SNDR MODE 2022: INFLUENCE WITH STYLE

Is ‘mesmerising’ all there is to fashion?

Think about it for a moment.

While you’re at it, we beg to differ. While there is no doubt that a dress’s ability to turn heads is an added point, what many fail to consider is giving those same dresses a voice to create an influence. In fashion, only a few have hacked this cheat code and are making it big. Why? Because their attire doesn’t just turn heads for a moment but impacts minds.

Now you may wonder where we are going with this.

Recently, we came across a rising fashion artist who has fallen into the spotlight; her name is Sandra Ugochi Igwe. Sandra Igwe is a creative fashion designer who loves merging bold designs with soft and comfortable materials. Over the years in the industry, she has honed her skills, leading to the establishment of her own fashion brand, SNDR Mode, in 2019.

The brand was born out of a passion to design clothes for women who want attires that ‘move and mean something’. They are bent on creating dresses that blend architectural volumes and soft fabrics. This feature of their designs allows for breathability. They are also very attuned to contributing to a sustainable environment.

In the last three years of their existence, SNDR Mode has partnered with various local artisans to source quality materials. Most of their creations are made with tulle, satin, and all kinds of airy fabrics. Their expertise lies in creating balloon/lantern sleeves, peplums, satin/tulle midi dresses, ruched shirtdresses, and many more.

In that light, the brand has created many collections, including SNDR22, which will be the focus of this critique. SNDR22 is a collection of three exceptional dresses, and we will describe them one by one.

Dress number one is a midi dress made from a Mikado mellow yellow fabric. It’s a simple gown with few details compared to the first outfit. The first feature that would probably catch your eye is the absence of sleeves. However, to make up for that missing characteristic, there are rope-like straps. These straps are long, open-ended strips that you can style in different ways, as shown in the display picture.

Next is the bustier attribute. This feature was inspired by corset dresses. They are primarily the kind of dresses that come with internal bust cups. This feature makes wearing the dress even more comfortable as the wearer does not have to worry about putting on ‘extras.’ Lastly, we have the plain, straight skirt constructed with a slight bulge, appearing as though the designer was going for a slight ball look and a slight straight appearance.

The gown was made with a remarkable colour and fabric; however, it is lacking in a lot of ways. The bustier seems mispositioned and looks as though it’s sliding off rather than staying balanced. This is probably because the right shape of bustier was not chosen in making the dress. Next time, the designer should consider going for a sweetheart shape or another neckline that makes the bustier look elegant and firmer. The second thing that could be pointed out as not really ‘doing it’ is the skirt part. It looks confusing.

‘Was the designer going for a straight dress or a somewhat balloon appearance?’ It would probably be the first thought that comes to the mind of the wearer. Therefore, next time, the designer Sandra should choose between going old school and sticking to a straighter look or giving the skirt a more flared look, so it fits better.

Dress number two is a beauty. It is a red A-line dress with multiple design details. But we go into the descriptions, let’s talk about the fabrics used. Using a ‘half and half’ concept, this piece was created with two similar but distinctive fabrics: a crepe de Chine and patterned lace.

Both fabrics share the same colour, making them complementary to each other despite the differences in each fabric. The patterned lace has two primary shapes—flowers and zigzags—that make the piece stand out even more. Meanwhile, the crepe de Chine took that rough edge away from the dress and smoothed it out.

Now let’s talk about the dress.

The attire started with a crew neckline, a type of neckline that sits just at the base of the neck. This was achieved using the lace fabric, which also flows to the sleeves. The bell sleeve that follows is just the right proportion of flare that makes the entire upper part of the bodice appealing.

Adopting the ‘half-and-half’ concept, the lace was stopped and the crepe de Chine conjoined at the bust line. This part smoothens out into an A-line dress with a twist. Unlike other A-lines, with little flare volume. The designer introduced slanted multiple layers of ruffles from the waistline down to the floor. This makes this dress very fitting for dinner nights.

Dress number two, as mentioned earlier, is beautiful. The detailing is close to perfect; however, the hemlines need to be given more attention. They look slightly rough and jagged, especially at the very bottom of the gown. If addressed, the dress will be eccentric without losing its elegance.

Dress number three, the final piece of this collection, is a sui generis makeup. The designer crafted it to fit into office settings. But here’s the interesting part: It’s not your conventional women’s suit. This one is an elegant office casual dress with multiple attributes that make it a classic.

First, we will be breaking down the structured peplum top of the outfit. This part of the dress was made with two fabrics: a cotton white voile and a cashmere chalk stripe fabric. Seeing as the designer used a ‘Half and half’ mechanism in creating this piece, the voile fabric was used to create the topmost part of the dress. That facet of the outfit consists of the neckline, which is round at the front and takes the form of a V at the back, and the slightly puffed sleeve clipped at the wrist with a cuff that gives the hem of the sleeve a ruffled look.

The other half is an asymmetrical peplum jacket. This part, which is the main highlight of the piece, was made from cashmere chalk stripe fabric. The look was achieved by conjoining the chalk stripes with the topmost. Then, on the left-hand side, a sharp-edged flap was included to give it a jacket-like look. A belt was also created for bodice closure, and on the bottom half of the top is the asymmetrical peplum that completes the dress’s peculiarity.

The skirt division of the attire was made from dark lining and tulle fabric, which can be likened to net fabric. However, the tulle used in this piece is lightweight and gentler on the skin. This creates a balance with the thicker striped material used at the top.

The overview of the dress is, no doubt, impressive. Still, one thing needs to be done to make it even better. For instance, the texture of the material used for the skirt contrasts with that used for the top, and the volume of the skirt is not fitting either. Using a smoother navy-blue fabric like the cotton voile used at the top and infusing a pencil-shaped skirt in place of the flair would be much better.

Through this trio, Sandra Ugochi Igwe has not only proven her expertise and versatility but has also shown that fashion is not limited to just aesthetics. Her designs reveal fashion’s ability to influence perspectives with newer ideas that impact the world and lead to better outcomes for everyone.

Abisola Omolade