Kenneth Ize

About

Lagos-born and based designer Kenneth Ize focuses on reinterpreting traditional West African fabrics and Nigerian craft to create an original perspective on luxury production within textile and fashion.

Ize grew up in Austria and studied fashion and design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Upon graduation in 2013, he launched his eponymous label at Lagos Fashion Week but took a two-year hiatus while doing an MA at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The designer relaunched his brand for Spring/Summer 2016.

They support a small community of weavers and work directly with several artisans and design groups across Nigeria. The label is devoted to the long-established traditions of Nigerian craft and local artisanship, merging a new design aesthetic with a specifically local handcraft practice. There is the belief that in exploring and nurturing existing cultures, one opens up an exciting territory for creating and inspiring future traditions.

Ize is also influencing the creative arts curriculum in local schools to create traditional fashion.

In 2019, the brand introduced womenswear and currently counts Ssense, Browns, and Machine-A among its stockists. Ize was a finalist for the LVMH Prize 2019 and a joint winner of the Arise Fashion Week Award for “Designer of the Year.”