2023 Welcome to Bemavuno Couture Exhibtion

A year of reflection, of hustle, and the most spiritual year of my entire life. With a firm belief in myself and in God BEMAVUNO was born. This culmination of creativity is truly an embodiment of my relationship with God and the evolution of creativity throughout my life. Presented through a couture fashion exhibition, I introduced BEMAVUNO to the world and took the opportunity to bring people inside my mind to see the product of eight hard months of work, studying, trial and error, to finally birth a fashion-line to be proud of. The exhibition featured four hand sewn couture pieces named Harvest, Yield, Breathe and Ripple. All of which tie into the many meanings or translations of the Swahili word: Mavuno. In my heart, to “be mavuno” is to experience God’s touch in every aspect of my life, past, present and future. In a space filled with music, energy and a collection of family, friends and creatives I revealed my fashion line to everyone with a detailed presentation and a voiceover guide. Traveling through the space I connected with every person in attendance to give them my first hand reactions to what each piece meant to me and how it was built. I am forever grateful.

Harvest

As people we cannot help but gather together, in family or community. We gather items and belongings to give ourselves a level of comfort or pleasure. Our history begins in the fields of Africa gathering and providing. I feel a deep connection to that heritage. God wanted his children to sow the seed and bear fruit for the ever-present harvest season. Bemavuno is a seed and Harvest is one of the trees. Physically it represents the growing wheat of Africa with the colors gold and brown, and is once again based from more recycled materials like the various types of lace I love that add to the femininity and vintage feel of the dress. Through  hard work, sacrifice, and a willingness to persevere over the obstacles in my path, I continue to grow.

Written by Anthony Smolka upon interviewing Brandilyn Eubank  

photo by Emily Eliasen

Breathe

As a teenager, one of the most important aspects in discovering myself as a young adult was found in fashion. No matter how awkward or abnormal it seemed, I pushed the limits of my own comfort to express myself through clothing. I wore dresses over my shirts, layered pieces together, utilized accessories and mashed different colors for effect. With recycled materials as the base and my original color scheme, mixed together with textures and prints, Breathe was born. Aesthetically it embodies the classic 1970’s Bohemian style with a touch of my own love for tulle and ruffles. The cyan green has become the defining color of the brand. Though, on a much more personal and spiritual level it is representative of God’s breath. 

        To survive, we must breathe the air around us, but I believe God’s breath is one of the forces that guides us on our own path forward. Whether it brings clarity in a stressful situation, becomes a reminder to take a step back and re-evaluate a decision, or is simply an action used to center ourselves; to breathe is to be present again. For me, breathing is everything.

Written by Anthony Smolka upon interviewing Brandilyn Eubank,

Photo by Emily Eliasen

Caption

Yield

The definition of yield naturally  means “to produce” or “to provide” but can also mean “to give way” or “to allow” for something to happen. When I debuted my first streetwear  line titled “Ninedfour” in a fashion show, one of the original pieces then was the color scarlet. I found myself once more gravitating towards such a powerful statement color and volume in the design of this dress. In the past year of dedication and hardship I began to rely on  the Bible, and the term yield has become symbolic in how I allow God’s will to lead me in life. He has become my strength when I am weak. Simultaneously I read a passage from Exodus where God speaks to Moses on how to build his tabernacles or altars. With specifics on their construction he asked for the linens and yarn to be a scarlet red, and as The handler of all things, this inspired me. 

Written by Anthony Smolka upon interviewing Brandilyn Eubank

Photo by Emily Eliasen

The Team

Thanks to my Creative Director, Emily Eliasen, assisted by Rachel Rhodes and many others including Mike Weimer, Tiana McBride and Tierra Mona who helped organize and bring to life the couture exhibition. Along with the beautiful models, who were so supportive from the very beginning.