Lalesso is a brand I fell in love with a while back and I thought today would be a perfect day to share this wonderful Kenyan clothing line with you!

Lalesso was created by Alice and Olivia who met while studying fashion design in Cape Town. The pair traveled to Olivia’s home country of Kenya over a holiday where they were inspired by the beautiful “khanga” or “lesso” which prompted the creation of their trademark Lesso skirt. The ‘lesso’ is actually a spotted handkerchief brough to the East African Coast in the 19th century from India. Kenyan and Tanzanian manufactures loved the scarves and began creating their own, using the rich vibrant colors that you see today. (For more check out “The History of the Lesso“).

Alice and Olivia not only create beautiful clothes, they run a holistic company as well. By using the ‘khanga’ Lalesso supports the threatened cotton industry as well as the textile manufacturing industry in both Kenya and Tanzania. The fabric is hand washed in the Indian Ocean before being individually hand crafted into one of their gorgeous designs. The brand manufactures in Kenya using previously unrecognized talents of local seamstresses and tailors. They employ seven people and pay their employees much higher than the average wage. Their goal is to create beautiful garments while increasing the quality of life of their employees. I especially like their employment of the ‘beach boys.’ They describe the beach boys as a group of young men who had been type-cast as “useless outlaws” who had been “rejected from the their families.” The company hired them for their “coconut button project” where they make hand made buttons for the garments from coconuts. Alice and Olivia certainly made the right decision as the details in their clothes are yet another thing that sets them apart. Furthermore, the ‘beach boys’ lead by Mohamed, Jumaa, and ‘co.’ have shown incredible initiative with the project. “Not only this, but now have a stable and adequate income, not just for themselves but they have been re-accepted into their families as they can now contribute.”

Lalesso is definitely a brand you can feel good about buying and you’ll definitely turn heads in their gorgeous designs and beautiful fabrics!

For an interview with the designers check out Jamati Online (April 7).

Be sure to check out the Bazaar section of the site to shop (sometimes the site takes a minute to load, so be patient! It’s worth the wait!)