SEKBI Bogolan Boasts Conscious Luxury and Africa's First Signature Print

SEKBI – an innovative, global lifestyle brand celebrating African heritage source with inspired Bogolan prints via stylish and conscious apparel – launched its debut “Legacy Collection” via e-commerce on September 29, 2020. Born in Africa, with intent to inspire the world, SEKBI’s signature Bogolan print is the first of its kind.

The “Legacy Collection” showcases timeless, sophisticated pieces with clean lines offering diverse styles that can be easily mixed and matched, but also blend seamlessly within an existing wardrobe. Beyond trends, quality and consciousness are at the core of the SEKBI identity, which lies in the creation of a custom, meaningful print that resonates, and sets the brand apart from like-minded fashion brands and other traditional African prints.

The inspiration comes from Bogolan, also called Bogolanfini, a traditional textile craft of more than 400 years that has been around since the Bambara empire era. It is mostly found in West Africa, Mali being the main territory. This ancient technique involves using clay to draw artistic and graphic patterns on cotton cloth, to translate a lifestyle. Bogolan fabric was and is still used by communities for celebrations, important events, and telling stories. The Bogolan print is made with a reduced use of materials, energy and water by choosing a pigment printing process instead of reactive dye. This pigment printing process consumes very little water to begin with, making it an eco-friendly solution in the textile printing industry.

The SEKBI print is entirely custom made, respecting most of the Bogolan codes: repetition of patterns, geometric shapes, and narrative. The pattern is minimalist yet highly recognizable. Featuring the brand logo, the SEKBI print has a strong African identity, while appealing to a global aesthetic. It represents the journey of humanity with symbols that embody good fortune, integrity, bravery and luxury.

SEKBI is particularly keen to widely share the powerful story-telling aspect of Bogolan by revisiting it in a modern way for new generations, addressing a global audience not necessarily familiar with its heritage, but ready to embrace its vitality.

SEKBI is founded by fashion and beauty industry veterans, Sekou Coulibaly and Binta Kaké. Sekou is a former Managing Director for the L’OREAL Group, and where he occupied several executive positions for the last 15 years in Paris, New York, Lagos and then Accra, has had the dream to inspire the world with Africa’s rich heritage in fashion and beauty. When he met Binta in the early 2000’s, they realized they shared the same passion for fashion and began brainstorming a common project where their origins could blend with the desire of building a brand just like leading international luxury brands that could also provide a means of employment and financial stability in communities back home in Africa. Binta boasts a strong record of experiences within the fashion industry (Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Dior and Altuzarra to name a few), coupled with an extensive Communications background relating to luxury brands, both in Paris and New York.

SEKBI Bogolan is available for pre-order, which maintains a sustainable supply chain aligning demand with production to avoid unnecessary waste. Visit www.sekbibogolan.com for more information.