13 East African Fashion Brands You Should have On Your Radar
Across the full spectrum of the creative industries, Africa has been placed under a heavy spotlight. From music, to fashion, from food to dance, never before has Africa been under so much pressure to offer creative influence to the world. Of course for centuries we’ve known of our potential and even witnessed how our ideas are taken, stolen without credit and manipulated into something palatable to western audiences.
African fashion and creativity have been receiving their rightful recognition in the last few decades. As far as textiles, designs, and aesthetics go African designers are working at the top of their game within the industry, even garnering the attention of global fashion powers and innovators. Today we’re exploring a few of East Africa’s most interesting and dynamic fashion brands. These are brands that are moving the needle, and experimenting with fashion in big ways right in our backyard.
Moshions was founded in Rwanda in 2015 by Moses Turahirwa at just 22 years old. Moshions is a luxury fashion brand with high-end clientele, its upscale prices boast of a brand to aspire to. However this is not without careful consideration. Moshions backed by their innovative founder, can often be found designing their own textiles, working with real artisans to bring their designs to life.
Moshions specialises in ready-to-wear, custom designs and modern interpretations of their Rwandan traditional attire, also known as Imigongo. Moshions garments blend African inspiration in their use of certain beading techniques and design. Their clothes often rest in a beautiful medium of past and future, creating an aesthetic that represents a forward thinking African. Think of the everyday closet of a very stylish Wakandan. To this point Moshions has garnered enough credibility and notoriety, they have had the pleasure of dressing the Rwandan president and first lady, for multiple events. Moshions is a brand to watch and inspiration to get our money up, to participate in their fashion innovation.
TK is a brand focused on creating unique jewellery and wearable art pieces, as well as artistic objects. TK’s founder Theresia Kyalo is a multidisciplinary artist who uses the brand to pull her many passions into one place. In 2016 the young artisan while still in school studying law began experimenting with turning her drawings into physical structures. She searched for a long time for artisans and craftspeople that could help bring her vision off the page but struggled to find someone who could accurately represent her ideas.
Fast forward 8 years later and the designer has exponentially grown her business, with the help of a team of artists based in the Kibera neighbourhood of Nairobi.Theresia does not think of her work strictly as jewellery or even fashion, it’s an artistic expression of the culture around her. A researcher, a historian, and a creative innovator Theresia’s work for TK is backed by intentionality. Her brass face pieces inspired by African history, and her line art metal work a beautiful illustration of the wide-reaching spectrum of her talent.
Bonkerz is one of Nairobi’s longest standing streetwear brands. Created by Mvoo Wanje in 2012 the brand has had many evolutions. Mvoo speaks of a brand that was birthed as a way for him to hone in on his creativity using mediums he didn't feel like he had room to before. Bonkerz allowed the artist to showcase fashion in a way that not many people had been able to tap into prior to Bonkerz’ existence, in Nairobi, or at least not with so much impact.
Bonkerz style is one that carries a sense of nostalgia. Mvoo consciously decided to create clothing in a language that his target audience already understood. Re-imagining football jerseys, and experimenting with out-of-the-box textiles and designs. Bonkerz just dropped their “Cool Waters Club” sports jersey, available both online and in stores.
Kampala based clothing brand Buziga Hill, backed by their founder Bobby Kolade tells a story of restoration. Inspired by the decline of the Ugandan textile industry, Buziga Hill creates and releases their garments from the integrated place of fashion, art and activism. Each Buziga Hill piece is made from the carefully picked and blended fabrics of mitumba (second-hand clothing) wear. Buziga Hill has brought an elevation and re-incarnation to the concept of streetwear as we’ve known it.
The brand’s most recent drop, “Return to Sender 06'' has seen them redesign these second-hand clothes and re-distribute them to the same global North from which they were sent. Buziga Hill is pushing the boundaries of fashion and resistance.
At Odds is a staple maker, creating timeless high quality apparel that will last you. In 2021, founder and designer Hawi, decided to bring together the vision he’d been building to create a contemporary label dedicated to offering quality clothing that would set him apart and make his brand stand out.
At Odds’ first collection consisted of bright, eye-catching jackets in an assortment of bold colours, followed by a foray into fleece wear. These first few collections gave Hawi, a lawyer by profession the chance to test out his creativity and see his ideas go from his head to the page, to hanging off a model in their flagship store. At Odds’ latest collections can be characterised by their more casual design. Comfortable t-shirts and tops made from material that moves with you, demonstrate a brand that considers its customers.
Making their debut in 2022, Lanesteppers is a streetwear brand for the new wave cool kid. The brand is run by a group of young Nairobi creatives and musicians, powered by a desire to create strong visually impressive imagery and messaging. The young brand boasts innovative designs on a series of t-shirts, hats, and hoodies, with graphic design often coming from the mind of Davis Breitner, a Nairobi based, Ugandan creative.
The brand is one not afraid to reference with clear influence coming from the late designer and artist Virgil Abloh. His brand “OFF-WHITE'' seems to be a fundamental guide in the narrative Lanesteppers puts forward. “All products are based on a concept that adapts from idea to idea with a core value of the brand to use clothing to share ideas and art.”
Lanesteppers like many streetwear brands rely on their connections and collaborations with artists to bolster their image as being leaders in the space. Musicians, producers, DJs and Nairobi creatives alike have been seen sporting the brand's bold colours, repping their earnest messaging across the city and social media.
