Top 10 African Menswear Designers You Need To Know About
Here are 10 African menswear designers who we can't get enough of.
African inspired designs have been seen on runways, since the dawn of the western fashion industry. We possess an innate awareness of style rooted in culture and tradition.
The style aesthetics celebrate multiple ethnicities and nationalities. The garments are vibrant and electric.
Designers adhere strictly to standards of craftsmanship and design. They innovatively use textiles and prints to tell stories. They are passionate about displaying what home means to their global consumers.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 menswear designers and brands that stand out to us:
1. Ikiré Jones
"Awake & At Home In America" 📸 @joshuakissi
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Philadelphia based attorney, musician, and designer Walé Oyéjidé partnered with musician and tailor Sam Hubler to start Ikiré Jones in 2012. The label marries classic art with an African aesthetic. The two men pride themselves on the fact that the items in their collections mean something. Their garments delve into how the West has impacted the African continent as well as migration. The pair’s work will soon be featured in the upcoming Black Panther film.
2. Daily Paper
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In 2010, friends Hussein Suleiman form Somali, Jefferson Osei fromGhana, and Abderrahmane Trabsini from Morocco, founded the Dutch streetwear label, Daily Paper. With contemporary designs inspired by their African heritage, the men have made serious headway in the fashion industry. They’ve collaborated with Puma, notable Parisian retailer, colette, and Filling Pieces to name a few.
3. Simon and Mary
The Power of Collaboration. @trevor_stuurman x #Simonandmary featuring @dear_ribane113 & @kwenasays
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South African brand, Simon and Mary, has been worn by Will.i.am, Steve Tyler, as well as model and actor Masego “Maps” Maponyane. Dean Pozniak has transformed his family’s 70 year old millinery into a fashion-forward business known for its vibrant, unisex wool, felt, straw and leather hats. With fashion photographer and influencer, Trevor Stuurman, behind its visuals, it’s no wonder its imagery always excites.
4. Kente Gentlemen
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Launched this year by its Ivoirien founder, Aristide Loua, Kente Gentlemen boasts a “poetic, colorful, and cultural universe.” With his premiere collection, he explores both color and the use of Baoulé wax material in making shorts, shirts, vests, and sweaters. His work is inspired by voyages and an exploration of heritage.
5. Dent de Man
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In Britain in 2012, Ivorian designer Alexis Temomanin founded Dent de Man. The brand, named after a mountain in his homeland, is rooted in challenging men to dress “like themselves”. Much like the other designers on this list, Alexis’ early artistic direction came from a desire to display his roots and identify with a culture that wasn’t his own. His work is meticulously tailored and full of remarkable prints, surely due to close ties with VLISCO, Dutch print manufacturer.
When Alexis was a boy, he ventured to Abidjan with his mother and she abandoned him there. He holds his love of print comes from his quest to find the blue print his mother had on the last time he saw her. He also holds the prints we identify with most on the continent actually come from Indonesia and were brought to us by Dutch, French and English colonizers and the we accepted these prints because of their warmth and vibrance.
6. Rich Mnisi
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South African Rich Mnisi’s 3 year old unisex brand blurs gender lines. It’s designs, though, minimal, are extremely vibrant. The aforementioned comes as no surprise when the brand’s inspiration comes from art, music, film and nature.
7. Lukhanyo Mdingi
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25-year-old Lukhanyo Mdingi has created quite the resume. He is yet another creative that hails from South Africa and whose four collections are comprised of conventional silhouettes, an acute attention to detail, and sophistication beyond that of other designers like him.
8. Tokyo James
British Nigerian designer Toyko James has a penchant for visuals that move his audiences. His collections are simple yet edgy. His passion can be seen in the cleanliness of his garments’ lines. He meticulously crafts each piece
9. MAISON CHÂTEAU ROUGE
@maisonchateaurouge x @betoncire x @ojoz
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In 2015, Senegalese brothers Youssouf and Mamadou Fofana founded Maison Château Rouge in Paris. The house specializes in streetwear pieces made with wax print.The first generation immigrants are hell bent on ensuring the african continent is at the center of their entrepreneurial projects.
Their minimalist concept store shines and speaks to Paris's undeniable grip on what it means to be stylish, while embracing Africa's influence on modern day fashion.
10. Teddy Ondo Ella
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This summer Teddy Ondo Ella debuted his self-titled brand at New York Fashion Week. He did so with an Okuyi rite of passage and Gabonese dancers. It comes after Ella’s already established marketing agency, sneakers club and streetwear brand. With his new venture, he hopes to shed light on his country, Gabon, and others across the continent.
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