Gozel Green

Established in 2012, Gozel Green is a Nigeria-based brand founded by twin sisters Sylvia Enekwe-Ojei and Olivia Enekwe-Okoji. Growing up in the eastern part of Nigeria, Enugu, they were strongly inspired and influenced by their art-loving parents from whom they developed a passion to communicate authentic African stories through creative expression. The duo pursued degrees in Art and Economics at the Igbinedion University Okada, a background that they’ve utilized well in their building of a strong creative brand with the aim of creating collections that tell a story.

The designers pair modern and contemporary silhouettes with unexpected fabrics including crepe, denim, and netting, each of their collections displaying an elegant array of statement pieces of which fabric deconstruction, color-blocking, lines and asymmetry play an integral part. Mixing together different traditions and eclectic inspirations, the brand delivers clean-cut collections that make use of indigenous fabrics including the indigo-dyed cotton cloth Adire.

Embedded into the brand’s DNA is a strong belief in working as sustainably as possible. Gozel Green utilises upcycling methods to minimize the waste they create through production, making sure to incorporate scraps of fabric that would otherwise be discarded into their work. “We strongly believe in the reuse and conservation of the elements of the environment that surrounds us through fashion,” the duo told Vogue Italia. “We carefully choose traditional materials that are considered "waste", and we focus on details that continue to suggest sustainability.”

Having been in the fashion business for nearly a decade, Gozel Green has enjoyed media attention both locally and internationally. In 2014, they were shortlisted as one of Lagos Fashion Week’s Fashion Focus finalists and from there they went on to feature in The Next Green Talents initiative, a scouting project by Vogue Italia.