This story is a collaboration between Zurich-based designer Rafael Kouto and Nairobi-based photographer Maganga Mwagogo. The pair first got acquainted via Instagram in 2017 as Kouto was establishing his ethical brand using upcycling techniques to create gender neutral, conceptual pieces inspired by his Swiss-Togolese heritage. “Rafael’s desire to escape and disrupt capitalism through his experimental designs really appealed to me as sustainability is something I deeply believe in,” says Mwagogo.

They decided to work together and this year hit on the idea of shooting pieces from his current collection ‘Tra Terra E Cielo’ in Tsavo East National Park. “The location was inspired Rafael’s collection text, 'There are no boundaries between earth and sky and we, as human beings, with the horizon and the clouds, are in the middle of this invisible circular connection.’ I also loved how the colours in Rafael's creations can be found in the landscape and fallen Doum palms,” Mwagogo adds.

Having studied in Basel and Amsterdam and gained experience in London and Paris, Kouto won early recognition for his slow fashion approach including being awarded the Lotto and Diesel awards at International Talent Support in Trieste. The ideas for this collection were born during a visit back to Togo in 2019. "’Tra Terra E Cielo’ came to me during a walk through the Lomé market streets,” he says. “It stems from the idea of circularity and the position of our bodies in the panorama… We constitute the only physical separation in this ongoing circle between earth and sky.”