Channelling a vibrant pan-African energy, Òkun communicates a sense of heritage with a light touch for the ones who embrace a fresh sense of style. Launched in London in 2013 by British/Nigerian Creative Director Bola Marquis, Òkun is an African print inspired beachwear brand with a growing fan base in the UK, Japan, France, Italy, Nigeria and the US.
The brand sources its premium fabrics in Europe and takes its inspiration from cultures across the continent, from South African Shwe Shwe fabrics, Ghanaian Adinkra symbols, Kenyan Kikoy stripes or the more popular “African Print”. All prints are designed in-house, with collections produced in Mauritius since 2015, the brand has recently gone into partnership with a factory in Ghana to set up its ethical production base in West Africa.
“For SS17 we journeyed to the northern regions of Ghana, where women skilfully craft and create beautifully handwoven raffia baskets and fans, each with bold graphical designs and colours. Inspired by the artisans at BabaTreeBaskets, our Bolga prints take inspiration from the amazing patterns they create with their beautiful fans also featuring in our SS17 collection.”
Stockists for SS17 include Browns, Matches, Fenwick of Bond St and Galeries Lafayette Paris. The vibrant shorts can also be found at exclusive hotels, resorts and beach locations such as Goldeneye Jamaica, Constance Hotels Mauritius and Seychelles, Jackie’O Mykonos and Los Enamorados in Ibiza.
