FOR THOSE with a thirst for adventure and a love for fashion, London’s Koibird is the store for you. Each season the store reinvents itself through both an extreme refurbishment interiorly to match the new theme as well as changing the designers and clothes inside.
This time around the store has picked the continent of Africa as inspiration and partnered with Lagos Fashion Week carefully curating 30 African-owned brands of which 18 are exclusive to this Marylebone-based store.
Bag by Staud, shirt (worn as headband) by Studio 189, earrings by Maria Frering, shirt and trousers by Orange Culture and vest by Morphew
Of the 30 brands, womenswear designer Thebe Magugu is among the list available in Koibird – he is widely known as the first African designer to win the prestigious LVMH prize in 2019. Based in Johannesburg in South Africa, the young designer has already made his mark on the industry while still staying true to his roots of his homeland by he sources materials locally and ensures production of his clothes occurs in his country too.
Stocked alongside Magugu is LVMH runner-up Kenneth Ize from Nigeria – who notably had British supermodel Naomi Campbell close his debut fashion show in Paris.
Bikini top by Verde Limon, trousers by Studio 189 and hat by Eliurpi
Earrings by Bibi Marini, sunglasses by Poppy Lissiman, necklaces by Pebble London, vest, shirt and shorts by Loza Maleombho
Smaller brands such as Clan and Orange Culture will sit alongside these new African fashion giants with exclusive capsule collections dedicated to summer wear from Hunza G and Chufy will also be on show in Koibird.
Belma Gaudio, founder and creative director of Koibird explains, “We found that sustainability and a slow fashion model is one that most designers employ naturally. And we fell in love with brands from a number of Africa’s fashion capitals who take inspiration from their culture to create unique contemporary aesthetics.”
Jumpsuit by Rich Mnisi, shoes by Brother Vellies and earrings by Mercedes Salazar
Earrings by Vanda Jacintho, dress by Christie Brown and sunglasses by Poppy Lissiman
To ensure that Koibird stays true to the different aesthetics from the continent, the campaign was photographed and styled by a full African team: styled by Julia Sarr-Jamois, modelled by Bibi Abdulkadir and photographed by Ruth Ossai.
by Imogen Clark
Due to Covid-19, the clothes in the campaign are available to buy online via the website