Kenneth Ize founded his label in 2013 and has become one of the most important designers working out of Lagos. His signature is aso-oke, the handwoven Nigerian textile traditionally made in Ilorin, which he commissions from local weavers and builds into contemporary tailoring — striped suiting, jackets, shirting, trousers and outerwear in bright, unmistakable weaves.
The approach is both a design choice and an economic one: the label's growth sustains a craft and the artisans who practice it. Ize was a finalist for the LVMH Prize and has shown at Paris Fashion Week, bringing West African textile tradition to a global luxury audience without diluting it.
The brand is based in Nigeria and sells through its own site and international stockists. For anyone who wants African fashion at the highest level of craft — and to support a Black-owned house investing directly in African makers — Kenneth Ize is essential.
Kenneth Ize