Cult denim label Diesel have teamed up with ethical brand in a collaboration that threads ethical consciousness with creativity. Available to buy online and in stores from today, Diesel+EDUN is a vibrant, 25-piece capsule collection inspired by African creativity and manufactured entirely in the continent.
Based on their mutual love for Africa, and their established aid initiativesDiesels Only The Brave Foundation project in Mali and EDUNs Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in UgandaDiesel founder Renzo Rosso and EDUN founders Ali Hewson and Bono felt moved to join forces on a project that aims to improve trade and highlight Africas rich fashion heritage.
'We married the competencies of EDUN in African trade, with our know-how and outreach, to create something that was never done before: denim which is completely sourced and manufactured in Africa and distributed all over the world,' Diesel founder Renzo Rosso told us today. 'But even more, with this project we want to show to consumers and to industry alike, that it is indeed possible to source, produce, and generate sustainable trade in Africa.'
'When we decided to travel to Africa to visit the Millennium Village in Mali and the cotton farming program in Northern Uganda, the result was both an amazing journey and a collaboration resulting in a line of beautiful clothes made from our cotton in Uganda and 100% made in Africa,' added Ali Hewson.
The line launched last night in Paris with the first in a series of live events called Studio Africa. A heart-felt headline performance from advocate of the project, Solange and a full-house of Hollywood guests, including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Nicole Richie, Alexandra Richards and photographer Ellen von Unwerth, echoed the energy of the collaboration.
My love for African fashion, music and art runs deep to my core and has been a significant source of inspiration to me as an artist, said Solange I'm constantly being exposed to such innovative African talent so I'm excited that Diesel+Edun is celebrating that extraordinary creativity through Studio Africa and taking me along for the journey!
In collaboration with Boiler Room, an online broadcaster for live-stream music, Studio Africa shows will also take place in Tokyo, Berlin, LA and tomorrow night, here in London.
Also giving a voice to the line is a team of young creatives with a shared commitment to improving trade in their respective countries. Working across fashion, film, music, literature, and photography, they are the combined force behind Studio Africa and act as a virtual loudspeaker, spreading the spirited message of the collection. Theres the catwalk model running a foundation for the education of orphaned girls in Tanzania, the writer from Morocco who was the first openly gay author in the Arab world and the fashion designer building an industry in Côte dIvoire one skilled worker at a time.
This is eco-fashion that goes way beyond the call of duty.
