MXVV is the savvier younger brother of Maxivive the premium menswear line by Papa Oyeyemi. As an alumnus of the Lagos Fashion and Design Week Fashion Focus programme, Oyeyemi has managed to build one of the most forward facing menswear franchises in three short years. He has legitimized his premium brand by showing at the South Africa Menswear Week, the largest menswear platform on the continent and creating not one but two diffusion lines.
MXVV the brand’s youth athleisure line seeks to create a sort of alternative culture around itself the same way brands like Alexander Wang and Vetements have. And after showing their latest collection at the Spring 17 SA Menswear week, the label is switching into full gear by tapping into the popularity of the Nigerian hip-hop culture. It is bringing in Nigerian hip-hop royalty Naetochukwu Chikwe, popularly known as Naeto C to front their latest campaign.
This is a big gamble for Naeto C too as we have seen him this alternative, it will be fascinating to see the extent of this collaboration, if the brand will actually dress the rapper for public events and things of the sort, or if the collaboration will end with the lookbook. Because if they are really serious about building MXVV into the uniform of a youth subculture, they will need to provide this subculture vanguards to follow.
Photo Credits
Brand: MXVV | @mxvv_ng
Styling & Creative Direction: Papa Oyeyemi | @papaoyeyemi
Photography: Kadara Enyeasi | @enyeasi.k
Model: Naeto C | @naetosuperc
