Saturday 24th of October 2026

Nairobi, Kenya

Tag: Fashion Designer

New York Fashion Week Is On! A First Look at the February Schedule

Posted on by Fashion Police

The Council of Fashion Designers of America and IMG have released the official schedule for New York Fashion Week’s fall 2022 season. Taking place from February 11 to February 16, 2022, NYFW will see mainstays of American fashion like Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Coach, Proenza Schouler, Michael Kors, and Anna Sui return alongside some designers who’ve sat out of late like Area and Dion Lee, and a host of new names to know.

Steven Kolb, the chief executive of the CFDA told Vogue, “The American fashion industry has shown great resilience during this difficult time. As the Omicron variant continues to present challenges at every level, I am looking forward to seeing the ways in which designers continue to present their collections in creative, innovative ways with an eye to the safety of all fashion week stakeholders.”

The major question is whether the shows scheduled will take place in-person or digitally. The provisional schedule leaves a lot of room for designers to do things their way as precautions around the Omicron variant change, though there is a small section of digital-only brands noted on the calendar that includes names like Adam Lippes, Imitation of Christ, Sandy Liang, Theophilio, and others.

When a show does take place in-person, the CFDA and IMG are promising to monitor the COVID precautions. Kolb said, “We will be following the COVID protocols that were instated in September that call for mandatory vaccination, mask-wearing indoors, and scaling back the size of audiences. We continue to be in contact with local and state health officials as we monitor the Omicron variant.”

IRL or URL, New York is home to a new guard of thinkers, designers, and change-makers. Eckhaus Latta’s Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta have cemented themselves as NYFW mainstays with a 9 p.m. show on February 12, as has Telfar with a slot at 6 p.m. on the 16th.

Emerging talents from the spring 2022 season like Connor McKnight, Saint Sintra, and Elena Velez are back on the official calendar, joined by an In The Blk showcase. “There is a lot of great new talent on the schedule, including Dauphinette, Judy Turner, Loring, Luchen, Melke, PatBO, Saint Sintra, and Zankov,” Kolb said, highlighting the young talents on his radar.

Content Courtesy of Vogue Magazine & NFH 

Covid Or Not, The Show Must Go On: New York Fashion Week Kicks Off

Posted on by Fashion Police

Fall/Winter 2022 shows get underway at New York Fashion week with Proenza Schouler and Christian Cowan showing their lively collections.

Experimentation, play, and glitter: a coronavirus-impacted New York Fashion Week got underway on Friday with Fall/Winter 2022 shows by Proenza Schouler and Christian Cowan.

Experimentation’ At New York Fashion Week

In its collection, presented in an art gallery in Manhattan’s trendy East Village, New York brand Proenza Schouler played with shape, contrasting fitted waists with loose or slightly rounded skirts.

Designer Lazaro Hernandez said the idea was to exaggerate and juxtapose different forms to respond to “this whole body obsession these days with social media and everyone showing the body.”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZ5bKKIlLe3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Model Bella Hadid wore an outfit featuring buttoned sleeves, accentuated shoulders, and a black velvet hooded top – giving off a Catwoman vibe.

“Experimentation and play are key, perhaps now more than ever,” Proenza said of its collection.

Christian Cowan Showcases ‘glamour’ At New York Fashion Week

Christian Cowan – who has dressed Lady Gaga and rappers Cardi B and Lil Nas X – presented his collection in the observatory atop the One World Trade Center skyscraper that replaced the Twin Towers felled on 9/11.

The show had the atmosphere of a nightclub, highlighting the British designer’s taste for glitter and glamour.

Ahead of the runway, the label teased fans with what might be in store by posting an image of the “Freedom Tower” all in pink on its Instagram page.

Tom Ford Cancels New York Fashion Week Show

Despite pandemic restrictions and the Omicron variant upsetting preparations, several other brands have opted for in-person shows, including Michael Kors, Altuzarra, Tory Burch, Brandon Maxwell, and Telfar.

A notable absence was Tom Ford, chair of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that organizes the event.

He was due to close the week next Wednesday but canceled at the end of January due to a surge of COVID-19 cases among his team.

“We have tried everything possible to avoid canceling our New York show but ultimately are faced with the sad fact that we will simply not have a completed collection in time,” he said.

Opportunity For Emerging Talents To Showcase At New York Fashion Week

For several years now, New York has had to deal with big names deciding to skip the event in favor of displaying their latest collections elsewhere.

Some designers are also choosing to eschew the classic runway calendar, with growing criticism that the frantic pace of fashion is out of step with sustainability.

The absence of top creators like Christopher John Rogers – the CFDA’s women’s designer of the year 2021 – and Kerby Jean-Raymond’s Pyer Moss brand, also provided an opportunity for emerging talents to grab the headlines.

Or at least that is the hope of labels such as Melke and Dauphinette, which promote sustainable and ethical fashion.

