faso), fabrics locally sourced in Lagos and a mix of vegan leathers and faux furs. The technicality of the production ranges from hand-stitched waves to embroidery borrowed from Yoruba culture.

Orange Culture’s longstanding history of challenging human sociology through fabrication and colors is at the forefront of this collection, from the questions the clothes provoke to the answers we are asked to give.

Orange Culture FW23 collection “What If Love Never Comes?”