I.AM.ISIGO Just Launched It’s Sustainable and Eco-Friendly AW2020 Collection. Here’s What We Think About It

I.AM.ISIGO is a women’s fashion label that strives to provide clients with outfits that are fused with a fierce, and minimal design aesthetic, while promoting the African culture and heritage. The label is owned by Bubu Ogisi, a Nigerian-born creative, and fashion designer.

The brand, which has been in existence since 2009, and was rebranded in 2013, has showcased at a number of fashion shows, including the Lagos Fashion and Design Week, London Fashion Week and South Africa Fashion Week Exhibition. Through the years, it has released a number of collections in order to stay relevant in the fashion industry.

The I.AM.ISIGO fashion label recently announced the launch of its Autumn/Winter 2020 Collection, “Chasing Evil”, and we surely have a few things to share regarding the collection.

Design Creativity.

The outfits in the collection were mostly two-pieces, dresses and deconstructed jacket dresses. The collection featured distinct fringe or tassels on the hems and body of the outfits; the plunging V-necklines and open necklines were obviously made to showcase the beauty in the shoulders and upper chest. The raffia cotton blend that was used for most of the outfits, were weaved by hand and were inspired by the Congolese fetish figurine, Nkisi Nkondi. 

Eco Friendliness

Eco-friendly  basically means earth-friendly and not harmful to earth. In relation to fashion, eco-friendly fashion or eco-fashion includes all the processes involved in making clothes that take into account the health of customers and the working conditions of the people in the fashion industry.

The raffia clothes, unbleached cotton and dried Palm leaf raffia which were used in this collection are all examples of eco friendly fashion. They were gotten from Congo, Nigeria and Uganda and were handweaved in Kenya. So, it’s quite obvious that the designers considered eco friendly fashion for this collection.

Target Audience

Due to the fact that the inspiration of this collection was gotten from war victims, post war trauma as well as post colonial exploitation, the pieces aren’t very bright and colorful, and thus are not very feasible to be worn by regular people. If paired with the right accessories and other clothings, though, the jackets, tops and dresses can be rocked to casual occasions. However, these outfits would go well for someone that deeply appreciates ancient history, and traditions.

Collection Story

The “Chasing Evil” collection explored the exploitation of Congo, and Africa as a whole through in-depth research. By speaking to war victims, about the post war trauma, post colonial exploitation, and neocolonialism, this collection aims to overcome these issues that are deep in the history of the continent. Also, drawing inspiration from the Congolese mythical idol, Nkisi Nkondi, the “Chasing Evil” collection was made to unite countries across borders, and by the work of hands.

Sustainability

This collection, in addition to the eco-friendly fabrics, also feature dyed recycled cotton and deconstructed recycled graments, which are all sustainable forms of fashion. Sustainable  fashion, in the sense that, they are natural, non-harming and productive to the environment. Recycled clothings are considered sustainable because they are reused and help to reduce the pressure on natural garment resources. 

Generally, we think this collection is a pretty good one, although the pieces could have been made to be more contemporary and modern.