“It is really rewarding realizing that people can see the work that I’ve been doing and they think that it deserves a place amongst a bunch of other very successful brands,” 26-year-old Emma Gage, who founded Melke during the pandemic, told AFP.

“It kind of really solidifies you as someone that people know is going to be around for a long time,” she said inside her small studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Content Courtesy of AFP, The South African & NFH 

The Top Emerging Black Designers to Know Now

Posted on by Ann Mumbi

There are countless Black designers leading the current cultural conversations surrounding fashion and in the process, they are generating the culture itself. Their genius trickles down to the mainstream (as has historically been the case for designers including Ann Lowe, Willi Smith, Stephen Burrows, and many more) and becomes the industry standard.

Telfar Clemens’s label Telfar has redefined the “It” bag and created an “It” label in the process; Theophilio bakes community work and activism into its design ethos and brand codes; and Christopher John Rogers brings his Southern roots to a new kind of red carpet couture (inspired, always, by his mother’s church looks).

In addition to these established labels, there is a whole new guard of designers making fashion and setting trends through their own, idiosyncratic visions. Many of them have shown at the various fashion weeks, while others are still indie brands garnering cult followings in their own right. All are worth your attention.

1. Connor McKnight

Connor McKnight showed his second collection ever at New York Fashion Week in September 2021 after having launched the brand in the trying year that was 2020. Despite his label still being in its fledgling stages, the offerings which include sleek knits, tailored garments, and one very sexy leather jacket demonstrate the Brooklyn-based designer’s prowess and far-reaching vision.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CItjcBfAuHg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

2. Khiry

Khiry jewelry designer Jameel Mohammed is not yet 30 years old and already, he’s created pieces worn by the likes of Tessa Thompson, Serena Williams, Megan Thee Stallion, and Michelle Obama, who donned Khiry’s Isha Rose Quartz Hoops with a matching ring during her Becoming book tour. Mohammed, a 2021 finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award, is a Chicago native now based in New York City. His finely wrought gold and silver rings, collars, and pearl-studded earrings pay homage to the African diaspora.

3. Tia Adeola

Arguably one of the buzziest brands to hit New York Fashion Week this year, Tia Adeola draws from designer Teniola “Tia” Adeola’s background in art history and her deep interest in the Renaissance period. Along with her signature proclivity for feminine ruffles, Adeola’s creations also tap into of-the-moment, updated trends like corsetry and screen-printed graphics. Adeola, who was born in Nigeria and raised in London, officially kicked off NYFW on February 10th with the debut of her fall 2022 collection, which drew from her thoughts, anxieties, and musings during the End SARS movement in Nigeria.

4. Roop

Manchester-based designer Natasha Fernandes-Anjo is taking sustainability into her own hands. With her accessory label Roop, Fernandes-Anjo recreates cast-off textiles and deadstock fabrics into sweet handbags and scrunchies all at an accessible price point.

5. Kenneth Nicholson

You’ve never seen menswear like Kenneth Nicholson’s. The Los Angeles-based designer’s clothes always draw upon a historical reference of some kind you’ll often hear him referencing Biblical stories or the 1800s when discussing his brand. The Houston native was awarded a scholarship to San Francisco’s Academy of Art before serving in the U.S. Navy. Afterward, he moved to Los Angeles to start his eponymous brand. “I don’t think I’m redefining [masculinity],” Nicholson told the L.A. Times in 2021. “I’m recalibrating what was already there.”

6. Head of State

Taofeek Abijako’s first exposure to the world of fashion came from his father, who was a designer in Abijako’s hometown of Lagos, Nigeria. In the elder Abijako’s studio, people from all walks of life came to purchase bespoke clothing. Once Taofeek’s family moved to the United States in 2010, he taught himself to sew and, six years later, launched Head of State, which has become a favorite among the fashion set.

7. Labrum London

Designer Foday Dumbuya has always aimed to bridge the gap between Great Britain and its West African diasporic communities. Through his label, Labrum London, the East London-based artist (who was raised between Sierra Leone, Cyprus, and England,) marries traditional British tailoring with the patterns and fabrics of West African attire.

8. Bernard James

Although the jewelry designer Bernard James first launched his label in 2010 with the intent of filling the gaps he saw in the men’s jewelry market, he has since expanded Bernard James into a unisex brand one that’s become a top favorite, especially among the editors here at W. We’re huge fans of the chain-link bangles and bracelets (shown above in the form of a necklace), and, of course, the show-stopping mirror gem earrings.

9. Who Decides War

Everard Best (who goes by the moniker Ev Bravado) and Téla D’Amore cite Ralph Lauren as one of their main sources of inspiration. Their label, Who Decides War, however, is anything but your stock Americana. Although the Who Decides War runway show for spring 2022 offered lots of denim, Western-Esque vests, and deconstructed sweaters knitted with United States flag emblems, the designers completely remixed what the standard approach to American fashion has historically looked like.

