By Etu Evans
Hello, Fashionprenuers and Retail Therapist.
It is my pleasure to introduce my debut collection for the Book Of Etu.
I had the thrill of shooting it in my favorite intersection of style, art, and culture in the mecca of Harlem at Morningside Park.
The sun provided the perfect lighting, the birds the soundtrack, and the yellow daffodils in bloom a visual burst of joy. Most people know me for my luxurious towering purple bottom stilettos, avantgarde accessories polished persona.
In striking contrast, the Book Of Etu is my alter ego Slavic Sijuwade is quite the opposite and very take it or leave I’m doing me with or without you. It is edgy, raw, recycled, fun, funky, and riddled with history lessons stitched at the seams.
The line features two collection themes for Etunites consisting of a universal contemporary and cultural collection giving it both street credibility and commercial appeal.
The Book of Etu is Wearable Liberation, Concrete Couture, and the Swarthy Scripture depicting the history and not his-story. A declaration of independence curating the melanated cosmos through textiles, imagery, sacred symbols, quotes, and a diasporically dope history.
It champions the lives of regal, resilient, and resourcefully regulated people. It is preppy Afrocentrism curated by us for us with city influences for sun-kissed afronauts whose hair defy gravity. It is audacious, unapologetic, and void of non-continental affirmation for visionaries who fester the ability to create everything out of nothing.
The Book of Etu is a vibe, sensibility, belief system, and lifestyle that creatively comes after the book of Exodus. It is a steeple of spiritual expression, economic empowerment, and autonomy gained by recycling currency in the cipher of its global communities.
It is for allies and cultural enthusiasts to unite and profess love conquers all, equality matters and the marginalization of one group devalues the entire hue-man race. Black pride does not equate to white hatred.
The Book of Etu is a culturally infused streetwear line consisting of sustainable apparel and accessories which include: Denim, Shirts, Sweatsuits, Outerwear, Intimates, Accessories, and Footwear for men, women, and pets.
The logo features a double E motif sometimes carried by a scarab. The location Seneca refers to Seneca Village, a settlement in Harlem created by free Black landowners but destroyed to make Central Park.
Whereas, 1865 commemorates the official year of Black emancipation coined Juneteenth and debunks the falsehood of July 4th as our day of redemption. The collection is a movement.
It is not for those content with sleepwalking but ascribes to those who are conscientiously waking. It is the prayer of the ancestors and the pulse of our freedom.
The Book of Etu is the history book of a people who have been free-ish for too long. A prophetic brand unearthing the truth about a symbol contextualized as oppressive. The Book of Etu shatters the shame and sham while exalting nature’s viagra, a watermelon face as its corporate mascot.
The watermelon was a notable symbol of freedom and emancipation for freed Blacks who grew, ate, and sold them after the Civil War.
The racist trope was perpetuated by southern society to despise their newfound freedom.
Eventually, the derogatory stereotype became interwoven into America’s psyche and it’s true political and historical meaning became obscure leaving most bamboozled.
The Book of Etu unlocks the shackles off of the mind through the empowerment of truth. The eponymous brands’ use of the fruits’ seeds is indicative of knowledge.
It advocates knowledge of self, creates self-love, solidarity, cultural appreciation, and removes the societal strain of inadequacy in a country where it appears to love Black culture, but not necessarily Black people.
It endeavors to pop the pimple of prejudice, privilege, and pride. The Book of Etu is the iconoclastic revolution of the new normal.
If you are looking to turn the page and add some flavor to your closet, this is the line for you that scribbles outside of the lines. Besides, life is too short to live with regrets or someone else’s dream.
The Book Of Etu will be available at the end of May at www.etuevansstyle.com under the Design tab.
You may also DM me on Instagram at Etu Evans or via Email at www.etuevans@gmail.com.
Credits Include Designer Etu Evans (www.etuevansstyle.com), photographer Mychal Watts (www.mychalwattsphotographer.photo), makeUp Susan Reid (Instagram @SusanReidNY) and Stylist Aimie Auragomii and Addobea.
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