Malawian Designer - Lynne Kayenne Studio
Malawian Designer - Lynne Kayenne | Showcases her Heritage, culture and Craftsmanship. Through Tailored Chitenge inspired designs.
JOSEPH O: Tell us about the Lynne Kayenne Studio
LYENNE KAYENNE: It is a contemporary womenswear brand founded and designed by myself, Linda Khumbanyiwa. Lynne Kayenne Studio utilises my Malawian heritage, culture and our craftsmanship to create tailored garments for fashion lovers across the world. At Lynne Kayenne Studio our goal is to build a profitable business whilst also ploughing a percent of the profits back into our community to empower women as well as supporting the youth in the creative sector
J.O: How long have you been into fashion designing?
L.K: I started drawing designs for clothes when I was a teenager but I have only been professionally designing for two years now. In 2018 I was commissioned to create a collection for a London multi-disciplinary shop which specialised in African designs. I was so excited to share my Malawian point of view and use Kitenge fabric in the designs but sadly the deal fell through. It wasn’t until I was stuck in lockdown and was having a conversation with a friend who said Malawi is only known for poverty and its association with Madonna. This lit a fire in my bones to put together a collection that would showcase Malawi in bright light and help tell stories about my homeland.
J.O: What do you specialise in?
L.K: I specialise in womenswear and strive to curate a world where every woman regardless of creed, colour and background can enjoy Lynne Kayenne Studio design and feel their most beautiful. I want my clients to feel special, to feel noticed, to feel confident and on top of the world when wearing my garments. I have created designs that are inspired by “tailored culture”. I wanted to create beautifully, tailored, classic and flattering pieces that are neat, clean and crisp that transition seamlessly from day to night.
J.O: Going through the store, one sees different outfits made from one kind of cloth (kitenge) does this mean you only work with that particular type?
L.K: I wanted to share a well-curated capsule wardrobe that showcases my culture and heritage so used chitenje as it is our national wear and our daily uniform. It was important for me, to be authentic whilst creating the Look book in showcasing our Malawian fashion point of view even down to how we styled the hair. We worked with an amazing hairstylist called Zahra who you should check out on social media. I also worked with a brilliant makeup artist & nail technician called MakeupbyTasha and a gifted young photographer called Ubwino. The cinematographer for the Look book “behind the scenes” film was done by Essim who is an extraordinary talent. It was so important for me to tell our story, working in locations that represented our roots and origins. I believe that our culture is the only thing the world cannot steal from us and this is why people are responding the way they are to the collection.
J.O: How can you describe your outfits?
L.K: If I could describe my outfits as pieces which are rooted in my culture and heritage but made to an international standard. The colour palette was influenced by how our world looks from space: I was into the deep blue and yellow hues you see in pictures of the earth. I did so much research including watching Nasa documentaries and read so much about how we look from space. The designs were also influenced by the high standard of tailoring I have been styling people in over the past ten years. I wanted to create beautiful tailored, classic and flattering pieces for women across the world.
J.O: You have launched the lyenne kayenne e store. What has been the response like?
L.K: I have had an incredible response to the opening of my e-store. I managed to secure celebrity client, AJ Odudu who is a famous London based TV presenter to endorse my brand and have had lots of fashion editors contacting me to do features. South African, Asanda Sizani name me as a brand to look out for and L.K: I’ve also been endorsed by In Style Magazine’s Editor in Chief. We have attracted clients from across the world including the USA and Denmark and feel that the future is looking bright.
J.O: What motivates you to design a particular outfit?
L.K: The colour palette in this collection was influenced by how our world looks from space: I was into the deep blue and yellow hues you see in pictures of the earth. I did so much research including watching Nasa documentaries and read so much about how we look from space. However, the designs were inspired by tailoring culture in Africa as well as across the world. I love how powerful tailored pieces look I wanted to create as well as curate beautiful classic and flattering pieces for women across the world… vibrant, neat, clean, crisp pieces that are easy to transition from day wear to night.
J.O: Which community and how are you hoping give back to through your designs?
L.K: Philanthropy is part of our philosophy and core values at Lynne Kayenne Studio. We plough back a percentage of our profits to help empower women, young people and creatives in Malawi. At present we support a refugee camp, an orphanage and a youth hub. We want to support the youth in the creative sectors to chase their dreams and attain employment. As a creative growing up an being told the most important jobs in the world were accountants, doctors and lawyers it took away my confidence. My mission is to utiise my network of women influencers and fashion insiders to set up safe spaces for the girls to talk and map out their futures and dreams.
J.O:What's your take on the Malawi fashion industry?
L.K: The success of Malawian fashion designers such as Lilly Alfonso, Melanie Rodel of Khala, Paola Maspero of Mayamiko, Miizu by Lille and Xandria and Miss Pearl shows that there is demand for contemporary and luxury Malawian designs. There is also demand for authentic compelling African stories that are rooted in culture and heritage. If you look at the fashion landscape across the world, other designers are looking to Africa for inspiration… British designer Stella McCartney produced a collection in 2018 in Chitenje fabric and in 2020, Dior followed suit using the same fabric. Both collections illustrate the desirability and saleability of this unique fabric. I strongly believe that it is time that we, as Malawians maximise and leverage our heritage and culture in order to develop our country. The interest in my collection from international fashion editors shows that if you curate well, customers will come. I believe that there are no rules in fashion. Someone in our country could become the biggest fashion designer the world has seen.
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