Wales based Sudanese designer Yousra Elsadig is the brilliant mind behind this next brand. Boutique De Nana is “responsible luxury fashion with impact”. Elsadig takes complete inspiration from her homeland, in the use of recycled textiles from both Sudan and Wales, in the modern-interpretation of Sudanese fabrics and aesthetics, Elsadig is proud to put her country on the map in these creative ways.
In light of the ongoing war in Sudan, Elsadig is donating a portion of the profits from her latest drop the, “Adaala Collection” to aid relief in Sudan. For most of the brand’s history they have been involved with and championed action towards issues close to their founder’s heart. It is a driving factor behind their mission and as they continue to gain global traction and impact, Elsadig only has bigger ideas around how to give back.
The Pwani Club came into being in 2021 after creative director Lulu Khalef and a friend noticed how often misunderstood and misrepresented the Swahili culture and people were across East Africa. Khalef wanted to better showcase her culture and community in an authentic manner. Fueled by frustration at the many negative stereotypes surrounding Swahili folk in the East African community, she began curating an online space to highlight the beauty that existed amongst her people.
From t-shirts and tote bags and re-imagined postcards from old Swahili towns across the Eastern coast, The Pwani Club began gaining traction on their Instagram page. And in 2022 Khalef as the woman behind her one-woman team bought a physical store to begin displaying and selling The Pwani Club’s expanding inventory. This saw a boom in her business and allowed her the chance to touch more people. Leather sandals from Malindi and homegoods and decor from Lamu found a place in the store’s home in the heart of Old Town Mombasa. The Pwani Club is seeing a second expansion this year with the introduction of a website, where folks across the country will have the chance to order and acquire their Swahili souvenirs. Until then, dms are open to place your order on Instagram.
Duse is an eponymous brand. The young woman behind it all has put much into this brand so close to her heart. She began designing the clothes that would become the Duse brand in April of 2022 and used her instagram account as a way of documenting her progress and her creative journey. In a few short months her followers began asking if they could purchase her clothes to wear for themselves. And she went from existing in her own corner of the internet to creating a solid brand that stands on its own.
Duse’s latest drop is inspired by utility fashion, which has been making waves in the fashion world right now. Cargo pants and re-worked belts, many pockets and hidden uses define the style and Duse has captured the essence of this trendy style perfectly.
Seam Line Atelier was born from the minds of 4 Ugandan fashion school classmates, Edward Muyizi, Mukisa Emmanuel Williams, Tamale Eria and Lukakamwa Ruqmhan. The young designers were all inspired in different ways by their passion for storytelling through fashion and clothing and got together to begin showcasing them to the world.
The brand is intent on using fashion to send powerful messages about many of the social issues they encounter in their country and communities. From joblessness and the value of education, to the impact of Covid-19 on the planet. Seam Line Atelier is avant garde fashion, using bold colours and fabrics to tell diverse stories. Their creative use of proportion and imagery speaks of a dynamism not often seen in the African fashion world.
“Metamorphisized By Daudi.O” or simply, Metamorphisezed is a brand focused on creating excellence. From garment construction to design and storytelling, Metamorphosized’s clothing exists in a league of its own. Creative director Daudi, uses his background in civil engineering to inform the clean lines, structure and functionality of the clothing produced by the brand. Founded in 2018 and rebranded in 2020, Metamorphisezed capitalised on its youthful energy, heralding many young Nairobi artist and creatives, establishing themselves alongside their fellow Studio 18 collective members AKIBA and Nairobi Apparel District.
The most recent collection, which dropped in late 2023 is called “Silence Speaks Volumes” Each piece exists to further Daudi’s vision for a fashion brand that remains both ethical and sustainable. Inspired by the concept of minimalism, Metamorphisized creates capsule pieces for your eco-friendly minimalists tendencies. A place of genderless exploration and experimentation, Their ready-to-wear wardrobe staples do well to reflect Kenyan youth culture, in modern fashion.
This streetwear and lifestyle brand came to be, in November of 2020. Creative director and multi-disciplinary artist, Akiba created the brand with a focus on bringing to life powerful designs that tell of his fresh African perspective. AKIBA Studios was his experiment melding the worlds of fine art and textiles, exploring new forms of expressing his unique point-of-view. Akiba is a storyteller through clothing, inspired by a desire to put forward authentic African narratives. Through their prints, garments and even films, they highlight the many different ways to be African.
The brand’s attention to detail and quality craftsmanship, ensures longevity in the wearability of their clothing. Cementing themselves in history in this way secures AKIBA as one of the reliable fashion narrators of our time. Their next drop, “Juma Pili” , launches in March of this year. This collection is inspired by the common practice of putting on your most special outfit on Sundays, the day of the week for which the collection is named. These garments also pull inspiration from the rich history of the Indian ocean and those that spend their time navigating and inhabiting it.
Nairobi Apparel District (NAD) was founded in 2017 by creative director Junior Orina. He started the streetwear brand with the intention of spearheading and filling a need in the market for exclusively Kenyan designs. They began with custom-made products in an effort to reduce their impact on the environment and counteract their footprint as far as the effects fast-fashion has had on the planet.
As cultural influencers within the Nairobi fashion scene, NAD aims to create awareness through art and fashion. They define themselves as “the heart of art and upcycling” as their brand focuses on using sustainable fabrics throughout their collections. Their most recent drop the “NAD Worldwide Collection" is the brand’s expedition into a bold artistic evolution. This collection is spotlighted by their pieces made from repurposed black denim, outlined and embroidered in contrasting white threading the garments speak of the expansiveness of the brands reach and growth in the last few years.
