British menswear label You Must Create is one of the alternative labels that has grown and thrived on imbibing aesthetic elements of street cultures and subcultures and interpreting them through clothes. A favourite among British bands, YMC has become a good litmus test for what is cool and hip in raves and underground parties. But for the new collection, debuted at London Collections: Men, they chose to draw from Britain’s multicultural past.
Okoro, the colloquial word for a Nigerian man of Igbo ethnicity is the title of the new collection, one that celebrates the influx of West Africans to England following the liberation of British colonies from colonial rule and the subsequent civil wars that led to mass migrations to the queen’s land. Influences include the iconic career and portraiture of Malian photographer Malick Sidibe, the stylistic musings of Nigerian Juju and high-life singers King Sunny Ade, Oliver DeCoque and Victor Uwaifo and of course, the ever resilient legacy of Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Turbans reminiscent of Tuareg herdsmen juxtaposed against cropped wide leg chinos, flared jeans and silk boiler suits, Print dress shirts done in the style of ankara, layered pieces in muted earth tones and occasional splashes of colour; all suggest a spliced British culture, jazzed up by African sensibilities. And it is all so, so good.
STYLING
MARK ANTHONY BRADLEY
CASTING
SARAH BUNTER
HAIR
VIDAL SASSOON
MAKE UP
AOFMPRO USING DERMALOGICA
SALES
MADS BUUR KRISTIANSEN [email protected]
PRESS
SANE COMMUNICATIONS [email protected]