With the resurgence of Y2K aesthetics, the thriving alte movement and the pandemic, streetwear is making a comeback across the world. Largely built around the aesthetics of the New York urban scene, it has risen to new heights in part as a legacy of the influence of Hip Hop icons like Kanye West, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Pharell, and Diddy. The rise in ubiquity of brands like Fear of God, Off White, Supreme, Bape, and more. A range of local brands have evolved the innovations of these brands by infusing them with Nigerian references and storytelling and have found different levels of success.
We take a look at 7 of such brands which you should be stocking this year.
SEVERE NATURE
Severe Nature is a popular Nigerian streetwear brand founded in 2012 by Christopher Afolabi and Tobi Adeleye. The Nigerian-Canadian brand has made it its mission to give a luxurious and detailed expression of an urban and street element while still retaining a modern youth expression. Severe Nature stands out for approaching each clothing piece with a definition of a culture and environment every consumer is familiar with. Severe Nature expanded into footwear two years ago, in collaboration with NBDA, another streetwear brand.
WAFFLESNCREAM (Waf.)
Nigerian skate label WafflesnCream was founded in 2012 by Jomi Marcus-Bello and has tapped into the nascent skate subculture in the West African region. This love for the subculture inspired the founding of the brand with skateboards, bolts, and patterned wheels alongside bright checkered bucket hats, t-shirts, uncle shirts, and traditional Ankara print baggy trousers. The brand’s designs are a successful fusion of modern-day designs and Nigerian historical and cultural components.
DAVID BLACKMOORE (DB)
Founded by Sammy Asaju and David Asiafa in 2015, David Blackmoore or DB is a Nigerian urban streetwear fashion brand. The brand stands out for not only creating unique trends but also keys to major streetwear trends with back print t-shirts, glowing colors, oversized tops, and signature prints. Some of the brand’s key pieces are the “mood like Fela” t-shirts and the flower detailed sleeve “harvest” shirts. DB, with its references and promises made for Nigeria’s formation, is a shortcut to mastering streetwear style.
ASHLUXE
Ashluxe, founded by Yinka Ash in 2018, is a high-end Nigerian luxury streetwear brand designed to reimagine street style particularly with the enlightened millennial in mind. This brand is at the forefront of streetwear born of Africa and is a reflection of the exposed youth in Lagos or any other cultural capital in the world. The grand vision of Ashluxe is to meld quality and craftsmanship in creating finely tailored fashion garments that symbolize the global millennial. Ashluxe is one of the fastest-growing fashion brands out of Africa and has amassed a following which includes the likes of Davido, Naira Marley, Pa Salieu, D-Smoke and Toke Makinwa. The brand creates different varieties of fashion items ranging from sweatshirts, t-shirts, and joggers to socks, sneakers, and tracksuits. Ashluxe has successfully set up a reputation for innovative textiles and youthful aesthetics.
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N.A.C.K (NIGERIAN ARTICULATE CULTURE KULLECTION)
Nigerian Articulate Culture Kullection (NACK), created by Luto Tailo in 2006, is a casual Nigerian fashion brand and the first from the Luto Tailo group. NACK is essentially a clothing company that is into the manufacturing of clothes and accessories for gentlemen, ladies, and children. The company was birthed to solve a complex problem – “creating a unified identity for the diverse cultures of Nigeria and Africa at large” and at the same time aims to create a Nigerian brand that Nigerians and the entire world would be proud of. Nack is a forward-thinking Afrocentric brand with variety and has been endorsed by public figures like 2face, Richard Mofe Damijo, Mawuli Gavor and more. The brand is popular for the production of female apparel, t-shirts, sneakers, face masks, accessories and so on. Luto Tailo describes NACK as “mother Africa; the one who caters for the people and still cares for her own”.
VIVENDII
The three founders of the Nigerian brand Vivendii; Jimmy Ayeni, Ola Badiru, and Anthony Oye, initially started as a group of bloggers in 2011 who wanted to showcase their style via Tumblr. Later on, the group transitioned into styling and making custom shirts while combining it with their studies. Along the line, they were spotted by late Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani and designer Roberto Cavalli, who boosted them to form a brand at an event in Lagos. The trio eventually created a brand that pays respect to its Nigerian roots. The Vivendii brand was designed to bridge the gap between streetwear and high fashion. The name Vivendii stems from ‘Modus vivendii’ which means ‘our way of living’ in Latin.
CULT
Established in 2018, Cult is a streetwear brand built around community. With its logo designed in the Calabasas font style, it has primarily focused on tee shirts, truckers,s and bucket hats. The brand has also created merchandise for pop culture figures like Davido, Kiddominant and intends on doing more to build on its reach while retaining and combining the work of the best graphic designers with the finest materials as a final product.