Loza Maléombho

Established in New York City in 2009, Loza Maléombho relocated her eponymous footwear and accessories label to Côte d’Ivoire in 2012, where its entire production now takes place. Born in Brazil, but raised between Côte d’Ivoire and Maryland in the United States, Maléombho started designing at thirteen years old, making her own school uniforms as well as creations for her mother and grandmother.

The brand is best described as a fusion of traditional cultures and subcultures; an experimentation of the synergies between Ivorian tribal aesthetics and New York City’s urban style, a place where the designer gained plenty of experience in the fashion industry interning for major international designers like Jill Stuart, Yigal Azrouel and Cynthia Rowley. A celebration of the old and new, the designers’ silhouettes are both traditional and futuristic, Maléombho’s work having led her to become a celebrity and film favourite; in 2015, Solange tapped the designer as artistic director of a shoot for the singer’s Saint Heron label, while 2016 and 2020 saw her pieces worn by Beyoncé in her ‘Formation’ video and acclaimed visual composition, Black Is King.

Working with local artisans who’ve spent generations mastering their crafts, Maléombho’s forward thinking designs communicate their trade in a highly contemporary and original form. Her priority is hiring young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, offering them the opportunity to develop a valuable skill set and, ultimately, self-empowerment.