Content Courtesy of W Magazine & NFH 

 

Common Threads Contemporary African Fashion

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

Meet the new generation of African creatives taking the continent’s textile culture into the future. Helen Jennings reports.

 “Cloth is to Africans what monuments are to Westerners… Their capacity and application to commemorate events, issues, persons, and objectives outside of themselves are so immense.” El Anatsui, 2005

These wise words from Ghana’s most celebrated fine artist sum up Africa’s gloriously storied textile heritage, which not only speaks to generations of artisanal mastery but also to the significant cultural communication performed with a cloth across the continent. And over recent decades, African fashion designers have elevated these treasures still further through their designs. Early pioneers include Shade Thomas-Fahm who revolutionized Nigerian fashion in the 1960s by using handwoven aso-oke. In the 1980s, Malian Chris

Seydou was the first designer to consider bògòlanfini mud cloth. And in 1990s Ghana, Kofi Ansah modernized ceremonial kente cloth.

Today many heritage fabrics face being lost as older generations of makers pass on. This does not mean, however, as commonly believed, that African fabric and weaving traditions belong to the past, unchanging relics of a by-gone era. In fact, they remain ever-evolving tools for creating employment, empowerment, and innovation.

For example, the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a program of the International Trade Centre, works with co-ops in several countries to finance their valuable skills, whether silk screening, sewing, dying, or weaving, and develop ethical supply chains.

But it is the current generation of sought-after African designers and entrepreneurs who are the ones using new thinking to take ancient textiles into the future. In Nigeria, Emmanuel Okoro of Emmy Kasbit focuses on re-imagining akwete, a loom-woven cloth made by Igbo women in eastern Nigeria. “There are over 100 traditional motifs and it’s said that each one came to its maker from the spirits in their dreams,” says Okoro. “For me, it comes down to preserving the culture of our forefathers in a modern way. Storytelling is at the forefront of putting African fashion on the global stage, so we cannot tell our stories with western fabrics.”

Each season, the Lagos-based designer develops his own patterns based on Nsibidi hieroglyphics and then delivers his yarns and designs to his cherished weavers. His boldly tailored men’s and women’s looks for SS21 speak to ideas of unity and strength and were debuted at Vogue Italia Talents during Milan Fashion Week. “I’m interested in community upliftment and boosting a craft that had become forgotten,” he adds. “I want to see these women win, and I’m letting the world know that this is what African luxury looks like.”

Fellow Nigerian Nkwo Onwuka’s approach is informed by her interest in ethical fashion. The Abuja-based designer has developed dakala, a handmade cloth made from denim offcuts. “Nigeria has a lot of markets trading in second-hand garments and a strong culture of clothing being made by small-scale manufacturers and dressmakers, which results in a huge amount

of textile waste,” Onwuka explains. “I started to see how I could prevent dead stock and old clothes from ending up in landfills or being incinerated by using them as a raw material. Through experimentation, I developed a technique of stripping, braiding, and sewing together textile waste to form a new fabric that has the look and feel of our traditional woven fabrics.”

Dakala was shortlisted for the Design Museum’s Beazley Designs of the Year 2020 award and her studio continues to develop the technique with the next step being a loom-spun version. Her current collection, entitled No Planet B, features ponchos and apron corsets made from multiple strings of dakala. “For me, success is making sure that I can take care of everyone in my small circle with the hope that this care ripples

out to form a larger circle,” she says. “I want to make sure that each person feels valued. The community has to be the fuel that fires what we do.”

Johannesburg-based designer Thebe Magugu is embracing the latest technology to create experiential fabrications from ancient inspirations. The 2019 LVMH Award winner is passionate about investing his directional yet elegant womenswear with cultural value.

For example, his clothing labels are fitted with microchips. “If any smartphone taps them, it opens a webpage that showcases the story of the collection as well as photographs of everyone involved in the making of the garment, from the fabric weavers in Cape Town to the tailors in Joburg. I love the full transparency and the idea of bringing culture and technology together,” he says.

For his AW21 collection, entitled Alchemy, Magugu immersed himself in African spirituality, which led to a collaboration with traditional healer Noentla Khumalo for his headline print featuring the tools of her trade – goat knuckles, a police whistle, pencil sharpener, red dice, and shells. “Noentla, who uses various objects as her medium to communicate with the ancestors, threw these objects onto a straw mat, which were then photographed, abstracted, and printed onto wool suiting. Before she threw the bones, Noentla asked ‘What now?’ and what lays on this garment is the answer.”

The rising star, who’s currently shortlisted for The Woolmark 2021 Prize, also worked with South African eco-printmaker Larissa Don who used cannabis and imphepho (the plant healers burn during their ceremonies) to transfer botanical prints onto merino wool. “It is about the idea of modernity through the indigenous,” he adds. “Wool is one of the most sophisticated fabrics available – from its odour-absorbing properties and natural heat-management to its inherent sense of luxury, which all speak to the unparalleled power of the natural world.”

