Sustainable Brand I.AM.ISIGO Debuts Fall/Winter 2020 Lookbook 'Chasing Evil'
I.AM.ISIGO, the research-focused sustainable ready-to-wear brand based between Lagos, Nairobi, and Accra released the lookbook for its Fall-Winter 2020 collection ‘Chasing Evil’ this week. Inspired by Congolese traditional spiritual practices and the popular Sapeur sub-culture, the collection features textured surfaces, dyed recycled cotton, and reconstructed recycled garments that collectively create a pool of eccentric designs.
This collection explores the socio-political effects of post-war trauma and the Atlantic slave trade in the country of Congo and the continent of Africa at large. The brand takes pride in carrying deeply rooted histories into the future through wearable art. Informed by the present-day culture in the cities of Bakuvu and Kinyasha, the Fall-Winter 2020 collection is a form of resistance against post-colonial exploitation and neo-colonialism.
I.AM.ISIGO's Founder and Creative Director Bubu Ogisi believes the only way to chase evil is by uniting forces across borders and honoring African craftmanship. This lookbook is a depiction of her forthright objective.
Preserving African culture through the study and manipulation of traditional fashion and textiles is embedded in the brand’s DNA. The garments in this collection weave together all corners of the African continent. In the lookbook, Kenyan model Gabriella Duduh stands tall in Kapiti plains wearing designs made from dried Palm leaf raffia sourced from Congo and Nigeria and unbleached cotton from Uganda, all of which were made by Kenyan artisans.
The colorful woven bags are made from Banana raffia in Madagascar and the red and black print shoes are composed of dyed vegan leopard skin from Nigeria. For this collection, I.AM.ISIGO collaborated with Kenyan jewelry designer, Brian Kivuti and created a range of dual-functional rings, earrings, and brooches using camel bone and recycled silver.
View images from I.AM.ISIGO’s Autumn/Winter 2020 lookbook below and shop select styles from the brand online now at The Folklore.
Photography: Maganga Mwagogo
Stylist: Sunny Dolat
Model: Gabriella Duduh
Makeup: Jamie Kimani
Written by Gelina Dames