Eli is a Lagos-based artist and the mastermind behind futurist brand, KUWÉ. He tells about his inspirations, aspirations and perceptions of the influence of the Lagos environment on his creative process.
local·global: Can you tell us more about your creative process?
Eli: My process starts with looking around and within for an emotion or information I’d like to communicate. Then I draft the process for bringing it to life, assembling a digital mood board or discussing with my friends who have the skills required to help provide a better and faster guide for execution.
LGW: You describe your brand as specializing in the impossible - in what ways do you seek to achieve this?
Eli: Yes that’s true, one of the ways is taking a major break from getting “inspired” by things I see online and getting technical. I’m from Lagos, Nigeria and here tailors or artisans generally have a reputation of failing, whether in quality, efficiency or delivery. A lot of brands have had to close down their business because of artisanal issues and at this point it’s starting to seem like the impossible. I’m on a mission to provide premium identities and that’s on the overall operation of the brand; from product development to consumer. I’m working towards investing in the path of steady innovation, quality materials and exceptional development in order to challenge the status quo and lead African fashion to where it can truly compete.
What inspired you to start this brand? Was there something you felt was missing in your community?
Eli: Not really, all I had was the name, KUWÉ. I loved it so much that I wanted to make it a household name. I thought of everything it could become and fashion just did it for me. I’m passionate about personal style and consider myself to be a futurist; I’ll have an idea in my head and then a few months later, it’s in the next season collection of big [fashion] houses. So, I took full interest in designing since I have a sense of predicting or judging what’s cool and what can be.
LGW: Who inspires you within your community and the rest of the world?
Eli: I could name a few, Kanye West really inspires me because he successfully bridged being a commercially and culturally successful designer with having an award-winning music career. That’s what I’m on and I love that it’s possible.
Mowalola and her connection with her Nigerian roots, I like what she does and how she does it in terms of designs and expressions, regardless of how big she has become.
Ifeanyi Nwune and harnessing the power of a network, he’s the founder and head designer of I.N Official and he’s one of the coolest forward thinkers in the menswear game in Africa. I’m close to him and I’m actively learning how to be successful with a team, partners and friendships. He’s helping me reach and discover my potential in the industry as we know it.
LGW: In an ever-changing and competitive industry, how do you stay true to your brand identity and stay ahead of the curve in terms of innovation and design?
Eli: The internet is a heap of recycled ideas; it’s good for getting discovered and essential for growth but it’s not as efficient for fresh creativity. That’s why fashion shows now all look the same, the gothic designers all look like Rick Owens and the playful ones are disciples of Balenciaga. Nobody is really paying attention to true craftsmanship anymore but I believe when a light is bright enough every eye will see it. I plan on being more technical than absorbing, that way I’m not actively diluted by the trends and I can always stumble on new things that could shape the way people consume fashion.
LGW: How did the ideas for your SS24 collection come about, and what challenges did you face when executing?
Eli: I’m not going to lie, the collection isn’t what it was planned to be - I was supposed to be in Paris for fashion week, but then my visa didn’t come out. The time between receiving the embassy’s decision and my intended travel date was like a week, so I couldn’t do much in terms of crafting new silhouettes as sketched. I had rushed this into production in a week’s span so I could shoot it in Paris during my stay, I titled it ‘Renaissance’ because of the emotions I experienced during the visa process; I felt like a failure but I redirected that energy and decided to use this collection as a testament that people’s decision over me won’t change who I am moving forward.
LGW: How does your location influence your creativity?
Eli: To be honest, Negatively. The weather makes it hard to express with certain kinds of clothes or ideas, the people like to stick to the norm which can rule out doing things you find interesting and stimulating, and the society is yet to give art pieces the value they truly have. It shouldn’t be just the 1% or reckless spenders who appreciate high-end pieces. And my goal is pretty simple ‘giving premium identities’ but when I pitch I don’t really see people raising hands and I don’t blame them, I blame the location.