While bright ideas in the high fashion space abound, there remain steep challenges facing more widely available fashion fabrics due to the lack of textile manufacturing facilities on the continent. The industry dwindled in the 1990s in the face of international competition including hugely popular

wax print fabrics from Europe. While infrastructure is surely improving today, there is still far to go. This is an area Kenyan fashion curator Sunny Dolat is addressing.

“As Africans, we have been lucky to be born into a wealth of textile culture. I believe we have a duty to grow and add to this heritage,” says Dolat, who is co-founder of The Nest Collective and creative business incubator, the HEVA Fund. “Many parts of Africa still have communities, albeit reduced, of spinners, weavers, and dyers who carry this cultural memory in their hands. The work I’m exploring now seeks to marry these sustainable practices with contemporary insights, ideas, and materials, which I believe could support many artisans across the continent.”

Due to Kenya’s colonial history, the country’s homegrown textile heritage is severely diminished compared to other parts of Africa. This fact is what originally stirred Dolat to take action. “All the textiles that we have are versions of textiles from other cultures. Maasai shuka blankets came from Scottish missionaries, kikoi is an update on an Omani wrapper, and kanga is based on the Portuguese lenço scarf. They all started off being made locally but, as with most things, much of it is now brought in from Asia. This got me thinking, what could a truly Kenyan textile look like?”

Dolat visited artisanal communities around the country to research organic dyes and fibers and then moved on to developing a new visual language with graphic designers Lulu

Kitolo and Monica Obaga. The result is Nanga (Swahili for anchor), a range of prints inspired by Kenya’s natural and urban landscapes, which have been produced on silk, chiffon, and cotton and are entering Nairobi’s downtown fabric stores this year. “We’re not going to announce them or give them to designers. Instead, we’re putting them in the mass market to see if they sell. That would be the true measure of success.”

He cites Green Nettle as a benchmark for the kind of new approach that could take African fashion innovation to the next level.

This Kenyan start-up won the H&M Foundation Global Change Award for its environmentally-friendly fabric made from nettles – a plant that thrives in even the most barren areas of the country. “My hope is that more designers

and companies begin to develop their own interventions into the textiles. Last year, the pandemic disrupted everyone’s access to textiles overnight. This taught us not to rely on imports and many found local alternatives instead. It would be amazing if that way of working can continue to be fostered and grow.”

Content Courtesy of TL Magazine & NFH 

African Development Bank’s Fashionomics Africa, Partners, Launch New Sustainable Fashion Competition With $6,000 in Cash Prizes

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

The African Development Bank Fashionomics Africa initiative’s second online competition is offering $6,000 total in cash prizes, mentoring, new branding packages, and other support for winning African designers of sustainable and circular fashion.

Fashionomics Africa, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, Parsons School of Design, strategic consulting and communications agency BPCM, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, invite interested African fashion brands to apply to the sustainable fashion online competition. Entrants must be pursuing environmentally friendly measures, sustainability, and circular economy actions to qualify. The designer or design team submitting the “best sustainable design” will win $3,000 along with other prizes. Two other competition finalists will take home $1,500 each, plus other support.

The competition celebrates African fashion brands that will change how we produce, buy, use and recycle fashion and that encourage a more sustainable shift in consumer practices.

“Sustainability is the present, not the distant or even the near future. It is where we are now, and it is vital that we open our eyes to what the fashion industry already has to offer. By embracing the industry’s existing resources, we are promoting circularity at the most fundamental level,” said Amel Hamza, Acting Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society at the African Development Bank.

“With the second edition of the Fashionomics Africa contest, the Bank aims to continue highlighting the ingenuity that African fashion designers consistently demonstrate through the strength of their culture and heritage,” she added.

The textile and fashion industry accounts for nearly 2% to 8% of global carbon emissions, the sector ranks as the world’s second-largest industrial polluter after the oil sector, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. However, this industry also provides important levels of employment, foreign exchange revenue, and products essential to human welfare.

The competition targets textile, apparel, and accessories entrepreneurs from Africa, aged 18 years or older, who have launched fashion businesses (up to a maximum of 50 employees), and whose sustainable designs have been produced within the last five years. Qualifying applicants will submit pictures of their products, detail their sustainable business model, and explain how their startup is environmentally friendly and innovative.

Examples of sustainability and circularity elements might include materials used, the design process, cleaner or greener production processes – including shipping methods or ways to reduce carbon footprint.

A five-person judging panel representing the African Development Bank and competition collaborators will announce the three finalists by 22 March 2022. The finalists’ entries will be posted on the Fashionomics Africa digital marketplace and mobile application for a public vote between 22 March 2022 and 7 April 2022. Polls close on 7 April at 23:59 GMT.

In addition to the cash prize, the winning fashion brand will receive a certificate and the opportunity to showcase its creation by taking part in online events and sharing insights on key sustainability challenges facing the industry. The winner will have access to a network of media insiders and industry experts and receive mentoring and networking opportunities from competition collaborators.

