Lagos-born and based designer Kenneth Ize is known for his innovative use in contemporary fashion design of aṣọ-òkè. Made by the Yoruba, aṣọ-òkè is a hand-woven cloth said to originate from the city of Ibadan in the 15th century. Traditionally made from cotton, dyed in various colours and designs, it is a very prestigious cloth and often worn for special occasions. Ize works with a community of 10-15 weavers at his factory in Ilorin to create aṣọ-òkè for his collections. It takes around 24 hours over the course of a week to weave enough aṣọ-òkè for a jacket.

The Spring/Summer 2021 collection was created during the coronavirus pandemic and various lockdowns while Ize was often working from home in Lagos; much of the design process for the collection was done over WhatsApp with the weavers in Ilorin.

The collection was also a pointed critique of Nigeria’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, where, at the time of writing in 2022, homosexuality is still punishable with a 14-year prison sentence. Speaking with i-D magazine, Ize remarked: ‘I'm a gay man, and I'm a gay Black designer. Living in Nigeria for the past five years, I feel like I hid this side of myself’. For the collection’s launch in Paris at the Palais de Tokyo, Ize commissioned Maty Biayenda, a Black trans painter, to create a mural during the presentation.

The womenswear ensemble acquired by the V&A is one of the 13 looks created for the collection. It is made from multi-coloured aṣọ-òkè and the dress, designed to be worn over trousers, has a deep fringed hem which is often found in Ize’s collections.