London, United Kingdom, 2017-Mar-06 — /EPR Retail News/ — Launching throughout the spring summer period, starting with a first hit in March, ASOS Made In Kenya is back for SS17.
This collection is the second in collaboration with African clothing workshop SOKO Kenya and is inspired by the local surroundings, incorporating designs from local wildlife and foliage into flowing maxi dresses and ruffle mini dresses. Soft and silky chiffon items in bright tropical florals are reminiscent of traditional African kangas and once again we see drawings by local primary school children turned into prints by the ASOS design team, with parrots dancing along the hems of kimonos and fabric-blocked T-shirts. Denim is introduced to the collection, upcycling deadstock garments and reworking the denim pieces with pretty chiffons and jersey panels.
SOKO Kenya, who have worked with ASOS since 2010 on the production of the ASOS Africa collection, are a Kenyan clothing manufacturer that provide fair and safe employment and training for some of the country’s poorest communities. ASOS provide ongoing practical support and employee training to help develop the SOKO Kenya brand and the team. SOKO Kenya has grown from four to 50 employees over the last six years.
All pieces from the ASOS Made In Kenya collection have been designed by the ASOS in-house team, then cut and manufactured by SOKO Kenya.
The SOKO Community Trust was set up in 2014 and works in partnership with the ASOS Foundation with an aim of providing women and men in the local Kasigau community with the practical skills and support needed to see sustainable improvement in their lives and lift them out of poverty.
ASOS Foundation and SOKO Community Trust created Stitching Academy Kenya that trains local people in garment manufacturing. The recently launched Stitching Academy Hub provides graduates with low cost access to equipment to start their own business. In 2016 we launched ‘The Pipeline Roadshow’ – a series of workshops on women’s health, family finance and eye care travelling to rural villages in the community around SOKO Kenya.
The collection will sit under ASOS’ Eco Edit flagship brand. The Eco Edit (previously the Green Room) is a section of the ASOS website where customers can find out about and buy pioneering sustainable fashion and beauty items. It’s one of the ways ASOS promotes products that are made by manufacturers and brands that sustainable business practices.
As ever, each ASOS piece in this collection is made under fair-trade principles.
Prices start at £4 for hair accessories and £70 for maxi dresses and coats.
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Source: ASOS