To learn more about the Fashionomics Africa online competition or to submit an entry, click here. Applications must be received by 1 March 2022 at 23:59 GMT.

Fashionomics Africa is an African Development Bank initiative increasing Africa’s participation in the global textile and fashion industry value chains.

Content Courtesy of Fashionomics Africa & NFH

The UK’s Largest Ever Exhibition of African Fashion is Coming to the V&A this Summer

Posted on by Fashion Police

The V&A’s landmark exhibition will be the UK’s largest of its kind and will showcase the work of 45 designers from over 20 countries.

Designers from the African diaspora are set to be showcased in the V&A’s upcoming exhibition of the continent’s fashion, which will be the UK’s largest ever.

Africa Fashion, which will showcase the work of 45 designers from over 20 countries, will celebrate the irresistible creativity, ingenuity, and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashions.

Over 250 objects will be exhibited, with many of the items on the show set to be donated from the personal archives of a selection of iconic mid-20th century African designers, including Shade Thomas-Fahm, Chris Seydou, Kofi Ansah, and Alphadi, marking the first time their work will be shown in a London museum.

“Our guiding principle for Africa Fashion is the foregrounding of individual African voices and perspectives,” Dr. Christine Checinska, senior curator African and African diaspora: fashion and textiles, said. “The exhibition will present African fashions as a self-defining art form that reveals the richness and diversity of African histories and cultures.”

African Fashion will also showcase and celebrate the works of contemporary designers, including Imane Ayissi and Thebe Magugu, who won the coveted LVMH prize in 2019 for emerging talent.

“African fashion is now. It’s not just designers, there’s a whole ecosystem of models, make-up artists, photographers, illustrators – imagine bringing everybody’s work to life season in season out,” says Omoyemi Akerele, founder of Lagos Fashion Week. “Fashion that’s created by our people for our people and for the benefit of growing and developing our economy.

This exhibition is important because, for the very first time, fashion from the continent will be viewed from a diverse perspective which spans centuries.”

African Fashion will open at the V&A Museum on 2 July 2022 and will run until 16 April 2023. Tickets can be booked here.

Content Courtesy of Stylist & NFH

The Louis Vuitton And Nike Expression Of The “air Force 1” By Virgil Abloh

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

The Nike Air Force 1, celebrating its 40th year, was designed in 1982 and is one of the most successful and iconic shoes ever created. On the occasion of the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring-Summer 2022 runway show, Virgil Abloh collaborated with Nike to design 47 pairs of bespoke Air Force 1s, fusing the trainer’s classic codes with the insignia and materials of Louis Vuitton in homage to the hip-hop culture that shaped him.

The sneakers were made with materials employed in Abloh’s Louis Vuitton men’s collections, and styled with his signature quotation marks, echoing the written graphics Abloh often used in his work. The individual styles designed for the show were made by Louis Vuitton in its shoe manufacture in Fiesso d’Artico, Italy.

A total of 200 pairs are being made available for this auction in an exclusive colorway and in a range of sizes. The sneakers, entirely made in leather, are embellished with Louis Vuitton’s emblematic Monogram and Damier patterns with natural cowhide piping. Each pair will be sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case, also from the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 collection, which was reinterpreted from Maison’s archive in an iconic orange colorway and made of Monogram Taurillon Leather.

The pilot case features Louis Vuitton’s classic S lock closure in white metal finishing and includes a luggage tag in the shape of the Nike Swoosh. The pilot case adapts to every shoe size, based on an internal cushion system. It will be sold exclusively in this auction

Louis Vuitton’s proceeds from the sale* will benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent

In this size – 7 – only 20 pairs will be produced by Louis Vuitton. The fit is true to other Nike Air Force 1 models.

The lot is in new condition and is being manufactured concurrently with the auction. All lots are sold directly by Louis Vuitton. Due to variations in the manufacturing process as well as sizing, there may be small, immaterial differences as compared to the provided photos and display. This lot is currently scheduled to ship in the first half of 2022, but the timing is subject to change.

100% of the Hammer price is being donated by Louis Vuitton to The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund. The Buyers Premium and Overhead Premium will be retained by Sotheby’s. No portion of the purchase price is tax-deductible.

Content courtesy of NFH Digital Team 

Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” Sneakers by Virgil Abloh Beating Auction Estimates

Posted on by Fashion Police

The sale, which the Louis Vuitton creative designer helped to plan before his death from cancer at age 41 in November, will benefit The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund for Black, African-American and students of African descent in the fashion industry.

Bids for 200 pairs of Nike/Louis Vuitton “Air Force 1” sneakers designed by Virgil Abloh are running well beyond Sotheby’s initial estimates in an auction with a week to go.

The sale, which the Louis Vuitton creative designer helped to plan before his death from cancer at age 41 in November, will benefit The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund for Black, African-American and students of African descent in the fashion industry.

