Loza Maléombho Masterfully Fuses Traditional African Fashion with Contemporary Design

Established in New York City in 2009 and with it’s production taking place in Côte d’Ivoire since 2012, the brand is best described as a fusion between traditional cultures/ sub-cultures and contemporary fashion. In fact, Loza Maléombho credits her early world wide exposure for the ecclectic aesthetic and multi-culturalism ever present in her work.

Born in Brazil and raised between Côte d’Ivoire and the United States, she was designing since 13, and graduated in 2006 from the University of the Arts of Philadelphia with a BA of Fine Arts in Animation. She was then initiated in the fashion industry by taking on internships with New york based designers Jill Stuart, Yigal Azrouël and Cynthia Rowley all before deciding to start a brand of her own.

By producting in Côte d’Ivoire, Loza’s vision is to empower women with a small manufacturing workshop that produces the collection and solely hires young women from unfavorable backgrounds. She also works closely with local artisans on featured products such as Indigo dye fabric, jewelry, shoes and accessories, thus providing them with exposure on an international level.