Supermodel Naomi Campbell stunned fans this week after showing up on the runway at Paris Fashion Week in a colorful dress designed by Nigeria’s Kenneth Ize.
Campbell closed the debut show of the Lagos-born fashion designer’s collection in the French capital on Monday. The crowd cheered as Campbell walked the runway while rocking Ize’s signature handwoven checks, a traditional Nigerian fabric known as aso oke.
“I am living my dream,” 29-year-old Ize said after the show.
“Naomi made this happen. She has been part of the journey since day one. She is very supportive. She is my fairy godmother,” he said.
Ize is known for reinterpreting traditional west African fabrics such as the aso oke. He told the AFP that his Paris show was inspired by his memories of going to a Catholic church in Lagos with his mother, where he saw everyone in their best outfits.
“It is about my religion, love, who I am, the people I believe in and sharing,” he said.
British-Jamaican model Campbell celebrated the Nigerian designer on her Instagram and shared a video of the moment she stormed the show:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B892_CwHl12/?utm_source=ig_embed
#KENNETHIZE made its first time in #Pfw with @NaomiCampbell ! pic.twitter.com/FCUYgynFBI
— Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (@FHCM) February 24, 2020