Made in Africa: Eight Boundary-Pushing Designers You Should Know

Stepping out of the shadows of their Western counterparts, young African designers are shattering stereotypes and taking strides in the world of sustainable fashion. Make some room in your wardrobe; these are the labels you’ll want to know.

30 March, 2020

Words by
Fleur Rollet-Manus



African
designers have long lived in the shadow of their showier
(read: richer) European counterparts, frequently victims of
cultural appropriation, Western exploitation and blatant theft of
designs. As the creative scene across Africa booms, Lagos and Johannesburg are jostling to become the
continent’s fashion capital, while traditional crafts are being
brought back from extinction and used to celebrate culture and
history through meticulously designed clothes. These are the young
creators and African fashion houses that are pioneering sustainable
initiatives while shattering stereotypes with a made-in-Africa
ethos.

Make room in your wardrobe for a new wave of African
designers


Kenneth Ize

A firm favourite of fashion royalty Naomi Campbell (who closed
his recent show in a striped trench coat), Kenneth Ize is devoted
to preserving the traditions of Nigerian craftsmanship. Working
with western Nigerian aso oke (a traditional Nigerian fabric)
weavers, he takes a local handicraft and merges it with modern
design to create a new aesthetic. Workwear-style polychrome pieces
demonstrate playful touches: silk trousers sport a fringed hem and
boiler suits are quilted. Not limited to collaborating with African
artisans, Ize’s previous collections saw him call upon Viennese
lace-makers in a nod to many West African women (including his
mother) who once sourced high-quality Austrian lace for their
Sunday best.

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Orange Culture

Self-taught Lagos-based designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal uses his
designer brand, Orange Culture, to challenger masculine Nigerian
stereotypes and blur the lines between gender boundaries. Diverse,
androgynous silhouettes in the form of linen tunics, silk kimonos
and well-cut suits in stripes, shimmery satins and unashamedly bold
colour palettes (think neon oranges and lime greens) feature
heavily in his collections. Traditionally feminine silhouettes are
used as a symbol of freedom, while knitted lime-green crocheted
combat vests give Oke-Lawal’s clothes a gritty, streetwear
edge.

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Thebe Magugu

The eponymous brand from the 2019 LVMH Prize winner caught the
attention of fashion’s front-row when he debuted at Paris Fashion
Week in February. Tokens of his childhood can be seen in his latest
collections; a photoprint of his aunt’s corrugated iron roof is
featured on a feather-trimmed shirt, while a pleated skirt
references South Africa’s handiwork and a patterned trench coat
draws inspiration from a retro tablecloth. Hailing from Kimberley,
South Africa, Magugu’s home-grown production process remains
pivotal to his collection: knitwear is constructed in Cape Town and his logo-embossed satchel bag is
stitched in Johannesburg.

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MaXhosa

At the forefront of South Africa’s thriving fashion scene,
MaXhosa’s modernist knitwear has graced the catwalks of New York
Fashion Week, hung on the rails of Bloomingdale’s and had knitwear
pieces displayed in the Big Apple’s Museum of Modern Art. African
craftsmanship is celebrated as ferociously as designer Laduma
Ngxokolo’s heritage; everything – from dyed fabrics, beadwork to
avant-garde headwear – is produced in-house with most garments
knitted in South African mohair and merino wool. For his latest
collection, a ceremonial theme is evident with cable-knit sweaters
displaying complex patterns in the colour of the South African flag
and sport-luxe silk tracksuits decorated in geometric patterns and
futuristic shapes.

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Eliana Murargy

Attracting rave reviews from her debut at New York Fashion Week
– the first Mozambican designer to show, we may add – Eliana
Murargy knows how to dress a woman. Soft yet strong, tailored yet
fluid, her expertly tailored garments have a whimsical feel that
pays tribute to the feminine form. Created in conjunction with a
community of skilled West African tailors, the “Basking in the Osun
River” collection gathers inspiration from the flora and fauna that
blooms along the Osun River, which flows from Nigeria to the Gulf
of Guinea. A palette of rosy hues, metallics and stark white is
used in elegant dresses and forward-thinking beachwear
garments.

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Loza Maleombho

Born in Brazil and raised in Côte d’Ivoire, Loza
Maleombho models her eponymous clothing line on the cultures and
subcultures that make up her heritage. Fusing contemporary design
with traditional techniques, her signature silhouettes play on the
concept of old and new, bringing together Ivorian tribal aesthetics
with urban New York grit. Old African practices are
translated into trends and a medley of energy and history. This
isn’t just a clothing line aimed at a millennial audience, but an
education in the diverse artisans of Africa.

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Rich Mnisi

A trailblazer for South Africa’s LGBTQ community, designer Rich
Mnisi isn’t afraid to experiment with clashing colours; his runway
pieces look as much like well-tailored clothing as they do modern
art installations. Minimalist structures with pared-back prints and
clashing co-ords – think: Andy Warhol-esque Coca Cola-print suits
and pink and green zebra co-ords. His recently released Azania
accessories collection has a hint of Jacquemus about it, with the
rust-coloured, ostrich feather-trimmed bag quickly becoming our
summer go-to.

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Sindiso Khumalo

Born in Botswana and raised in Durban, South Africa,
designer Sindiso Kumalo has a generation of women to thank for her
garment skills. Her grandmother crocheted clothes for her
grandchildren and constructed wedding dresses for the community,
while her mother sewed 80s power suits from old Burda patterns.
Inspired by her Zulu and Ndebele heritage, the majority of her
handmade textiles are created using watercolour and collage. For
the SS20 collection, the sustainability-focused Khumalo explores
experiences of black women in the 1800s and 1900s, with babydoll
dresses fitted with voluminous bibs and high-necked maxi dresses
cut from intricate, regal prints.

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