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About
Tokyo James is a British-Nigerian Menswear Designer at the forefront of a new generation of fashion talent emerging from the content of Africa, founded in 2015 by Iniye Tokyo James. His collections emphasize the use of traditional Saville Row tailoring while shattering traditions with unconventional Pantone and textile choices –– gaining James a fast-growing cult following globally.
Tokyo James launched to combat stereotypical notions of “African design” and masculinity, his creative career in fashion styling and media working for various international publications and directing digital campaigns for brands like Brioni, Issey Miyake, and Puma Black Label. He then launched a digital monthly publication Rough UK—a style, arts, and culture digital platform. This foray into editorial led him back to Lagos, where he joined quarterly fashion and lifestyle magazine - MADE as editor-in-chief, a journey that ultimately led to the birth of the fashion brand that is Tokyo James, debuting at South African Menswear Week in 2015.
Speaking to the modern man, the brand emphasizes the use of traditional techniques, bold fabrics, texture, and structured silhouettes to outfit the confidence at heart. At its core, Tokyo James creates irreverent fashion with a cultural edge for the bold. The brand focuses on intersectionality, the coming together, and the commonality of worlds.
Whether it be merging the old with the new, Africa and Europe, simplicity and complexity, the good and the bad of societies, or the mixing of fabrics—the brand always finds the similarities that exist between them and celebrates that.
Tokyo has received worldwide press in publications & new outlets such as Vogue, CNN African Voices, i-D, Harpers Bazaar UK, W magazine, Highsnobiety with features in publications including The FADER and Elle South Africa, and counting musicians like Burna Boy among their following, James’ fuses traditional European tailoring with elements of streetwear to create a range that is comfortable, wearable, and thoroughly modern
