Backstage Beauty Report: Maki Oh Fall 2017 Collection

Maki Oh designer, Amaka Osakwe, returned to NYFW this season and debuted her Fall 2017 RTW collection with a clear story to be told.

Marrying her Nigerian roots with conventional Western aesthetics, Osakwe’s collection was a beautiful mix of colors, textures, and patterns. But Osakwe’s vision went way beyond the clothing. The designer played a heavy role in inspiring the overall beauty looks, from hair to makeup. So I went backstage before the show to hear from the beauty experts who brought Osakwe’s vision to life.

To top off almost every look, many of the models rocked statement box braided pigtails. Alterna Haircare’s lead hair stylist, Nate Rosenkranz, worked with each model to achieve this signature look using a unique technique.

“For this box braid, you’re going underneath, so it’s a different way of holding your hands and getting the hair under, and what it does is makes the braid sit on top of the hair, as opposed to laying flat on the hair, like a regular French braid,” explained Rosenkranz. “This the look the designer really wanted.”

In order to maintain a natural look with the perfect amount of shine, Rosenkranz and his team used Alterna’s Replenish Moisture Milk, the Bamboo Silk Sleek Brilliance Cream, and topped it off with the super light Kendi Dry Oil Micromist.

Once the models hair look was perfected, they headed over to Bobbi Brown makeup artist, Tia Hebron.

“We’re working a lot with the Bobbi Brown Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm, which gives you a really beautiful and radiant glow. Also, what I love about it is – I know a lot of people [right now] are into highlighting and contouring – by working with the moisture balm, you’re actually creating a highlight and glow through your skincare versus product.”

As I watched Hebron give the finishing touches for each model, I couldn’t help but notice the extra added details, like faux freckles, that really took the overall storytelling to the next level.

“The inspiration for the beauty looks is about clean, fresh skin; it’s about structured brows, an eye that is very plain, but the focus is really on little flecks of speckles and dirt,” said Hebron. “The speckles were inspired by the designer, Amaka. She really wanted a vibrant, tribal kind of feel, but in a modern way.”

While Hebron seemed to enjoy every bit of creating this distinctive look, she felt like skincare was the unsung hero, and key ingredient, in making the overall look a success.

“It’s all about a gorgeous glow. Some people may say it’s all about the brows and the speckles that are signature to this look, but for me, it’s really about the skin. We’re creating this beautiful highlight on the skin through skincare versus product. This is a glow that is really beautiful up close and personal.”

Once all the models’ hair and makeup looks were complete, the beauty story was clear and Osakwe’s vision came to life graciously.

Photos by Amandla Baraka, @amandlabaraka