‘It’s for the community’: Ib Kamara unpacks Off-White’s NYFW debut

It’s been just over a decade since Off-White was founded by Virgil Abloh. Though an American son of Ghanaian immigrants, the brand has shown in Paris ever since, despite its worldly inspirations and international community. Last Sunday, Abloh’s successor Ib Kamara staged his fourth runway show for the brand and made a grand return to the home country of its late founder.

Europe is home to some of the most important textile and fashion creations. Still, this past Sunday, at the Brooklyn Bridge basketball court, with the Financial District’s skyline as a backdrop, Kamara reminded what initially made Off-White so alluring – its roving references, multicultural inspirations and diverse community.

The hustle and bustle of the city could not be stopped as the locals on the surrounding basketball courts continued to enjoy their Sunday morning game-time amid the fashion week spectacle. Everyone from Victoria Monet, Camilla Cabello, Zayn Malik and Dazed’s current cover star Ayra Starr shuffled in alongside Mary J Blige and Flava Flav. Rapper NLE Choppa, Madonna’s son David Banda and Beyoncé’s nephew Julez Smith walked the runway in a show inspired by a trip to Ghana, “where Virgil came from and the roots he cherished,” Ib explained pre-show. “I was born in Sierra Leone, and eventually grew up in London, but our experiences were similar. I have vivid memories of what America, and New York in particular, represented in the collective imagination of Africans; a dreamland of utopias made real, a place of opportunities.”

During fittings, Kamara spoke to Dazed about finding his rhythm, new inspirations and the chance encounter that led to NLE Choppa walking the runway.

How does your creative process begin?

Ib Kamara: It’s always a conceptual thought or a mixture of a couple of ideas. I think my idea process is like an experimental lab. I’m African, and then I moved to Europe, and then I’m working for an American brand. These are three things that I reference and merge to create.

And what’s one of the main starting points?

Ib Kamara: I spent three weeks in Ghana. I was hanging out, getting inspired and really taking in Accra. Then I thought of this idea of an African coming to America and what you want to dress like. What does a modern African travelling to America look like? When you land in New York, what’s that look?

Talk us through some of your favourite details in the collection.

Ib Kamara: It’s tracksuits, corsets and an African sort of panel draping. I was inspired by West African draping in the studio, and they would study all these sorts of traditional ways women wrapped their waists in West Africa. But then it’s with the Georgette inside as a layer and then you have the sportswear hoody language merging into African draping. I think it’s my take on an Off-White language.

What about some of those details, like the feathering and the bottle caps?

Ib Kamara: I grew up with like Coca Cola, Sprite, you know, these are the bottle and cans I grew up with. It’s the most African thing I could think of. You could find it on the street, playing around and then just slapping them on some sexy open-toe shoes. It’s great. You just take something and put it on another thing. I found this patchwork camo in a garage in Ghana and just reconstructed it [on a sneaker] and then we changed the colourway and put the bottle caps on it. And then all of this hand-painted mix with embroidery, glittery embroidery is cool.

The tracksuit-corset is draped in a Georgette, feathers and all the sequin stars. I’m using stars in the collection because I think it’s so Ghanaian and so American at the same time. Continuing with the Off-White numbers, even if a dress is so pure, I think having a twist of a number or graphic on it – is so Off-White, it’s so cool. Even though we have all this cool embroidery on the garments they still feel very sporty. No matter how polished the garment is there is still the sports language in there and I think that’s the twist in a way.

How did NLE Choppa end up walking?

Ib Kamara: I met Choppa in Atlanta. He was performing at Black Pride and Law Roach took me to meet him and introduced me to him and Saucy Santana. From then on we started texting and I asked him to come and walk for the show.

We’re still progressing and we’re optimistic and colourful and different, from an African perspective. This is what I was aiming for – Ib Kamara

You also collaborated with the Ghanaian artist Nana Danso for this collection.

Ib Kamara: I love Nana. The hoodies and the technical jersey, but with this print of his garment has an anime African deity feeling that I’m obsessed with. It’s newly done for the collection. I collaborated with him on the t-shirts, and I put his stuff on some garments, and I have it on trainers as well.

What are you most proud of in the collection?

Ib Kamara: Finding myself within Off-White and what the language is. We’re still progressing and we’re optimistic and colourful and different, from an African perspective. This is what I was aiming for. It’s still streetwear but sexy, cool, young and energetic.

How do you bring both the African and European sensibilities to America?

Ib Kamara: I think ultimately, I always reference myself in terms of my upbringing. So I’m African, and then I grew up in London – there’s such a huge reference of Africans living in London already at my disposal. And just walking into an American brand and in a much more experimental incubator, I’m able to merge a lot of my ideas and then form something quite new and interesting, but that’s also off the track – that’s my universe. I think there’s a risk that Off-White allows you to take when you make clothes and that’s beautiful, exciting and much more progressive.

It’s been just over a decade since Off-White was founded but there has never been a show in America – this is the first time. Can you explain the importance of coming back to America?

Ib Kamara: It’s common sense to come back to its roots. And America is a melting pot of people from everywhere in the world, all contributing to one space. So there are always new ideas. There’s always like, ‘I’m African coming here and I’m contributing a concept into the American life in the American every day,’ and I think America allows you to do that; New York allows you to do that; Off-White allows you to do that. Because it’s supposed to be progressive and this innovative modern brand should create clothes that completely stand out, and Americans stand out globally in terms of every little thing. Off-White has that sensibility, you know?

You’ve spoken in the show notes about the perception of America and then also this reality of the New Yorker living here, and the American living here. How do you balance putting these two visions together?

Ib Kamara: Yeah. I mean, growing up in Sierra Leone, there’s this idea of winning the lottery and coming to America. So you always think America is a paradise. But actually, when you come to America, it’s real life. You have to go to work like everybody else. You don’t have mangoes just falling off the tree, you gotta buy them. Cash is coming out. So the collection is quite practical too. You want to look cool and you’re a global citizen, you’re a global traveller, you’re a world-inquisitive human, and that is Off-White in itself. It is very inquisitive, but then it’s quite practical too, because it’s democratic. It’s for the community. These clothes, you wear them within the community and feel as sexy and as fab as one should.

Why New York and how has it influenced this collection?

Ib Kamara: Because the branding itself is very democratic, the brand itself is community, and New York has so much community and I think that’s what Off-White is built on and was founded on. It’s a diverse rainbow of people that wear Off-White and I think New York reflects that. And I think even growing up in London reflects that. So I think it has to match, and I think it only makes sense.

And the title, ‘Duty Free’, it has that kind of typical wit and humour that you’re known for, but also what Off-White is known for. It’s never too serious. It’s about how you spin something and make it funny and humorous and relatable. How did you come up with that?

Ib Kamara: I think as an immigrant, I never took myself that seriously because it’s never that deep. So I think there’s an African sensibility there, in America as well, people don’t take it so personally. It’s a very on-the-go kind of community and people are chasing their dreams. I’m just off duty and travelling to America, and I feel like I want to look fab in the city. So, you’re away for the summer and I like this idea of Africans travelling the world and being off-duty and just looking amazing. And you can be of any colour.