“Loky had in him something many people did not have, a great work ethic. I mean, he used to wake up early to source fabric and was consistently developing new ideas,” says Papa Petit, stylist and close friend to Blackbird Jeans’ founder and co-owner, Loky Zee. We can attest to his early rises from when we caught up with him from New York in the wee hours of the morning. “You’ve got to be invested 110%,” he says “otherwise don’t waste your time.” These valuable words, applicable to all start-ups, sums up Loky’s drive which – together with his talent and charm – has catapulted the 24 year old into the ranks of fast rising designers worldwide.
Blackbird Jeans was Kenya’s most exciting fashion start-up of 2008 and now the company has spread its wings to USA where it has established itself as an popular innovative brand. Blackbird Jeans pioneered fashion firsts in the Kenyan fashion scene with prints on the back pockets of denim pants, cubism on shirts, and the ‘drop crotch’ style that became the Blackbird Jeans’ signature. Helen Jennings, fashion guru said in 2012 that these are the designers to watch and she was not wrong. Last year Blackbird Jeans had 12 shows in 12 states in the USA and dressed the Fela Kuti cast in LA. The fast rising star, Loky Zee, talks to us from New York where he is honing his skills at Alexander Nash, a bespoke fashion studio from which he styles the who’s who of the Hollywood A-List including Michael K. Williams, star of ‘the Wire’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and the remake of ‘Robocop’ that premiered earlier this year.
As early as their school days Loky and his partner, Sydney were aware of style. “He’s from Mombasa, I’m from Eldoret. It didn’t matter that we wore school uniforms, he would come with his type of shoes and I would come with mine and we would appreciate each other’s styles,” Loky reminisces. Creating clothes came naturally and drawn to creating clothes, he started at Obadi Wear, a jeans factory in Nakuru as a floor man where he fell in love with the sewing machine. Believing that there was more in store for him, he moved to Nairobi. “I knew I wanted to take the fashion experience to a new level,” he says of his decision to move. Loky took to selling juice to make ends meet and immersing himself in spirituality; fasting and praying to God to make his dreams a reality. In 2010 he had finally saved up enough money to purchase a sewing machine of his own. He began slowly making unique designs that he felt filled a vacuum in the Kenyan fashion scene.
His journey did not lack obstacles and challenges one of which was reluctance of his family to accept his line of work. “Back then, in Kenya, you could not tell your parents that you wanted to be a tailor,” he tells us, “that’s what they would call it. They’d talk about how they put you through school and that designing clothes would be a waste of that education.” It took dedication, belief in his talent, and a stern belief that this was a path God chose for him, to carry him through those trying times. He laughs as he speaks of a conversation with his pastor about his dream to travel to the United States of America and his pastor asks him how he makes a living to which he replies, “I make clothes.” The pastor advises him, “That is what God wants you to do.” Taking Kenyan Fashion to the Global Runway
Through the buzz created by his eccentric take on the drop crotch and cubism inspired shirts, Loky was invited to Straight Up which had a domino effect for Blackbird Jeans. With more celebrities such as Resian Labai and Allan Namu wearing his clothes, his profile rose substantially. Shortly after his media appearance, Loky was called to dress Sauti Sol at Blankets & Wine. Not stopping there, Loky was given a slot at the African Fashion Week in New York on the same year. Unfortunately, his funds were not sufficient to cover the travel costs and all his proposals for sponsorship were in vain. “We had to sell all the sewing machines and equipment in our studio. I remember when it was our time to showcase and I knew we came in as underdogs.” Their collection was met with praise for their attention to detail and unique interpretation of African fashion.
As a designer in USA he has faced a different challenge. “This is a bigger and daunting market,” he says “and as a man of color, you are faced with more to prove.” His new collection and his self belief have proved to be up to the task.
To up-coming designers, Loky advises, “If you’re not invested and you launch something flimsy and in a hurry, it will have repercussions.” It is clear that it is a passion that touches every part of his life and we hope to
By Amal Mohamed
http://www.upnairobi.com/dt_portfolio/taking-kenyan-fashion-to-the-global-runway/
