10 African Designers Inspired By Their Roots
Loza Maléombho
Photo: Loza Maléombho’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection
Established in 2009 by the label’s namesake and based in Côte d’Ivoire, Loza Maléombho’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection boasts fun clashes of colour, fabric and voluminous silhouettes to create distinctly contemporary African designs. Key pieces include the versatile strappy gladiator sandals coveted by fashion bloggers. Loza’sInstagram is a mood board filled with inspiring images and visual delights with her selfies that even resemble works of art.
LaurenceAirline
Photo: LaurenceAirline S/S 2015
Previously featured on Okayafrica as one of the top ten African menswear designers, the Paris-based label, founded by Laurence Chauvin Buthaud, reinvents casual pieces with sleek tailoring, vibrant textiles and bold prints. Craftsmanship and sustainable production is the essence of the brand whose workshop in Buthaud’s native Ivory Coast employs and trains locals to create their high quality garments.
Tina Lobondi
Photo: Tina Lobondi SS15
Born in Republic of Congo and raised in France, designer Tina Lobondi runs her eponymous fashion house from London’s Notting Hill. Her Spring/Summer 2015 collection is inspired by iconic starlets of this and previous generations, including Sophia Loren and Zoe Saldana. This is illustrated by the collection’s sleek elegance and opulent, luxe fabrics. The label also offers clients unique made-to-measure designs through their bespoke tailoring services.
Mataano
Photo: Mataano Spring 2015 in Denmark
This design duo is made up of Brooklynite Somali sisters Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, and Mataano’s name is loaned from the Somali word for twins. Founded in 2009, Ayaan and Idyl established themselves with a capsule collection of ten dresses and have since been featured by the likes of Italian Vogue and Glamour Magazine. Their online shop offers easy, ready-to-wear contemporary fashions and timeless pieces.
Lukhanyo Mdingi
Photo: Lukhanyo Mdingi‘s Fall/Winter 2015 collection
Hailing from East London, South Africa, and residing in Cape Town, this emerging men and womenswear designer mixes up a clean minimalist aesthetic with avant-garde pieces, and ingeniously used a range of textures and fabrics in his Fall/Winter 2015collection titled Macramé. Mdingi is unafraid of innovation, having used a wide range of materials from knits, wire to plastic. His work has even gained the attention of Elle South Africa, who tipped him as one of their rising stars.
Grass-Fields
Photo: Grass-Fields Ello Skirt
The London-based label graduated from an Etsy shop onto it’s own online store all about wax prints and vivacious silhouettes. Key pieces include their maxi skirts, which are nipped in at the waist and softly-pleated, exaggerating the hips to give the wearer an hourglass figure. The designs are sexy and cosmopolitan with a nod to tradition. Some feature oversized bows as a take on the Nigerian iro.
Selly Raby Kane
Photo: SRK’s City of Birds collection
Senegalese designer Selly Raby Kane’s experimental Fall/Winter 2015 collection is titledDakar City of Birds, finding inspiration in birds and other creatures. Using earthy tones, prints and color, this eclectic collection takes traditional Senegalese patch and quilt methods to dizzying, innovative new heights. Italian Vogue has previously described the brand as having “an easily approachable pop appeal.”
OATH
Photo: OATH Fall 2015 Menswear
This fashion-forward brand designs both men and womenswear inspired by youth, pop culture and contemporary sportswear. Established by South African Richi Mnisi in 2014 (making it the youngest label listed here), OATH has been featured in GQ South Africa and took home the Young Designer of the Year award at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa.
Osei-Duro
Photo: Osei-Duro’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection
Based in both Los Angeles and Accra, where their textiles and garments are made, this brand is a firm believer in traditional textiles and ethically-produced fashion. Their Spring/Summer 2015 collection features printed slouchy tees and silk kimono dresses, all easy and ready to wear. The aesthetic is simple and clean, made of effortless tailored pieces of modernity to add to your everyday wardrobe.
KISUA
Photo: KISUA for 8 lookbook
This unique online brand collaborates with a range of African designers, producing capsule collections to showcase the Continent’s hottest talents. KISUA, which is Swahili for “well dressed person,” use the internet as their platform to reach Africa, the Americas and Europe. Recently KISUA teamed up with contemporary Italian brand 8 to create a 14-piece collection of timeless pieces reworked with prints.
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