O.N.S TAPS MENSWEAR DESIGNER NIYI OKUBOYEJO FOR LATEST CREATIVE LAB PROJECT

by Stephen Garner

O.N.S Creative Lab Niyi OkuboyejoNYC-based retailer O.N.S celebrated the launch of its holiday drop of its ongoing Creative Lab project. The newest collection is a collaboration with New York designer Niyi Okuboyejo of tailored menswear brand Post Imperial.

For this capsule, the designer took inspiration from the prolific Senegalese painter, poet, sculptor and playwright Issa Samb. Samb was a towering figure in modern African Art, and his works have been displayed in gallery exhibitions all over the world. Issa passed away in 2017, but his avant-garde Laboratorie Agit’Art movement is still alive and thriving.

Dubbed “For Issa”, the collection channels Samb’s eccentric style and inimitably flamboyant aesthetic. Highlight pieces include a striking kimono-collar puffer jacket with impressive patchwork detail, quilted blazers/shirting adorned with West African prints, two-tone chunky turtlenecks made from fine merino wool, and an upscale athleisure assortment of comfy joggers and sweatshirts. The collection is rounded out nicely with thin-wale corduroy painter trousers, poplin polka dot wovens and complementing accessories (scarfs, berets, and totes).

This new collaboration is part of the O.N.S Creative Lab initiative, a series of noteworthy collaborations with talented, emerging New York City designers. Past collaborators have included respected names like Abasi Rosborough, Mike Perry, and Kenneth Ning.