There’s a common appreciation for golden hour. That good second the place the solar hangs low sufficient within the sky to solid a hazy heat glow upon all the pieces. For these fortunate sufficient to have skilled summer season in Grand-Bassam, a well-liked resort city in Cote D’Ivoire, vivid recollections of the solar glistening because it displays off of the ocean at sundown are prone to spring to thoughts. That feeling of “tropical sensuality” was what designer Artistide Loua hoped to encapsulate along with his newest spring 2025 showcase throughout Lagos Style Week. “This assortment is about exploring that romance between the water and the solar at a sure hour,” he stated. “All of it brings you again to the seashore: the colors, the textures, the lights.”
Regardless of Loua’s love of Kente, a conventional cloth present in Ghana and elements of West Africa, this assortment marked a turning level within the model. For the primary time, he didn’t construct it across the conventional cloth; solely a 3rd of the seems to be featured Kente material. “We’re in a position to do unisex items and female items although now we have Gents on the finish of [the brand’s name],” he stated. In Kente’s place, he launched new materials resembling linen-denim and lace, and created extra business light-weight pleated seems to be.
Loua confirmed us that he’s additionally huge on the small print. The Kente fits, which have been well tailor-made by artisans in Abidjan, got here with solid bronze buttons formed like seashells—a nod to the treasures discovered on the seashore. Standout items included the cropped striped blazer paired with matching Bermuda-style shorts and a white linen-denim jacket paired with a white lace midi skirt. There’s extra experimentation to return, he hinted: “Kente Gents is a name for individuals to keep in mind that the essence of our model is to make use of regionally made and produced textiles… It’s not nearly Kente, it’s a complete story we’re attempting to place collectively.”
