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The so called next night out may not happen early if you live in Europe or the United States, but this is not an excuse to miss the point about Ikalook! The ready-to-wear brand was launched in 2016 by Namissa Théra Sow, a young entrepreneur from Mali. 

First, the young woman was merely wearing garments made up with African fabrics from a traditional production. She began to get some new ideas when her friends and relatives congratulated her and started to ask her where they could find the same clothes. Little by little, in 2013, Namissa launched her first collection called “Miss Independent” (yes, like the Ne-Yo song from 2008), and she officially set up Ikalook three years later. As she says herself, the adventure as an entrepreneur is made of “ups and downs”, but this is what makes it so unique, so worth it. Every single entrepreneur will tell you this.

What does Ikalook mean? This is actually coming from the Bambara language, the main Malian language, and it means “your style”. The ready-to-wear brand aims at promoting the African continent by proposing garments which are traditionally and locally made, in Bamako, Mali. On top of that, the fabrics used are exclusively coming from Africa to make it even more legitimate.

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Ikalook designs two collections in the year. The first one is called Tileman, the sunny season, and depicts casual clothes. In the meantime, the second collection, Baara, has been considered for the business dress code of the working girl: this collection is devoted to a more serious and structured look.

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For the time being, three retail outlets are available in Africa: in Mali of course, the Ikalook boutique will welcome you in the capital city of Bamako. You will find two more stores selling the Ikalook collections in Ivory Coast (Abidjan) and Senegal (Dakar). Shopping time.

source, Ikalook press kit.