Kenyan fashion house KikoRomeo has taken its latest collection, Ewala, to the Moscow Fashion Week runway, nearly three decades after the Nairobi-based label was founded.
The collection was presented at the Central Exhibition Hall Manege in Moscow, where KikoRomeo appeared on the official fashion week calendar following a collaboration with Nairobi Fashion Week.
Founded by Ann McCreath in Nairobi in 1996, KikoRomeo has built its designs around contemporary fashion and East African materials and craftsmanship. McCreath presented the Moscow collection alongside her daughter, Iona McCreath.
Ewala combines structured tailoring with flowing forms, using rainfed organic cotton, handloom textiles, hand-carved coconut shell buttons and brass hardware.
The collection also incorporates zero-waste garment construction, with KikoRomeo placing emphasis on craftsmanship and designs intended to move beyond short-lived fashion trends.
“The Ewala collection is a direct reflection of Kenya’s evolving design identity,” McCreath said.
She said the Moscow presentation was intended to use fashion to facilitate cultural exchange by exposing the work, craftsmanship and storytelling emerging from Nairobi to an international audience.
The Moscow appearance builds on KikoRomeo’s efforts to take its designs beyond Kenya, with the brand using the showcase to present its approach to fashion and Kenyan craft to a new audience.
Nairobi Fashion Week Creative Director Brian Kihindas said the reception of the collection showed that Kenyan designers can participate in international fashion platforms.
“Kenyan fashion operates at an international standard,” Kihindas said. “KikoRomeo’s reception at the Manege proves that our fashion industry isn’t just participating in the global conversation, it is actively shaping it.”