Kenneth Ize is an up-and-coming Nigerian designer whose February show marked his debut in Paris — with none other than Naomi Campbell as his closer, and Imaan Hammam opening. (It’s not Naomi’s first time with him, either: He did a womenswear show not long before that in Lagos, where both she and Liya Kebede were on the catwalk.) Even without the bright and beautiful stripes, that’s a solid way to make others take notice. His background was originally in menswear until he realized most of his customers were women buying and wearing those things, so he pivoted. FT.com has a longer article about him here, and per Anothermag.com:
The vibrant interwoven fabric that comprises the label’s garments is called Aso Oke, a heritage craft of Yoruba origin that Ize seeks to preserve through his work. Every piece of cloth that goes into a Kenneth Ize piece is produced by Nigerian communities that the designer has gotten to know personally and are then employed by the brand. “It’s about looking at how the products have been made from scratch,” he says. “That is very important to me. I want people who wear my clothes to feel the soul inside the clothing. It takes a person to create the fabric they are made from, and it takes days to make, within a community, weaving the cloth. It’s their life and DNA. That’s how much soul is being put into that fabric.”
