What would a summer be without the beautiful clothes from the trendy South African brand Lalesso?
You are going to fall for their modern and trendy pieces for which the two founders, Alice and Olivia only inspire themselves from the African prints Lesso.
Who are the girls behind Lalesso?
Olivia Kennaway and myself, Alice Heusser. We met whilst studying fashion design in Cape Town and started the Lalesso brand after a trip to Olivia’s home country, Kenya.
Why the name Lalesso?
The brand was inspired by the East African ‘Khanga’ cloth, also known as a ‘Lesso’. These fabrics have adored the coastal East African women for centuries and we wanted to honour that rich tradition in the name we chose for the label.
When and why did you create Lalesso?
We created Lalesso whilst we were in our second year of university. At the time it was a fun side project but as the company grew so did our ambition and commitment to the label and to all the people we worked with. Since day one we have been an ethical and fair-trade business and this has been a huge part of this journey with the brand.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration comes from all over. Books, ancient cultures, art, music, locally sourced beads and trims. We believe inspiration is abundant and can be found anywhere if your open up your creative channels.
Who’s the perfect Lalesso customer?
There is no perfect Lalesso customer. We design clothes for all types of women. It’s wonderful to see our customers wear their pieces in their own way; they are all our perfect customers!
For more infos, check out www.lalesso.com
Texte Nathalie Bardin
Photos, courtesy of Lalesso, and Nathalie Bardin