There are times in life when it is necessary to stop, take a break and rest in order to move on. The pressure on some citizens of the vibrant and crazy world we live in today is inordinate, and many of them have found themselves in this situation at one time or another. A case in point is the Nigerian designer and founder of the brand that bears his own name, Kenneth Ize, who announced last summer that he would be taking a break from fashion shows. Six months after this news, it seems that the designer is now ready to continue offering us his vision of fashion and the best version of himself.

In this new phase for Kenneth, the city of Paris has taken a back seat to Lagos and the neighbourhood of Ikoyi, which for those of you who don’t know is located in the Eti-Osa local government area. This place means a lot to Ize and to show you how much she feels a sense of belonging to it, the garments that make up the Autumn 2023 collection (recently launched) have been made from recycled pieces and fabrics sourced from the Katangua market, where you can find scrap clothing from America and elsewhere. Can there be anything more beautiful than giving a second life to something that has been cast aside? In terms of fashion and in relation to the current situation the earth is experiencing, this is something to be appreciated and sustainability will be greatly appreciated.

Kenneth is one of those who think that clothes are destroying the planet and that something has to be done to change it. Will is power, and it’s just a matter of getting down to work, so this is precisely what the designer and his team did when it came to making the clothes. Together they dyed and bleached shirts with motifs that referenced the series Gossip Girl, of which the Nigerian is a huge fan; they over-stitched the seams of previously worn jeans and T-shirts using a technique from northern Nigeria called “ise owo”; and they made sartorial updates to some of the garments.

Check out images from the Kennet Ize FW23 collection below: