KUKU HILL CRESCENT 2022 LOOKBOOK
Kusi Kubi is a Ghanaian creative director and stylist currently living in Accra- Ghana. His entry into the fashion industry began in a central London hotel soirée where he met his first mentor (fashion director, at Plastique) who he assisted for half a year, before going into fashion PR, and eventually charting his own path in the world of styling.
Designing had always been a pastime, Kubi had worked on costumes to entire collections for other brands but it had never been like his latest offering
PALMWINE Ice CREAM (PWIC).Kusi describes his brainchild in. “I wanted to create a name that resembles the look, taste, and feel of a tropical climate. PALMWINE Ice CREAM is a blend of tastes and feelings, which are not necessarily meant to be combined, but once brought together exude a sense that is new and unfamiliar. PWIC stands for all the things that we are told or made to believe should not co-exist with one another. ““Our aim at PALMWINE IceCREAM (PWIC) is not to saturate the market, but to provide clothing for people who believe in what we do and stand for: Reconstruct, Re-use and Reduce”. His process follows this same philosophy. The denims and leathers from this collection are reworked.
This season there’s also a lot of linen,sheer harking back to the tropical West African origins of the brand. The jewelry and accessories are sourced from Italy, while the denims and leathers hail from Accra, by way of Europe – Kantamanto Market, West Africa’s biggest second hand market. The denims are restored using non-chemical methods and customized by hand in the PWIC studios to add the signature visual sensibility to each piece.
The production team behind the collection is all-Ghanaian and the pieces are finished in Accra, Ghana.Kusi speaks on the need to source the items, “the vintage denims are actually higher quality than the newer, mass produced denims. Leather is not a thing there but you can definitelysource high quality leathers from online shops such as eBay”. It’s a world away from the world of fast fashion, and an attempt to capture the value in existing resources from all over
the world. On the brand’s sustainable values, he adds “We’re not here to saturate the market. We’rehere to produce pieces people can relate to, and allow them interpret our ideas and how we bring them to life. I think vintage clothing is likely going to be a part of what we do, it’s about bringing unique pieces to life, creating a special connection with our audience.”
Written by Baingor Joiner
PHOTO: KOFMOTIVATION
