20 Fashion Brands To Look Out For In 2021

2020 was a tough year globally because of the pandemic. Industries that thrive on communal relationships and visual arts like the fashion industry suffered. They had to find alternative ways to reinvent themselves while everyone else was cooped up in their homes with nowhere to go. Many designers cancelled their fashion shows and took to social media to present the season’s collection.

With the uncertainty surrounding the new year, no one knows when and if things will return to normal. However, these are some fashion labels to look out for in 2021:

1. Abiola A. Olusola
   

Launched in 2017, Abiola A. Olusola is a contemporary womenswear brand made in Nigeria. Eponymously named after the owner and creative director, Abiola Adeniran-Olusola, the brand’s aesthetic philosophy is built on the belief that dressing should be effortless and chic.
Before beginning her label, Abiola Adeniran-Olusola interned for French fashion houses Lanvin and Givenchy and worked backstage for notable names such as Rick Owens, John Galliano and Gareth Pugh. She is a graduate of the prestigious fashion school, Institute Marangoni. Her graduate collection was showcased at the Pitti Uomo Florence, the Dominican Republic Fashion Week, and featured in Vogue Italia.
Abiola A. Olusola’s designs draw inspiration from the creative director’s style, the modern African woman and her exposure to Parisian style. The brand is dedicated to showcasing and working with local African craftsmen and women to create and highlight ways in which traditional fabrics and ethos can be part of contemporary living.
Olusola’s clientele boasts names such as actress Eku Edewor and singer-songwriter Tomi Owó.

2. Bloke

Faith Oluwajimi’s ‘Bloke’ is an androgynous knitwear label. It draws inspiration from the abstract and nothingness which are principles to the Dadaism art movement. He also explores themes of existentialism in his design.
Bloke’s 2021 AW collection pays homage to the gloomy mood of the past year. It uses the #ENDSARS protests, COVID-19 protest and the general Nigerian situation as muses with its colour palette featuring greens, reds, browns, blacks and metallic.
Vogue Talents mentioned the brand on Vogue Italia as No 34 out of 200 Emerging brands changing Fashion Globally.

3. CLAN

CLAN is a ready-to-wear brand by Teni, Aba and Tiwa Sagoe – Deola Ade-Ojo’s daughters. The label launched in August 2011 at the Deola Sagoe Flagship store, Lagos.
The womenswear brand comes with a fresh and irreverent style for edgy, style-conscious ladies who like to stay ahead of the fashion curve. This is visible in their design, made for the trendy Nigerian woman with their clean and minimalist cuts.
Their 2021 Spring/Summer collection, “The REVIVAL” features pieces named after iconic places in Lagos, like Onikan, Epe, Ikeja, Ikorodu, etc.

4. Emmy Kasbit

Emmy Kasbit: came into limelight when former British Prime Minister Theresa May wore a custom-made Akwete jacket from his Spring 18 Collection.in 2018. She wore the jacket during her visit to Nigeria, and everyone wanted to know who the designer was. Emmanuel Okoro, the creative director behind Emmy Kasbit birthed it out of a passion to dress the unconventional man and woman with fierce sartorial instincts.
Emmy Kasbit outfits feature strong lines and architectural silhouettes throughout his collections. He incorporates local Nigerian fabrics like Aso Oke and Ofi in his pieces. The result is a mixture of bold lines, vibrant patterns and eye-catching colours.
Some celebrities who have donned Emmy Kasbit’s pieces include Flavour, Johnny Drille, Funmi Iyanda, Masego. Adekunle Gold also wore an ensemble on his Afro Pop Vol. 1 cover and another custom made piece for his Okay video.
Emmy Kasbit outfits are neither menswear nor androgynous. It is more of a style that can be worn by anyone willing to pull off the bold, structured look.he brand also has The Marshmallow store, for beauty and skincare needs.

5. Fruché

Fruché was founded in 2014 by Frank Aghuno. He debuted at the Lagos Fashion Week in 2016. The label aims to challenge the way Nigerian/African women and men are expected to look and dress.
Fruché’s pieces are unconventional, it mixes traditional Nigerian culture, heritage, and artisanal techniques and contemporary design. They also feature quirky and edgy takes on traditional shapes and cuts.
Fruché has been donned by Laila Johnson-Salami, Adebayo Oke-Lawal, Fireboy DML, Temi Otedola. Tiwa Savage wore a custom made piece for her 49-99 video. In 2019, Fruché featured in Vogue Portugal’s April edition.

6. ILHAM.G_NG

Ilham Garuba’s Ilham.G_NG featured among 2020 Arise Fashion Week 30 under 30. Ilham’s pieces are soft, flirty and sophisticated.
The brand is recognised for its occasion wear, which ranges from staple pieces that every woman should have to trendy workwear and luxurious evening wear.
The ethos of the brand lies in creating a contemporary elegant dress that portrays a signature appearance to a stylish woman.
Ilham Garuba might not have won the Arise Fashion Week 30 under 30, however, being nominated among the first 30 shows that she is one to look out for.

