Cape Town - Mille Collines is a collective of three designers: Marc Oliver, Inés Cuatrecasas and Namnyak Odupoy.
Their mission is to develop clothing and accessories of international quality and design standards, but specifically for the African market.
This range is their first shown with Odupoy, from Kenya, who joined the group last year.
Oliver and Cuatrecasas are from Barcelona, but originally founded Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda in 2009.
All products are designed, produced and retailed in Africa, with stores based in Nairobi, Kenya and South Africa.
Last month, the collection was shown at the AFI Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg which was the fourth show since expanding their brand to South Africa last year.
The range extends from everyday professional wear to more relaxed women’s wear in the form of flowing kim-onos, printed tunics, tailored jackets and assymmetrical dresses.
A natural minimalist palette of sand, stone and ivory infuses flashes of green, yellow and peach.
The suits and waistcoasts use matt silk crêpe and wool, and cotton that draws on patterns from the Kuba fabric of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The effect is light, soft and breezy.
Cuatrecasas says: “We took our inspiration from curio shops found throughout Africa and their disconnect with today’s Africa. We understand the nostalgia associated with curios and reinterpreted them to reflect the cosmopolitan, globalised Africa women live in today.”
Accessories are cleverly used to put a spin on the notion of curios. These were in the form of faux elephant hair bracelets, belts and necklaces made from rubber, leather and copper thread. Leather handbags are made by women’s workshops in Khayelitsha and Nairobi. Eye-catching 3D brooches and necklaces hand-decorated with beading by Maasai women, and beaded cuffs inspired by Maasai motifs deepen the curio theme.
The Wren Design in Cape Town are responsible for the recycled paper laptop bags used.
Ballo, also in Cape Town, collaborated on the unisex, cow’s horn, leather and wooden sunglasses finished with beaded straps that double as necklaces.
The collective is keen to grow its creative team in South Africa.
l Curio l City is available from the Mille Collines online store – free delivery throughout Africa – and at Nairobi boutiques.
See: www.millecollines.es Twitter: @mille_collines. Instagram: @millecollines
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