The fledgling menswear brand Maison Mbosso launches with Skaters of Africa, the accomplished final-year collection by London College of Fashion graduate Christèle Mbosso. The Swiss born, Angolan-Congolese designer embarked on her career to solve a childhood conundrum: “I always aspire to create clothes that represent the whole person,” she says. “As a Congolese/Angolan kid in Switzerland I loved my culture, but I couldn’t really see myself wearing a full bubu to a party…” Here she tells us about her inspirations, interning at Alexander McQueen and unexpected voyages of discovery from Accra to Yorkshire.

Tell us about the inspiration behind Skaters of Africa.

I’d read about the growing African skateboarder community and I wanted to understand the skater look. There was lots of graphics, printed text and logos, which resonated with the Western look, but here it was layered with more traditional garments, particularly the smock, which ultimately inspired the whole collection.

I spent time in Accra with Surf Ghana, a skateboarding and surf crew, particularly their leader Sandy Alibo – she was so inspiring – as well as Jacob and Emmanuel in Busua, who run lessons for local kids. I also spoke to lots of artisans and brought back textiles, beads and hats from the markets. And I discovered bark fabric for the first time!

Another time I walked past an Ethiopian restaurant with Alhamric writing on the façade, which looked really interesting. Then I found a cool skate crew online, Ethiopia Skate, so I thought it was meant to be. I wanted printed logos but I didn’t want them in English as I was telling the African skateboarders’ story, so Amharic was ideal.

Back home in London, I was determined to integrate everything I’d seen. My key source ended up being the amazing African Fabric Shop in Yorkshire! I used bones, carved and hand-painted in Kenya, as buttons and zip pullers. I also sourced bark cloth from them as lining for the Maliki jacket and sourced hand-dyed indigo linings from a Gambian artisan for all my denims.

Sustainability is a massive part of our brand. I used recycled denim; recycled leather for the biker; bamboo silk for our shirting; Tencel, hemp and organic cottons for our jerseys, and remnants for our wool. Some pieces were extremely challenging to make – I got tendonitis while sewing the Zane biker jacket!

Where was the collection shot and who by?

Originally I wanted to shoot in a desert. My dear friend, photographer Caroline Wong, found this little paradise – in Fernsham in Surrey of all places – and knew she could make it work. A lot of people thought we actually shot it in Africa, so I guess we pulled it off!

Can you tell us a little about the brand’s setup?

It’s very informal at the moment – my studio is my living room! But the plan is to rent a studio for fittings and appointments as soon as the next collection is out. I’m extremely lucky that I’m not handling everything alone – my sister, Liliane Maibach, is a branding and communication specialist and she really understands the vision.

What were the most important things you learned at Alexander McQueen?

I think the main thing was the level of organisation needed to complete a collection to deadline. I am so grateful to their amazing menswear team, who were focused on my personal development as a designer. They accepted nothing but perfection. I was very lucky to intern for them and we’ve stayed in touch.

Why did you decide to focus on menswear?

When I was little, my dad used to show me his suits, pointing out the different collars, fits, and all the details. But it wasn’t until I tried menswear in the second year of my degree that I realised it was what I was really meant to do.

Finally, what are your plans for your next collection, Brown City?

I’ve always wanted to make a tailoring collection with both African and traditional tailoring. Brown City is inspired by the work of the LA painter Noah Davis, who died in 2015. It is an ode to every black person growing up away from their heritage, making a place in their new societies and contributing to its wealth of culture. We’ve been researching traditional African tailoring such as the Abacost or the Abgada suits. We’ll mix elements of those traditional garments with more contemporary details and styles, in a range of beautiful, intricate textiles. And we’re also working on opening a studio in Africa in the next year!