7. Kai Collective

In 2020, Kai Collective’s Gaia dress was a must-have. American rapper Saweetie, supermodel Adwoa Aboah and influencers like Temi Otedola, Ebonee Davis, Jackie Aina, Patricia Bright, and The Oddity all have the dress. Beyonce listed it among her directory of black-owned businesses.
Kai collective is a ready-to-wear womenswear brand with all the trappings of luxury brands. Fisayo Longe the name behind the brand started in 2016 after she got a lot of requests from people who requested to know where she got her self-made dresses. If the mesh Gaia dress is too much for you, there are loads of other pieces to choose from and can be worn by women of all ages.
Kai Collective’s dress was the must-have for 2020, and we can hardly wait for what they have planned for 2021.

8. Kenneth Ize

In 2020, Austrian-Nigerian designer, Kenneth Ize, made his official debut at Paris Fashion Week right before countries went on lockdown. He also emerged winner of the 30 Under 30 competition of Arise Fashion Week by the end of the year.
Kenneth Ize’s eponymous label features vibrant handwoven Aso Oke fabrics that are made into structured tailored cuts and shapes reminiscent of fashion shape trends of the 40s and short sleeve dictator outfits of the 80s.
Although Ize started his brand as a fluid menswear band, it is now androgynous in its outlook. He collaborates with artisans and design groups across Nigeria in Kwara, Kogi and Lagos. These groups help him weave the Aso Oke fabrics.
Kenneth Ize’s pieces have covered various international magazines and have been worn by famous stars like Viola Davis, Yara Shahidi, Timothee Chalamet and Naomi Campbell.

9. Lagos Space Programme

Founded by designer and 2014 Fashion Focus finalist Adeju Thompson, the inspiration for the label’s debut collection is the workwear of Babalawo. Their pieces are structured yet free from and flowing. This is because they draw heavy influence from architecture. The label incorporates Adire and other traditional fabrics into their pieces referencing masquerades, which is another muse. Unlike other fashion labels that usually cater to one sex before developing an androgynous style or catering to both sexes, Lagos Space Programme has always been gender-neutral, this is because Adeju Thompson, the creative director, is nonbinary/queer and goes by the ‘they/them’ pronouns.
2021 is already looking bright for the queer designer. In January, he debuted his SS2021 collection “Aṣọ Lànkí, Kí Ató Ki Ènìyàn,” which translates into “we greet dress before we greet its wearer,” at the Milan Men’s Fashion Week.

10. Maxivive

Papa Oyeyemi began Maxivive when he was fifteen years old. His non-conforming nature features in his designs and how he presents his designs. Unlike other labels that design for 2 seasons (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter), Maxivive has three. In an interview with Metal Magazine, Oyeyemi stated that “Why should I follow Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter when they don’t exist here? Our seasons are Dry, which is hot; Wet, which is rainy; and Harmattan, which is very windy and dusty, with a mixture of cold chills and hot air. On this, I pioneered the seasons accordingly. I love the western calendar so I still follow the pre and main seasons; the only differences are the title of the seasons and their functionality in terms of design creation and conceptualisation.”
Maxivive also combines traditional style and patterns and structures with gender-neutral/androgynous cuts.
His cruise 2021 collection released in August, features outfits that any person influenced by the alte culture/avant-garde styles would love to have.

11. Melodia

Apart from Kai Collective’s Gaia dress, another dress that was a must-have in 2020 was the Melodia Alexis wrap dress. The wrap dress was a party on one side and business on the other.
It was so sought after that there was a waiting list for people who wanted to order the dress. The affordable price of the dress is one reason it is eagerly sought after. It costs 12,000 Naira. Melodia also makes custom made Aso Ebi.
We are eagerly looking forward to what they offer for 2021.

12. Mowalola

At 25, Mowalola Ogunlesi already boasts of an impressive portfolio. She designed the Nigerian football team’s official uniform for Nike in 2018. In 2019, she held her first show at the 2019 London Fashion Week, which had front row guests like Skepta. She designed outfits for Skepta’s “Pure Water” video. She was also one of the six designers approached by British Vogue to style Barbie dolls for the brand’s 60th anniversary.
Her style is known for being avant-garde, provocative and genderfluid. It mostly features lots of leather and bright colours, cut-outs and straight silhouettes. Her outfits have been worn by Drake, Naomi Campbell, the Clermont Twins, Odunsi the Engine amongst others.
In 2020, Kanye West announced Mowalola as the Design Director for his YZY GAP. The first collection is set to drop in 2021, and we can hardly wait for it.

