Finding clothes of genuine provenance requires looking a little beyond the obvious. These six fashion brands from designers – spanning Ghana, Lebanon, Jamaica, Shanghai and beyond – build their collections around specific cultural inheritances and craft traditions.
Dijágo
Khudija Zaib Lughmani and Gracey Owusu-Agyemang founded Dijágo to “present a new kind of luxury with the earth in mind”. The two London-based designers merge the visual languages of their Pakistani and Ghanaian-Namibian backgrounds, producing womenswear through ethical craft methods. These cotton trousers were hand-stitched by artisans in Baffa, Pakistan. £270, Dijágo
Susan Fang
Susan Fang’s womenswear has been shaped by a multicultural upbringing across China, Canada and the US, to her current home in the UK, with her work exploring “beauty as a universal language connecting humanity, nature and emotion”. Her signature pastels, florals and 3D embellishment now extend to this collaboration with Melissa: a considered update on the classic jelly shoe. £145, Susan Fang x Melissa at Wolf & Badger
Daily Paper
What started as a blog covering music, art, fashion and culture in 2012 has become the clothing and lifestyle brand Amsterdam-based trio Jefferson Osei, Abderrahmane Trabsini and Hussein Suleiman now run together. Their Ghanaian, Moroccan and Somali heritages shape collections that move between contemporary menswear and womenswear, with this crochet sweater a great transitional option to carry you between seasons. €159.95, Daily Paper
Renaissance Renaissance
Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej grew up in her mother’s atelier in Beirut. She launched her own label in 2016, working from Paris and Beirut with local artisans to produce occasionwear that draws on the spectrum of womanhood. This dress applies couture craft to a shape that reads equally well dressed up or down. £400, Renaissance Renaissance at Dover Street Market
Nicholas Daley
Nicholas Daley’s menswear is a sustained inquiry into community, craft and identity, specifically his Jamaican- Scottish heritage and its relationship to Black British and diasporic culture more broadly. This camouflage tote, with its ‘Reggae Man’ patch and adjustable straps, carries a laptop, gym kit and all your daily essentials. £195, Nicholas Daley
Private Policy
Private Policy is the genderless clothing label from creative director Haoran Li, a Parsons graduate who moved from China to New York. Each collection takes on a distinct social topic, from organic futurism to the buried history of Chinese transcontinental railroad workers in the 1800s. These washed panel jeans will anchor any wardrobe. $437, Private Policy
