A capsule collection is essentially a condensed version of a designer’s vision, often limited edition, which transcends seasons and trends by being functional or commercial. Many capsule collections are birthed from a collaboration between fashion designers or brands to deliver specific outfits that have a common goal.
Read More: Idia Aisien Recently Launched Her Debut Fashion Collection, And Here Are Our Thoughts.
The Ethiopian ethical fashion brand, Lemlem has partnered with Agnona which is an Italian women’s luxury brand to deliver a capsule collection that highlights sustainability. Here’s an honest review of the Lemlem brand and the capsule collection.
About Lemlem
Lemlem is a sustainable fashion brand based in Ethiopia that is particular about promoting artisanal skills and employment in Africa. The brand is owned by fashion designer and supermodel, Liya Kebede who recently was the cover star for the November edition of Harper’s Bazaar Magazine.
Lemlem, which was derived from the Amharic language in Ethiopia meaning to bloom and flourish, produces a range of collections for women, men, and children as well as home goods which are made in Africa. The main source of material used for the outfits is the natural cotton gotten from the heart of Ethiopia.
Collaboration With Agnona
This capsule collection is a project nearly two years in the making as both owners of Lemlem and Agnona were excited about the opportunity to combine incredible Italian artisanship with incredible African and Ethiopian artisanship.
“We immediately started to talk about a possible collaboration between Agnona, well known for noble fibres and high standard of manufacturing and Lemlem’s creativity.” – Alessandra Carra, CEO, Agnona.
This collaboration has indeed helped to direct other fashion labels towards the path of sustainability and showed them the abundance of creativity that comes from African nations.
The Capsule Collection
Being a capsule collection that features only essential items, this collection consists of three major styles – a maxi dress, a top that comes in varying colours and a poncho.
The maxi dress is a monochrome one that features a fitted crew-neck sweater which flows over cotton ruffles. The dress can be rocked to casual occasions and can become the go-to dress for toned-down looks. The top, similar to the maxi dress, also features a fitted crew-neck sweater, however, it comes in two different colours – ivory and navy.
The poncho, on the other hand, effortlessly blends panels of cashmere ribs with textured cotton.
“All the outfits are comfortable and versatile. They can be easily dressed up or down.” – Liya Kebede, Creative Director, Lemlem.
One thing that stands out in this capsule collection is how all the pieces were designed to effortlessly combine the knitwear expertise which Agnona is known for and Lemlem’s experience in hand weaving patterned textiles. The outfits can be worn for various occasions while clearly communicating the ethical message.
Since this capsule collection was designed to highlight sustainability, we think that this collaboration is indeed a hit.
