Kibonen NY is an ethical fashion brand, and a fresh fusion of the Western Highland Cameroonian garment, the toghu, with a contemporary twist. The company aims to capture an international clientele through its trendy West African designs and sensual silhouettes. KibonenǀNY utilizes assorted African fabrics to enrich every piece produced, such as wax prints, tye-dye, kanga and bogolan (Mud Cloth). After realizing the ability of ethical fashion to provide sustainable income to local talent, particularly undervalued female garment weavers, KibonenǀNY together with some partners formed the Cameroon Fashion Common Initiative Group and instigated the start up of an ethical factory, Made in Camer. This factory is currently an independent charity based eco and ethical clothing production unit, which provides employment to Cameroonians in one of the poorest communities. KNY in conjunction with Made in Camer aims to create a sustainable and creative long term solution to Cameroon’s economic crisis by putting forward community driven, ethical and environmentally friendly trade in fashion.
The Milagros collection is a dreamed up journey, from the depth of North Western Cameroon through the hustle, bustle and spirituality contained by the city of New York, always met by sudden experiences of profound miracles here and there. This collection exploits sustainable fabric and sustainable methods of production. The designs are a roundup of comfort, sexiness, authenticity and unique blends. The prints used in the creation of Milagro were derived KibonenǀNY’s toghu inspiration and shaped through paintings by Shiri Achu, a brilliant Cameroonian artist. In her artistic way she laid out the print designs for Milagro into paintings which Kibonen later transformed into textiles. Materials used for the creation of this sassy collection include organic cotton, silk crepe de Chine, cotton twill, and cotton voile.