Ethnic African patterns in all shades and colours personify the attire of traditional Kenyan women and make up label, Lalesso. The Capetonian fashion label, which was created by Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser, proudly presents African prints which can usually only be seen during visits to East African countries. Colourful and stylish, Lalesso offers a collection that truly showcases our continent’s vibrant clothing and cultures, without looking conservatively traditional. With the arrival of spring and warm temperatures almost back in full swing, a Lalesso design is just what you need to look chic and trendy.

Inspired by the traditional attire of Kenyan women during their visit to the coastal regions of the country, Alice and Olivia launched Lalesso four years ago. The vivid colours and prints are now seen in every Lalesso design, which are sold in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Japan, as well as locally. Because of their desire to involve the local community, the vigorous duo opened their own manufacturing workshop in Diani Beach, Kenya. To start off their amazing designs and journey to success, they employed two seamstresses from the neighbourhood of Diani Beach. The high demand for their clothes saw the pair recruit more workers and they now employ over twenty–two, highly driven tailors. An ambitious team, Alice and Olivia have included the community by starting programmes that create job opportunities. Nuns from the nearby church are responsible for all the crochet work while the local Masai tradesmen make the beaded bracelets. Lovers of sunshine, the two friends who met in college while studying Fashion Design and decided to create a brand that presented a never ending summer.

Worn by strong, independent women who love colour, Lalesso designs have been worn by fashion icons such as Sienna Miller and Kate Moss. The range not only consists of pretty dresses, but also sleep-wear and ballet pumps made from 100% recycled material. Designed by two creatives with their own personalities, Olivia’s favourite garments to date are the Maridadi dress and Salama dress. She loves the Maridadi for the way it accentuates a woman’s curves and shows off the shoulders while the Salama dress is a favourite for its free flowing nature and comfort. Alice, on the other hand, loves the Indiani dress from their 2009 Spring/Summer collection as it’s a classic piece that she’ll don for years to come.

Over the past four years, Lalesso has had tremendous success both locally and internationally. The collection was recently showcased at The Macdella Cooper Fundraising function in New York City and other charity events in London. Alice and Olivia recently revealed their Spring and Summer range at the Arise Cape Town Fashion Week, where they continued showing off their signature style. Earlier this year they also participated in the African Fashion Week. The dynamic duo has won numerous awards for their creative work including the British EFF Innovation Award, which they declare as their most accomplished and valued award to date. As an African brand that has risen globally, supermodel Oluchi Onweagba is seen as the woman who would best represent the brand. Both Lalesso and Oluchi began in Africa and have risen to become global successes.

It seems African prints are a trend this season, with many designers taking full advantage and embracing the traditional materials. Seen on both African and international ramps, the ethnic patterns have designers such as Nigerian’s Ituen Basi to Christie Brown and Tino Atiemo creating show-stopping pieces. Famous fashion designer Juan Watanabe, who came down to Northern African to create his 2009 Spring and Summer collections, is also known for the use of vibrant and colourful patterns in his designs, which could easily be mistaken for a Lalesso piece. A show at the London Fashion Week later this year will see the Lalesso expanding their brand. one small seed wishes Lalesso all the best as they place South African fashion in the global map.