“We’re currently at around $6.1 million in hammer price,” said Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter, on Tuesday, when bids ran as high as $60,000.The original total estimate was $1 million to $3 million for the Jan. 26 to Feb. 8 auction.

The leather sneaker features Abloh’s signature quotation marks and Louis Vuitton’s emblematic patterns. Each comes with a limited-edition orange pilot case.

“On a size 5, there’s just one pair and a size 18, again, there’s just one pair. When you get to a size 10 or a size 8, there are more,” Wachter said.

The sneakers were the first official collaboration between Nike and Louis Vuitton.

“It’s really bringing together two of the great Goliaths of the industry. And of course, the genius of Virgil Abloh, who so many people love and respect and miss,” Wachter said.

“Bringing all three of these worlds together is really an incredible thing, which I think is driving global interest.”

Abloh, one of the highest-profile Black designers, had been the creative mind behind Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection since 2018. In July 2021, LVMH mandated him to launch new brands and partner with existing ones in non-fashion sectors such as furniture and luggage.

Content courtesy of NFH Digital Team 

 

Why The World Do Need to Pay Attention To African Fashion

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

In many ways fashion – especially prêt-à-porter and couture – feels like an ethereal form of art: it pops up in shapes and textiles, in patterns and trends, only to disappear or be replaced a season later. It comes out often loudly and grandly at fashion weeks and events around the world, only for a show to last a few minutes before the curtain falls again, abruptly, leaving in its trail a series of images splashed on Instagram squares and billboards, heavy price tags dangling in front of our eyes like Ulysses’s sirens.

It’s a cycle, a sort of infinite loop of creations, applauds, consternation, outrage, more applauds – a snake eating its own tail, leaving many watching in perplexity: wait, what’s that? And pondering, at times criticizing the unbearable pointlessness (and allure) of luxury fashion.

The thing is, that infinite loop of fashion creation, as “pointless” as it looked, was growing relatively consistently every year. In a story published in 2019, Maverick Life cited a November 2018 Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study by Bain & Company, which noted that the global luxury market  which includes personal luxury goods, luxury cars and hospitality, fine and wine spirits, gourmet food, fine art, high-quality design and furniture, private jets and yachts as well as luxury cruises ­ grew by 5 percent at constant exchange rates in 2018 to an estimated €1.2 trillion globally, with overall positive performance across all segments.”

Until an infamous month early in 2020 where the world ground to a halt, motionless, the hand of the pandemic slicing into the fashion loop with the precision of a pair of scissors cutting through silk.

Suddenly, like many other industries around the globe, things stopped: no more fashion weeks, no ads on billboards, the slow, almost flatlined pace turned fashion on its head, at least for a few months. Talk of sustainability, more considerate production, meaningful collections, and work with local artisans grew louder.

In this space, where fashion is forced to adapt to its environment, to be more intelligent and thoughtful, South African and fellow African designers are light years ahead of their Western counterparts. Agility, imagination, and a deep, almost visceral concern for telling genuine stories through clothes are often at the core of the collections created by local designers.

Having to design, promote and sell their work with barely any support and little help from the government, with access to luxurious fabrics that are often nonexistent, a Western market that has better and more connected infrastructures, South African designers, artists, and creatives have to rely on ingenuity and backing each other up to move forward. And move forward they do we should be paying attention.

In a 2012 interview with Luxury Society, former Vogue International editor Suzy Menkes explained: “There are two reasons why ‘Africa’ and ‘luxury’ should appear in the same sentence. The first is a new vision of what luxury means in the 21st century. Consumers, particularly in the western hemisphere, are beginning to prize objects touched by human hands – and the handwork in Africa is exceptional. From the work that the Tuaregs have done for Hermes to the bags that are created in Kenya for Ilaria Fendi and for Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood, African hands make artistic pieces, often with the added bonus of being sustainable and also ethical.

Her statement rings even more true today.

Take Thebe Magugu for example – the winner of the LVMH Prize (which granted him €300,000 and a one-year mentorship program) in 2019 has always explained how each of his collections, since the launch of his eponymous brand in 2017, been inspired by an almost anthropological approach to design, where societal commentary, economics, South Africa’s complex and rich heritage, and intimate stories are stitched and printed into the garments.

Check Genealogy SS2022 the young designer created a collection based on old family photos, saying: “It’s this idea of memory as a reservoir for optimism”; a reminiscence of his 2016/17 project with fellow designer Rich Mnisi, titled Family Photos, the collection is imbued with intelligent and meaningful design.

Another recipient of the LVMH Prize, sustainable textile designer, Central St Martins graduate, and Cape Town-based Sindiso Khumalo, launched her eponymous label in 2015, focusing “on creating modern sustainable textiles with a strong emphasis on African storytelling”.

In fact, Khumalo designs the textiles in her collections “by hand through watercolors and collage”. Just one look at her garments is enough to understand how “conscious” her designs are: balloon-sleeves on tailored wide-leg pants, barely-there frills enhancing the top of a blouse, and everywhere prints that evoke the rolling green hills and lush landscapes of KwaZulu-Natal, where Khumalo is originally from; her silhouettes are feminine, powerful representations of black women “from the turn of the 20th century and up to the 1980s”.

