Yaro fuses Nigeria and Spain in fashion

Abuja-based lawyer, Yambawo Yaro is the 2018 winner of the Fashion Illustration Competition organised by the Embassy of Spain, Abuja for successfully fusing elements unique to the Western European country and Nigeria.  Yaro’s entry won having met the criteria of the competition including aesthetic and technical quality, its identification with the Spanish culture and its […]

Abuja-based lawyer, Yambawo Yaro is the 2018 winner of the Fashion Illustration Competition organised by the Embassy of Spain, Abuja for successfully fusing elements unique to the Western European country and Nigeria. 

Yaro’s entry won having met the criteria of the competition including aesthetic and technical quality, its identification with the Spanish culture and its adaptability to a piece of cloth. The jury particularly valued the choice of colours, the balance among the different elements of the design and its insightful approach.

In his speech the Spanish Ambassador,  H.E. Marcelino Cabanas Ansorena, said, the competition was aimed at promoting the fashion and the textile industries but at the same time at embracing our two cultures. “Indeed, Ms. Yambawo’s design, winner of the competition, depicts part of our culture from a Nigerian perspective and we have the opportunity tonight to see it printed on textile by the Abuja Textile Manufacturers in Kano,” he said. 

He added that, “booming within the creative industries market in Nigeria and I am sure that with the talented designers the country has, it will soon raise up to a level that will be able to impact on the overall Nigerian economy.”

Yaro said, the concept of her work is an expression of what Spain is popularly known for – bullfighting. 

She said, although the human and animal contest has faced a lot of criticism while trying to stay relevant in modern times, the bull represents the strength of Spain. “Behind the bull is an outline of the Spanish fan mostly used by women to keep cool in the heat, which also serves as a form of communication.” 

Inspired by the beauty and variety of Spain, the lines, circles and colours are a representation of her diversity from the Flamenco dance, to the food and numerous festivals celebrated year round that the people partake in. They do so because it would be un-Spanish not to.

With the red carnation that blossoms all year surviving harsh summers, this national flower in the design beautifies the flamenco dancer’s hair, Spanish homes and landscapes, thereby symbolising the passion Spanish people resonate, which is equally seen with Nigerians. In sharing this passion, the two cultures share similar values towards the zest of life that is living in every moment.

Yaro is an art enthusiast with a love for fashion and design and spends her spare time drawing.