KIMBERLY DREW Can you talk about your transition from muse to maker? It was almost as if you decided to get back in the ring in a different way, especially as a person from East Africa, knowing the ways in which that part of the world has been mined for ideas and creativity.
LIYA KEBEDE I was motivated to change the story and idea people have about products made in Africa and the image of Africa. Before that, I never wanted to start a brand. Today people already understand the idea of the artisan when it relates to the big couture houses, and for my brand lemlem, it’s the same thing. Theirs happen to be French or Italian, mine happens to be Ethiopian, But it’s the same work: sitting for hours hand-weaving a fabric or beading. We’re both celebrating artisans. My hope is to get the same appreciation for the work and to take away the preconceived idea that because it’s in Africa it should be looked at differently. And to find a solution for our problem that these artisans were unemployed and couldn’t feed themselves, because everyone [in Ethiopia] is now wearing imported clothes. Their art was dying. When we started, the idea of social impact, being a social entrepreneur, didn’t exist. We started with about 50 people; now there’s 250. Their lives are changing. And we’ve enriched the world because we brought in something new and celebrated an art that wasn’t being looked at. Now I have a different relationship to fashion, so I guess I was getting back into the ring.
KD Within this industry one needs to be self-aware: you have to fight for your words, for a sense of self, to articulate all these things. What I find particularly great is that with lemlem you’re coming in with something new – you’ve seemingly started from scratch. There are so many ways within creative industries where people are like, ‘I found my space. I’m going to stay in my space because it’s comfortable.’ But to come out and say, ‘I’m going to do this new thing because I have to see it succeed.’ Those are fighting words. I was reading the piece on you in the Financial Times: ‘The garments are beautiful, but the dress costs $250.’ In luxury, that price point makes a lot of sense.
LK It’s people’s perception. If something is made by hand in Italy, a customer might pay a lot. But this is still a harder sell, a challenge.
KD Why is that? How do we deprogramme that from our brains? It’s such a strange moment we’re in within the garment business. Especially at a point when people are crying out, ‘We want more voices.’ I wonder how we might do the work of putting black voices forward. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the way you’re building your brand because there are no short cuts.
LK That’s the goal.