In 2021, designer Lukhanyo Mdingi told Maverick Life: “Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I speak about the collective, but that is the essence of who we are. I believe in human beings. I believe in design and I believe that you need a community of people to reach your fullest potential.”

He was sharing the vision behind the collection that won him the 2021 Karl Lagerfeld LVMH Prize. Mdingi puts immense consideration and attention into creating incredible garments using local fabrics like mohair and wool, gold threads running through bright reds; he met with producers in the Karoo, and worked with weavers from Philani, a Cape Town-based NGO dedicated to “improving child nutrition and empowering women from marginalized communities”.

On the day he received the award, Mdingi explained that he “felt proud to be representing a community of individuals who had used their time, their talent, and their trust as a means of service. I was also so proud to be representing my country.”

Talking about the collective, Rich Mnisi, known for his branded knitted jumpers and collections inspired by pop culture and modern South Africa, created Stories of Near, a sort of club, “a network of trailblazers that are redefining the African fashion landscape. The club is all about creating an ecosystem of stakeholders with common values and purposes.”

Outside of South Africa, we should also keep an eye on Dazed editor Ib Kamara’s striking work – the Sierra Leone-born and London-based stylist creates powerful and innovative imagery that is reinventing fashion visuals; Brother Vellies founder and creative director Aurora James the designer behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s MET Gala dress “Tax the Rich” is also the powerful force behind The Fifteen Percent Pledge, a non-profit organization that invites “major retailers and corporations to join (the organization) in creating sustainable and supportive ecosystems for Black-owned businesses to succeed”.

Finally, Liya Kebede’s Lemlem, which she created in 2007, is all about clothes that are hand-woven in cotton that has been “cultivated on Ethiopian farms since ancient times”. The label focuses on sustainability and manageable quantities and orders, rather than massive growth at the expense of quality and craft. This is luxury. DM/ML

The fashion world often looks like a sort of infinite loop of creations, applauds, consternation a snake eating its own tail, leaving many watching in perplexity: wait, what’s that? South African fashion is bringing a refreshing take on an ‘old’ world.

Content courtesy of Daily Maverick & NFH Digital Team 

 

Fashion Entrepreneur Sews Fabric of Peace in Northeastern DR Congo Rife with Violence

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

Under the shadow of violence that has plagued the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for decades, local fashion entrepreneurs are longing to stitch hopes and sew the fabric of peace by making their own clothing line.

For Patrick Muhindo, a fashion maker who started his own clothing line and sewing workshop called “Kuliko Art” in Goma, capital of DRC’s North-Kivu province, the year of 2021 has not been an easy journey for fashion makers like himself.

“The year of 2021 is not easy, we all know it. But we still managed to advance against all kinds of adversity,” said Muhindo.

Though the bell of 2022 rang more than a week ago, Goma is still in mourning for the deadly suicide attack on Christmas night in the nearby city of Beni, let alone the looming fear over the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The North-Kivu province, which has been under the state of siege since May 2021, has lost more than 2,000 innocent souls to armed rebels and militants in 2021, according to Kivu Security Tracker (KST), a respected monitor on eastern DRC.

Launched in January 2020, the sewing workshop has earned its fandom over the past months, with its hand-made slippers, handbags, knitwear, and other ready-to-wear items that exuberate with African style.

With a new collection coming up each week for the clothing line, Muhindo has been able to launch several local fashion shows.

Business and fashion dreams all aside, as one of the victims traumatized by the decades-long violence and turmoil, Muhindo in particular eyes the power of fashion and style, so as to stitch hope and sew the fabric of peace for his hometown and people.

“Through fashion, we try to make a statement of cohabitation and peace. All this is done by mixing the colors and fabrics that we put in our collections. Thus, each collection conveys a message of peace, equality, and peaceful coexistence,” said Muhindo.

For him, each piece and each color of the collection speak their own language and send a special message. “For example, a garment is composed of several colors and each color has its own meaning. The blue color represents unity and the white color represents peace,” said the Congolese fashion entrepreneur.

In May 2021, Muhindo created “Maison Kuliko,” a special project dedicated to training young girls aged 12 to 20 in turning needlework and handcrafting their bread and butter and windows of opportunity.

“We started with a training on women’s leadership in the art sector,” explained Muhindo, adding that the training program aims to put into action the gender equality that girls and women also share the chance to thrive on their own.

He believes the sewing workshop also offers a chance for talented designers and stylists who seek the chance to step into the fashion industry.

“In our community, you can easily spot creative and brave young people. This is why I hope my workshop could one day inspire young talent in Goma to pursue their dream in fashion,” said Muhindo.

