Inspired by the kingship of Henry VIII, the models for Ese Azenabor’s Fall/Winter 2015 collection strutted down the runway showing off embroidered jacquard and detailed beadwork.

Azenabor carefully handcrafted each piece in the collection over the course of six months. The first dress out on the runway–a floor length piece with black and silver beads, a plunging v-neck and a thigh-high slit–actually took her 21 straight days of hand sewing each bead onto the dress to complete.

Most models wore no accessories, except for a few that were accompanied with simple, solid-colored oversized clutches by designer Allison Mitchell. All of the models sported a straightened, slicked back hairstyle in order to keep the spotlight solely on the clothing. Following the royal theme, the colors used composed of jewel-toned reds and deep golds paired with the neutrality of black and white.

At the end of the show, Azenabor came out onto the runway smiling with her sister, Dose, by her side.  “We come from a very strict entrepreneur Nigerians,” Azenabor said of her background, “And in a Nigerian upbringing, you’re supposed to be an accountant or a doctor or a lawyer. Fashion designer wasn’t in our cards. But since I was a little girl, I’ve always been making little dresses, baby doll dresses. I didn’t really play with toys, I played with fabrics. After I graduated, I just wanted to do something that was what I wanted to do for myself and that was fashion.”

With such intricate details placed into each embroidered stitch and sewn on jewel, it’s easy to think of the line as too delicate to actually wear. Yet Azenabor was able to fashion the structures of her collection to be wearable but with a bit a pizzazz, perfect for a fancy occasion.

Email Brenda Liu at [email protected]