Original Story Published by: Lynsey Chutel & Kemi Lijadu for Quartz Africa (QZ)
(Above) Supermodel Naomi Campbell displays an outfit by South African designer Kluk CGDT.
Everything Beyonce touches turns to gold, or at the very least profit. So when the megastar wore an African designer—twice!—she cemented the international status of a local brand.
Beyoncé was first spotted in a monochrome geometric coat by South Africa-based design house Kisua in 2014. The coat sold out immediately.
The brand clearly appealed to her because she donned a skirt and top from Kisua just months later, causing another publicity stir for Kisua.
When Beyoncé’s stylist first contacted Kisua, its founder Samuel Mensah and his team thought it was a joke and didn’t respond for over a week. But, when he verified the request, Mensah an economist by profession, quickly spotted an opportunity. They’ve since created the Beyonce Edit, making it easier for customers to shop the look. By the time they were spotlighted by Beyonce, Kisua was already available on the international market—the top and skirt she wore were the result of a collaboration with Italian label Yoox. After Beyonce came a customer from Utah, and Mensah said he knew he’d made it.
“For me that was confirmation that African fashion really started to go mainstream; when Midwest Americans start coveting your product then you know, ok, we’re crossing over from an interesting unique brand to something that is becoming mainstream,” Mensah said.
Kisua would not comment on the impact of celebrity sightings on sales since Beyoncé.
To read the full article, visit Quartz Africa (QZ).
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