Content courtesy of Xinhua & NFH Digital Team 

Davido Inks Deal With International Sportswear Brand Puma

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

Afrobeats star Davido last week announced that he had signed an endorsement deal with global sportswear brand Puma.

DMW leadman Davido, is now a brand ambassador for a popular sports brand, PUMA, The brand shared this message as they unveiled Davido via an official Instagram page, this comes a few days after Davido sealed a deal with WEMA bank.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXlqFs4Iotj/?utm_source=ig_embed

The ‘Champion Sound’ hitmaker revealed the news to more than 20 million of his followers on Instagram. He is expected to leverage his star power to expand Puma’s imprint in Africa, promoting its Sportstyle collections such as the brand’s iconic T7 tracksuits.

Davido said that he was excited to partner with the company and “to take it to the next level in Nigeria, Africa, as well as with fans across the world.

“Growing up, I saw Puma play an important part in African sports, sponsoring many different football federations,” Davido said. “I also saw the kind of family Puma had built with the likes of Usain Bolt, Maradona, Neymar, Jay-Z, Nipsey, Rihanna, and Lewis Hamilton, among other superstars and I thought, that’s an amazing family to be a part of.”

Puma general manager of distribution in Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa Johan Kuhlo said: “We could not be more excited to welcome Davido to the Puma family. Throughout our history, Puma has had strong roots in Africa, football, and beyond. Signing Davido is both a clear commitment to Africa as a key market and a sign that African culture is becoming more and more relevant globally”.

Representative of Puma in Nigeria Persianas Retail’s executive director, Ayo Amusan, said: “We are proud to welcome Davido to the Puma family. With this partnership, our customers and indeed his fans everywhere can expect to see the magic that can happen when two iconic brands such as Davido and Puma come together.”

The singer joins other international musicians, athletes, and celebrities who are associated with the brand. The deal adds to his list of partnerships, which include Viva, Pepsi, Travelbeta, Guinness Nigeria, MTN Pulse, and Infinix Mobile, among others.

Davido is behind four albums, the latest being A Better Time, which was released in 2020. He is scheduled to perform at The O2 Arena in London, the UK on 5 March 2022.

After today’s announcement, Davido will act as a brand ambassador for PUMA in sub-Saharan Africa, North America, and across the world. He will wear PUMA’s Sportstyle collections, including the company’s iconic T7 tracksuits. As an avid sports fan, Davido will also don the company’s Basketball and Football styles.

Content courtesy of Puma &NFH Digital Team 

SA Designer Takudzwa Dlamini set to further Fashion Studies in Milan

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

A huge stepping stone for me as a start-up  SA designer Takudzwa Dlamini is set to further her studies at the Milano Fashion Institute in Milan.

South African fashion designer Takudzwa Dlamini is described as a woman of very few words who uses fashion as a voice to communicate. Dlamini is set to further her studies after being accepted into a prestigious fashion school in Italy, Milan but says there is still a lack of support for young talent in South Africa.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1YrltZjZdF/?utm_source=ig_embed

Who Is Takudzwa Dlamini?

Takudzwa Dlamini is a 27-year-old fashion designer whose work is dedicated to redefining society’s view of women and the perceptions of femininity and masculinity and how they interact.

She completed her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in fashion design at LISOF in 2017 and obtained her BA Honours degree in fashion design from the University of Johannesburg in 2020. She has always wanted a career in fashion since she was a little girl.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0CTbxjvhv/?utm_source=ig_embed

She is also the owner of her very own fashion brand, Taku Dlamini. According to Design Indaba, the contemporary womenswear brand prides itself on sustainable production practices.

“The key themes in her work are culture, feminism, storytelling and she always aims to invoke a sense of nostalgia,” highlights the organisation.

She has shown her work at the African Fashion International Fashion Week in Johannesburg.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIfjYAzDG07/?utm_source=ig_embed

Milano Fashion Institute

The talented fashion designer has been accepted to study a Master of Brand and Business Management at the Milano Fashion Institute in Milan, Italy.

“It’s a huge stepping stone for me as a start-up business. I think there’s so much I am yet to learn about the business aspect of fashion. Italian fashion is synonymous with high-quality craftsmanship and there’s so much one can learn from that,” Dlamini told IOL.

“I am always learning and looking to enhance my knowledge and skills. You can never know enough.”

She mentioned that going to Milano Fashion Institute would be a dream for her.

“I’ve always wanted to live in a fashion capital and immerse myself in that space. I am also excited to expand my knowledge and skills particularly in the business of fashion.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIXg4jZjv-f/?utm_source=ig_embed

‘Lack Of Support For Young Talent’

Although she has already been accepted to the Milano Fashion Institute, Dlamini has a financial challenge, she does not have funding. She sees this as an opportunity for young designers to be supported more with funding opportunities.

“I feel there is quite a big lack of support for young talent in our industry. I would also love to see more woman designers at the forefront of a very male-dominated industry,” she mentioned.

Content courtesy of The South African & NFH Digital Team 

 

Ad