Four Black designers to look out for in 2021 : Arise fashion week 2020 edition.

The most exciting thing to see in the growing fashion industry is designers making collections that embrace their culture, while finding new ways to evolve traditional methods. The beauty of mixing heritage with modern ideas provides a certain luxurious functionality. Meet some relatively new black owned brands shaking up the African scene in their own distinct way.

JAWARA

‘My clothes my rules!’ ‘There are no rules’

Jawara is a CSM graduate menswear designer. A citizen of the world at heart, originally from Jamaica, a man with many journeys which we can see heavily reflected in his work. Uplifting is a word to describe this brand. A brand for society’s outcast. Making everyone seen. Expressionism is a big part of his work and with his latest collection debuted at Arise fashion week 2020 we see an extension of that from the draping techniques nostalgic of his time in the Caymans and the breezy feel of the clothes which represent an air of freedom, to the different characters in society he explores through his garments.

GETO

‘For the Youth by the Youth’

The brand for the youth. The name plays on the paradox of the word Ghetto by producing high quality clothes. Founded by Samantha Adebayo in 2019, the brand has quickly taken up a space in the Nigerian fashion scene, it’s hard to miss with the playful and iridescent colors unique to them. With the mission of always portraying black people as special and as the best versions of themselves by exploring different themes such as alien type futuristic aesthetic that the brand dabbles in frequently to iridescent materials that make the black skin sparkle

PEPPER ROW

‘Conscious consumption’

Pepper row is a sustainable fashion brand founded by Omafume Niemogha that made its debut in 2018 and is making waves in the African scene. The brand champions conscious consumption within the fashion industry by producing locally. This is what we call wearable art. Constantly creating collections with her roots in mind she is able to produce with interesting colors, silhouette and textures and patterns often infused with 3D textures. Featured in magazines such as Essence, Guardian life and on runways shows such as Lagos fashion week and arise fashion week. The brand has easily been able to steal the hearts of the audience. Their latest collection which explores the masks people wear in society to fit into the mold of society paradoxically in Covid-19 times. The collection has a nostalgic inference of masquerades and tribal activities in Nigeria which further depicts the African culture.

LAGOS SPACE PROGRAMME (LSP)

‘The travelers portal’

Lagos Space Progamme is a genderless and sustainable Nigerian brand founded in 2018 by Adeju Thompson. Featured in Vogue, the community based brand is disrupting the fashion system with afro-futurism and transparency at the forefront of the brand. At LSP clothes are a spiritual object and with the clothes made, the brand aims to reclaim the African story and tell it through their own lens. With each project the brand takes us on a journey from the foundational grounds whether it be the Bronze casters in Benin city, Nigeria or the visitation to the Osun Sacred grove and inspiration acquired from the Yoruba heritage, all the way to the runway and into the consumers hands. The journey of each piece imprinted into them. The brand experiments with natural dyes and often collaborates with both local and international artisans to deliver a mix of adire dying techniques with hand-knitting resulting in clean cut clothes enriched with history.

By Adesuwa Odiase