PalmWine IceCream (PWIC) might sound like the best thing you wish you’d seen on a dessert menu, but is in fact a new menswear line from Kusi Kubi. The Ghana-raised, UK-based stylist and designer struck on the idea of creating a bespoke brand after observing the thriving second hand clothing trade back home and dreaming up a fresh vision for sustainable African tailoring.

“I wanted to find a way to create new from the old, to bring life to clothes that had died in other times, as a conscious effort to reduce waste,” Kubi explains. “The name suggests a blend of tastes and feelings that are not necessarily meant to be combined, but once brought together exude a sense of something unfamiliar in a tropical climate.”

Launching in February, the debut collection is entitled Borga - a 1970s term for highlife musicians returning to Ghana from the West. It was inspired by his childhood spent in awe of these well-dressed men and listening to legendary artists like Kodjo Antwi. “The Ashanti Borga were known for their immaculate style. Their attention to detail, colour coordination, excessive gold jewellery, gold teeth and slick jerry curls - oh how l admired them!” Kubi says. “That feel good energy has always lived with me. Times have changed; style has evolved. This collection is a celebration of that movement.”

Every piece is made from carefully selected vintage clothing, which has been re-crafted in collaboration with local tailors into Kubi’s one-of-a-kind designs. Looks expose the body in easy ways in order for the wearer look and keep cool. Embellishments hint at the freedom Kubi wishes for the modern African man breaking away from social and sartorial norms. And accessories in collaboration with Italian jewellery designer Gogo Philip add extra flair.

“I’ve aimed to construct clothes out of the confines of the past in order to cheekily nod to a liberated future for myself and my brothers living on the continent,” Kubi concludes. “PWIC is for men living within and beyond the continent who have Africa in their hearts and minds.”

Photography David Cozy Ansah
Direction & styling Kusi Kubi
Model Arinzechukwu Patrick
Words Helen Jennings

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Published on 25/01/2020