About a week ago, I was honored to attend the first edition of The African Fashion and Design Fair at the Ngong Racecourse Waterfront in Nairobi. It was an afternoon of music and fashion. Highlighting the fashion show were three established designers from Kenya and Nigeria.
Opening the show was Kenya’s finest – Kaveke Design – who showcased his summer 2018 collection inspired by patterns from an afro futuristic pallet such as cleanliness and rich colours, but staying true to our urban roots mixing up traditional elements with crisp fabrics and sculptural shapes.
Next to hit the runway were AfroStreet Kollektions and QJC with their Ankara-inspired outfits. Kenya’s Eden Leather also showcased his high quality, comfy and stylish leather bags. Closing the evening were Nigerian Brands, T.I. Nathan by Temitayo Nathan Ilesanmi, the creative mind behind the menswear label. and Nigerian Articulate Culture Kullection (N.A.C.K) by Akinpeloye Tolulope aka Luto Tailo with his futuristic pop of color collections designed for the modern man.
I have shared some of the pieces that caught my eyes below, plus the outfit which I wore myself. I am always amazed by the richness and vibrance of our own local designs, and I am purposing to wear more of the local designers in 2019. In the past, there has been talk about how inaccessible locally designed items can be; it was an pleasure for me to see how this conversation was brought forward during the African Fashion and Design fair as one of their major agendas with the goal to introduce the designers to buyers, and hopefully this will trickle down to a faster and reliable access to African fashion.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
