Well, the TDOT is does lot lack a vast array of things to do on any given weekend so being that we are Clutch, we are giving our Clutch Peeps the first installment to our Key to the City blog series. The entire purpose to to let you know about some of Toronto's best kept secrets and all the clutch things you can do whether you are trying to keep it low-key or turn all the way up! If you have any suggestions on things cool events or amazing spots to check out in the city, let us know in the comments section. First up, is our experience at the Dashiki Day Party!
Day parties in Toronto are not new, neither are African Dashikis, however, this Summer has brought out a serious increase in both. We would say this is largely due to the amazing weather and venues like Cabana becoming more and more popular amongst promoters apart from the regular Sunday pool bar hangout for downtowners. However, the Dashiki explosion has been making waves all over the world and has become a key fashion trend among celebrities, bloggers and fashion trend followers.
What used to be typical African style garment where in many cases, people would poke fun at Dashiki wearing hipsters is now not just an African thing but it has jumped into the mainstream fashion scene. Remember Rafael De La Ghetto from Fresh Prince? Well, his Dashiki has made a FULL comeback and it is better than ever.
It's current popularity may be correlated to the recent explosion of Afrobeats which has crossed over to different genres like Soca in the Caribbean, Hip Hop in the US and Grime in the UK, all have seen collaborations with West African artists like Timaya, Wizkid, & Runtown. In many cases, the fashion goes where the music goes and often go hand in hand (just ask Camron who had every young man wearing Pink in the early 2000s). That is why the Dashiki Day Party is ever so intriguing because it fuses African style fashion with Afro-Caribbean music and boy, was the energy on a hundred thousand trillion!
Taking place in a quiet but polished venue called Posh Supperclub, the vibe was anything but quiet or posh. Now there is such a thing as African Time in which many of us show up to events about 3 hours late, but there were a few early birds that were already tearing up that dance floor to some amazing warm up Afro-house tracks.
Yes, there is a genre called Afro-House and it will get your body moving in ways you didn't know it could. Soon, the venue began to fill up with many people sporting beautifully made Dashikis, some more traditional, others wearing more of the more modern African prints that are common with the new wave of Dashikis.
It is very hard not to notice the intricately woven patterns and bright colors. Many people did not come in their Dashikis but luckily, they were available for purchase at the venue by Woezor African Fashion!
and you know we had to be there with our WorldWide Tees from East and West Africa.
MC Bonde, the "Voice of Africa" got the crowd going as the hits kept coming one after the other. Tk Smoothe, Ray MP, and Dj Bravado went back and forth between Afrobeats, AfroHouse, Soca, HipHop, Reggae and even some Ol' School got some play. They took us through the Azonto, Skelewu, Shoki and then got people doing the running Man & Electric Slide, and had people Palancin from side to side.
It was amazing to see all the beautiful people come together for a night of fun, laughter, dancing and singing. They even had the Olympic 100 Metre Final on screen where onlookers cheered on for Jamaican runner Usain Bolt and Canadian sensation Andre Degrasse, both finish 1st and 3rd respectively.
Not only that, there was even a special guest appearance from Toronto's own, Linda Osifo, who took her talents back to Africa and his tearing up the big screens in Nollywood.
It was truly an honour to be part of such an event and we even got a chance to meet some great new people who picked up some Somalia, Ghana, and Sudan TDOT tees. We appreciate the love we got from the crowd and the organizers. Big shoutouts to Moonraiser Ent for such an amazing event and be on the lookout out for more. If you want a full dose of African Fashion and Design, check out all the best up and coming designers at African Fashion Week Toronto from August 18-21, finishing with another Dashiki After Party so don't miss out. Check out our full picture album on our Facebook Page. Stay Clutch!
Clutch Life 85 Team