April & Alex is the Black-Owned, Emerging UK Brand You Should Know and Support

Before the official kick-off the London Spring 2021 collections tomorrow, we want to introduce you to a small but mighty UK-based, Black-owned brand committed to sustainability, affordability and female empowerment. April & Alex is owned by British/Nigerian award-winning journalist and creative director, Didi Akinyelure who is driven by a mission to create contemporary womenswear that emphasizes boldness and shines a light on the empowerment of women.  Growing up, Akinyelure was inspired by the fashion choices of her late grandmother and her mother, who owns a tailoring business in Lagos, Nigeria.

“I grew up in Lagos around sewing machines, seamstresses, tailors, pattern makers. Fashion is in my blood,” Akinyelure said.  However, it was not until her late teens that she found her own unique style and love for bold and edgy fashion. She launched a fashion blog in 2011, which ultimately led her to the launch of April & Alex in 2018.

Below, we chat with Akinyelure about her inspirations, what it feels like to be a Black-owned fashion brand in the midst of a global Black Lives Matter movement, her debut at London Fashion Week this season in a non-traditional, digital way, realigning for a post-COVID world, and more.

What is the meaning behind the name of the brand and what does April & Alex stand for? 

The brand is named after my two children April, 7 – a budding artist who actually sketched a dress in the SS21 collection —  and Alex, 5 (boy). Aries women, born in April, are known to be bold, fearless, audacious in character, which pretty much describes and defines the brand’s aesthetic.

Fashion to me is art. I want to create clothes that are interesting and different. I like the drama of it all. At the same time, I want to strike a balance between artistic creativity, accessibility and affordability.

Who is the April & Alex customer? 

Our ideal woman is bold, edgy, independent, fearless, extroverted, daringly innovative, creative, extroverted, outré. We aim to create pieces that are out-there; pieces that turn heads when a confident woman walks into a room. In this collection, we have dramatic pieces with exaggerated sleeves and shoulder pads.

What is your brand’s approach to sustainability?

Sustainability is important to us and we will continue to take the right steps towards working in a more sustainable way. We are a slow fashion brand, a small brand; so we produce in small quantities, with very little waste, in a British-owned low volume factory that is fully dedicated to helping the fashion industry lower its damaging effects on the environment. Post-production our garments are transported using eco-friendly, biodegradable and recyclable packaging solutions that replace polythene bags.

As we all know, fashion is at a crossroads as the industry is trying to re-imagine the need for fashion shows, the fashion calendar and even trends. Why did you decide to show at LFW, even if it’s digitally?

We are presenting our SS21 collection as part of Fashion Scout Digital, which for any emerging designer is a great platform and one that has launched the fashion careers of some of the biggest names in British fashion today. This is an amazing opportunity for us. And in spite of the pandemic, the timing is right.

Fashion shows definitely need to stay. For any designer or creative, having spent months in this creative space with all these ideas in your head, a fashion show is an opportunity to finally release that creativity and show what you’ve been working on. There is nothing more exciting than this moment. So yes, there is the creative satisfaction, and then there’s also the very important business side of things which in essence kicks off at Fashion Week thanks to the exposure (to buyers and the press) it brings with it.

Would you rather have a physical show? 

This is our LFW debut and ideally we would have probably preferred a physical show because naturally it’s a more comfortable idea. But at the same time, with a digital presentation and virtual showroom, we are able to reach a wider range of people who traditionally may not have been able to attend our presentation; so that in itself is exciting.

What should we expect from your upcoming collection?  

The collection features dramatic pieces with exaggerated sleeves and shoulder pads. Think: bold, edgy, in-you-face, out-there, dramatic, audacious.

How are you re-imaging your brand for a post-Covid world?

To be perfectly honest I just can’t wait for things to get back to normal. We had plans to launch a popup store in one of the major malls in London before lockdown. That plan has been moved to 2021. But yes, there are a few things that we will carry into the post-Covid world. In the next few weeks, we are planning to introduce 3D virtual fitting rooms to our online store. Sizing was a major issue for us when we launched our online store (pre-Covid). So with this, our customers will be able to input their body measurements and create an extremely accurate avatar of themselves. This is something that we may not have thought of doing pre-Covid.

Does the Black Lives Matter movement have any impact on your brand? 

Absolutely. This for us is about representation. We are a black-owned brand and it is important for us to inspire others who may want to follow a similar path.

As a Black-owned new brand, how do you navigate the movement?

We are in full support of the movement and it’s great to see the support it has received. Representation goes a long way regardless of what industry you sit in. It’s the year 2020 and we still have to create these lists in our magazines telling the world that black brands and businesses also exist and need support. Think about it – if I asked you to point out five non-Black owned brands on the high street or in the big name retail stores, you would do this in five seconds. Yet, most people struggle to name five Black-owned brands. Why is that? After all, black owned brands are just as creative and just as talented and just as exceptional. So therein lies the problem. This is why we say and will continue to say that Black Lives Matter.

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You can watch the April & Alex fashion presentation on Saturday, September 19 at 2 p.m. London-time, 8 p.m. CT. HERE.