NKWO works with small-scale artisan makers across the African continent that specialise in hand crafts such as hand dyeing, weaving, beading and embroidery.

The blue and white colour palette of this outfit is typical of NKWO’s aesthetic. The coat and bra top of this outfit are made from NKWO’s signature Dakala cloth, a fabric developed in the NKWO studio as a way to re-use fabric offcuts. The technique is inspired by strip weaving and involves a process of stripping and sewing together sections of waste fabric derived from, for instance, discarded denim garments or cutting table waste. NKWO’s Dakala cloth was nominated for the Fashion category of the Beazley Designs of the Year 2020. The coat is embellished with flax fringing and recycled mirror beading. It was made in Abuja, Nigeria. As well as the Dakala cloth, NKWO tends to use traditional fabrics in natural fibres such as cotton made in Nigeria and applies these to unconventional and contemporary shapes and styles, or reworked traditional silhouettes.
The outfit is from the Spring/Summer 2019 collection, shown at Lagos Fashion Week in November 2018 and consists of a coat, a bra top, a skirt and a gele. The collection, titled ‘WHO KNEW’, was inspired by the stories of displaced peoples and victims of human trafficking. Each model wore a headpiece or gele created from a distinctive checked woven nylon tote bag, also known as ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags in much of West Africa, which stood to represent how people had carried all their possessions in these bags, or on their heads, when leaving their homes. This ensemble was modelled on the catwalk by well-known fashion stylist, retailer and entrepreneur Ezinne Chinkata.