Loza Maléombho established her eponymous brand in New York City in 2009 where she worked for a short period of time before relaunching it in 2012 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Born in Brazil, Maléombho grew up between Abidjan and Maryland and studied Fine Art and Animation at the University of the Arts of Philadelphia before moving to New York. In 2009, after starting the brand, she moved back to Abdijan, her mother’s homeland: ‘I wanted to create something meaningful that would have a social impact in Côte d'Ivoire. So, I moved to back to develop my first collection.’

Maléombho’s collections centre on cultural traditions from across the African continent. This ensemble comes from her Autumn/Winter 2019 collection where she explored the idea of the futuristic woman, with a shared, cross-cultural, pan-African history. The collection is a celebration of the power and strength of women and matriarchy, inspired by the Akan warriors from the matrilineal Kingdom of Akan (located in what is now Ghana) and the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey (located in modern-day Benin). The narrative of the collection is reflected in the design of the ensemble the tailored jacket, shorts and chaps a reference to power dressing and the power suit. The nylon straps on the jacket and chaps are also nod towards contemporary military dress. The gold masks on straps are a common feature of Maléombho’s designs. According to Maléombho these represent union and joy in the Baoulé tribe, which is part of a larger group of the Akan group.

This ensemble was worn by singer Kelly Rowland (with different shoes) at the Wearable Art Gala in Santa Monica, California in June 2019, hosted by Tina Knowles. The event’s theme was inspired by the then-forthcoming film, The Lion King, featuring Beyoncé. Beyoncé also known to support Maléombho’s work, and wore a design by her in the 2020 music film Black is King.