REKANA began long before the first collection in 2018.

As a child, I was fascinated by fashion. I loved dressing up, experimenting with style, and seeing how clothing could transform the way people felt about themselves. As I grew older, that fascination evolved into a dream. I wanted to be part of every side of the industry—the model, the muse, and eventually the designer creating the vision.

While in college, I realized fashion design wasn’t an accessible path for me. The programs I wanted weren’t available locally, and international fashion schools were beyond my family’s reach. Still, I knew fashion would be part of my future. I also knew that if I ever built a brand, it would carry my name. So I reserved REKANA for that future dream.

Instead of waiting for an opportunity, I learned the industry from the ground up. I worked across modeling, styling, costume design, production, and creative direction, gaining firsthand experience in how fashion moves from concept to consumer. Those experiences exposed me to the waste generated across fashion production, styling, and content creation. I also witnessed the extraordinary skill of African artisans and makers being undervalued despite their craftsmanship being at the heart of the industry. At the same time, I saw few contemporary African brands exploring gender-fluid design through a modern lens.

In 2018, I launched REKANA as a response to some of those realities, working with fabric makers and retailers to use their remnant “unsold” fabrics to create a ready-to-wear womenswear brand providing women with distinctive clothing in comfortable fabrics that are both functional, stylish and make a statement to the discerning eye. A clothing line that radiates ease, style, strength, signature, lifestyle and relevance.
Our first collection “REKANATED” was birthed.