Nigerian-German Fashion Designer based in the UK, Hazel Eki Osunde, designs prints that narrate positive African stories.
Hazel is the founder and creative director of EKI, an African-inspired luxury silk print fashion brand. She believes fashion can be very impactful in its creation of a platform for change.
Fashion can also be used as a tool to educate consumers on the importance of different subject matters.
She stumbled onto the fashion scene when a friend talked to her about her career in media and she realised she did not love what she was doing so went on to discover what she loved and it dawned on her she had a love for textiles, designs and nostalgia for Africa.
Face2faceAfrica wrote that Osunde’s designs have a clear African influence and it is printed on silk to give them an international appeal. What is more, her garments are flowy and can be worn casually or dressed up.
READ MORE: Fashion Designer Nicholas Dex challenges Africans in diaspora to change image of Africa
Florence Oriwo, a Kenyan Designer conquering Germany with African inspired Fashion Designs
The Nigerian-German designer was born in Nigeria and the inspiration for her designs is drawn from Africa. She taps into nature, culture and travel and narrates her stories from an African point of view.
She draws inspiration from her cultural experiences where her love for the vivid earthy colours of Africa was birthed.
Hazel Eki Osunde’s brand is a sustainable conscious business which also reflects her care and love for the world and the environment. She added that running a sustainable brand shifts the goal from squeezing everyone dry and cutting corners to having a conscience and staying true to ones ethical values.
“All of our printing is done digitally as it consumes less water and ink. It was a conscious business decision to opt for digital rather than litho printing, even though the latter is less dear. For us the long-term effects on the planet pay a higher price,” wrote the designer on her website Ekisilk.