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Edun’s Ali Hewson speaks to Bazaar about her on-the-rise label, love for Africa, and the second edition of her successful collaboration with cult brand Diesel
It was in 2005 that Ali Hewson and her legendary U2 frontman husband Bono launched Edun, an ethical fashion label dedicated to Africa. The seed for Edun was first planted over 30 years ago, when Bono and Hewson travelled to Ethiopia and fell in love with its spirit, beauty and people. Today, with production based in Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Madagascar, and Morocco, the duo aim to increase trade with Africa by manufacturing a majority of their fashion line in the continent, and providing essential support, investment, and infrastructure to the people there.
That Hewson’s brand is socially conscious is hardly a surprise given her career as a social activist. Since the launch of her fashion label and natural skincare line Nude, in 2007, she has had her hands full trying to create a profitable fashion empire that is ethical at all levels of the business chain. “With Edun, our aim has always been to bring trade to the continent of Africa, and growing the brand into a fashion label that everyone knows and loves,” says Hewson. Yet her clothing line is anything but ethnic. While it borrows much from Africa’s rich culture and textiles, Edun’s contemporary silhouettes, tailoring, and city-slicker separates keep it modern; fans include celebrities like Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Richie, and Solange Knowles.
The Diesel and Edun ‘Born in Africa’ collaboration is testimony to Hewson’s hope for the people of the region. Manufactured completely in Africa, the 25-piece strong line was a hit with shoppers back in spring, when it launched. This August, get set for round two. Using raw, untreated denim, expect to find a range of rocker-cool denim jackets, jeans, shorts, and easy-chic jersey tops and knits lined with textiles from Mali. “We married the competencies of Edun in African trade, with our know-how and outreach, to create something that was never done before,” says Diesel’s creative director Renzo Rosso.
The synergy brings out the best of both brands, with Diesel’s expertise in denims and Edun’s easy cottons and jerseys melding to perfection. But more importantly, both labels have brought Africa’s rich heritage i nto the l i melight by creating a contemporary line that’s as fashionable as it is ethical and conscious.