Daily Paper has united with Nigerian brand Wekafore to create a unique capsule collection. The collection celebrates both African heritage and champions an uncompromising vision for the future. Titled ‘The Spirit Don’t Die’, the collection takes music icon Fela Kuti as its ultimate muse, centering his image and legacy throughout the designs.
Wekafore is a brand and collective that represents a new generation of African designers, united in their disruptive quality. Founded by Lagos-born Wekaforé Maniu Jibril, his eponymous brand is a testament to his Grandfather, a tailor who never got the chance to see fashion on a city-scale. Since its debut in 2013, Wekafore has become known for its ready-to-wear collections which feature an Afrofuturistic edge, while simultaneously increasing the continent’s representation in fashion.
The collection revolves around Fela Kuti, Nigerian music icon and political agitator who’s impact on West Africa’s 1970s cultural golden age is impossible to overlook. Here, Wekafore and Daily Paper have looked to his music, spirit and uncompromising politics to inform the capsule. The choice to use Kuti as inspiration also situates nostalgia as an important aspect of the collection, whilst their futuristic designs create a striking contrast.
Indeed, speaking about the collab, its preoccupation with past and future and using Kuti as inspiration, Jibril said that “Like Fela, the pieces are very punk, very psychedelic, and very African at the same time. And that represents me 100%. And I think being able to speak that way through a platform like Daily Paper is a testament to contemporary African consciousness”.
The collection itself consists of a black denim jacket and jeans duo, lasered with a portrait of Kuti. The same portrait also appears on a black hoodie and t-shirt, this time printed on. Other black garments include flares, dress and top trio all sporting an original print and looking to the 1970s psychedelic era. In the same vein, the capsule is completed with a t-shirt and hoodie in red acid wash featuring the collection’s name across the front.
With a rich cultural inspiration and forward-thinking designs, Wekafore’s collaboration with the Daily Paper speaks to the power of harnessing authenticity and innovation, and injecting personality into each collection. Shop the full collection online, or in flagship stores globally from Friday 15 October.
More on CULTED:
See also: SWEET TOOTH: THE TEETH-JEWELLERS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
See also: THE DIZZYING RISE OF TELFAR