13. N.A.C.K.

NACK Apparel is the streetwear and casual fashion brand that caters to men, women and children. The initials stand for ‘Nigerian Articulate Culture Kullection’.
According to their website, NACK, founded by Tolulope Akinpeloye, “is a casual fashion brand created to articulate the evolving lifestyle of a breed of people who are inspired and identified by the belief they have in their SOMEBODYNESS.” As a streetwear brand, its pieces feature T-shirts, dresses and athleisure pieces.
NACK also dressed the 2020 BBN housemates for one of their Saturday night parties. If the looks are anything to go by, then we look forward to seeing what they have to offer in 2021.

14. Nuovo Vintage Clothing

Olumurewa’s Nuovo Vintage is a menswear label that makes bespoke men’s modern-day vintage suits. Although it is a menswear brand, women have been known to sport a suit or two. Prominent among them is Taje Prest’s white tuxedo in 2018 while she was performing her best man duties.
Besides making classic suits, Nuovo Vintage also takes a modern spin on suit jackets with kimono-inspired jackets that can be paired with trousers or shorts. The Twitter famous Toni two-piece set is a kimono inspired wrap-top that comes with trousers or shorts in a variety of colours.

15. Orange Culture

Adebayo Oke-Lawal’s Orange Culture started as a menswear brand. It was one of the first Nigerian labels to explore distinct silhouettes that are not typical of traditional menswear. This attracted controversy. Orange Culture has widened its frame to cater to women with its androgynous styles.
Since Orange Culture was established in 2011, it has gained global recognition. The label was selected in 2015 by Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessey for their first-ever LVMH prize as one of the 20 finalists selected from over 1221 brands all over the world in Paris. Adebayo Oke-Lawal also displayed his work at the International Fashion Showcase organised by The British Council and the British Fashion Council during London Fashion Week in 2015. Orange Culture showcased at London Fashion Week Men’s Designer Showrooms June 2016 and has showcased. The brand had its own show at London Fashion Week under fashion Scout. It is the first Nigerian brand to stock at Selfridges, a high-end department store in the United Kingdom.

16. Pepper Row

Omafume Niemogha, an Engineer by training, founded PEPPER ROW in 2016 following her passion for fashion.
Pepper Row’s outfits are inspired by interior decoration. They also play with different types and colours of fabrics and different shapes and cuts, giving their outfits a quirky and whimsical feel. To promote sustainable fashion, scraps from outfits are usually re-spun and added to other scraps and fabrics to create new patterns and outfits.
The brand which caters to male and female clients was featured in Beyonce’s 2020 directory of black-owned businesses.

17. Rendoll Lagos

Rendoll Lagos was established in June 2019 by Reni Abina. The womenswear brand is focused on femininity and body positivity and does not conform to stereotypes according to its website.
Rendolls are millennial women who are not afraid to show off their bodies. Their labels’ pieces are form-fitting and very modern.
Reni Abina’s goal is to change the stereotype that Nigerian made pieces are cheap or inferior. Rendoll was featured on British Vogue in 2019.

18. Serah Kassim

Serah Kassim’s journey to fashion began from altering her boarding school uniform for social night. Serah Kassim has come a long way since becoming a beneficiary of the Tony Elumelu foundation in 2017.
According to Kassim, the eponymous fashion label is a “brand that uses Afrocentric clothing to promote African textile.” Her pieces are simple but heavily feature Ankara fabrics and other African prints. She also makes custom made Aso Ebi outfits.
Serah Kassim launched Serah Kassim in 2017 to help women make an outfit that fits, and in March 2020, she relaunched the brand as a retail brand.

19. T.I Nathan

T.I Nathan is a fashion label that makes bespoke tailored outfits for men and women alike. The brands’ designs are very minimalist, focusing on lines and structures. Minimalism is also evident in the colours of the outfit which are mostly neutral colours like black, grey and metallic. However, T.I Nathan has been known to play with bright and bold colours.
The Brand has dressed notable people like WIZKID, Richard Mofe-Damijo, 2Baba, Patoranking, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, to name a few.
T.I. Nathan also caters for grooms.

20. TZAR Studios

Originally a menswear brand, Tzar now caters to female clients as a result of the brand’s androgynous aesthetic; a new direction that was evident in the collection presented at Arise 2019.
TZAR Studios’ pieces challenge the conventional approach, creating items that embody minimalism and elegance. According to Chukwuma Ian Audifferen, the art director of the brand, Fashion needs to be primarily functional but also bear a mode that reflects individuality and the state of mind.
TZAR studios combine form and functionality in their designs.
During the just concluded 2020 Arise Fashion Week, Naomi Campbell walked for the Lagos-based brand. She stunned in a patterned kaftan from the brand’s SS21 collection. Although the collection did not make it to the top 8, being listed among the top 30 designers under 30 is enough to make us eager for their 2021 offerings.