Modernist
Published in ARISE
Modernist's Abdul KoroMA tells Arise About his journey froM Freetown’s high society to London’s fashion elite, viA Italy.
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Abdul Koroma was born into a wealthy family from freetown, sierra leone. Andrew jones is from working-class stock born in north-east england. together they make an odd fashion duo but despite, or perhaps because of their disparate backgrounds, Modernist makes contrasting, playful and ultimately feminine designs which wow london fashion week each season. now based in the multicultural melting pot that is hackney, east london, Koroma casts his mind back to the beginning of his journey - his comfortable, happy childhood in the sierra leone capital. "the city is mostly surrounded by water, so it was a beautiful place to grow up," he recalls fondly. "My father worked for a petroleum company so i had a privileged upbringing compared to most people back then. we went to the beach club on weekends - it was a really nice, carefree life."
By the early 90s however, the Sierra Leone civil war was beginning to make the country unstable, so Koromas parents decided to send him to join his elder siblings in London. Then a teenager, it was there he discovered his passion for fashion. "I was a creative child, I was always building things or drawing and at first I wanted to be an architect," he recalls. "I wasn’t aware of fashion as a career option because at home I was only presented with the traditional paths, and anyone who veered away from them was frowned upon. Then I did an art foundation course where I naturally fell towards fashion, so I secretly enrolled at Kingston University to study fashion instead of architecture. My dad wasn’t impressed initially!"
BUILDING A BRAND
After college, he was on the move again, this time to Reggio Emilia, Italy in July 2001 to work for MaxMara, which is where he met Andrew Jones. Although both had attended the same university, their paths hadn’t crossed until this point. First impressions? "I don’t remember. It’s like we were suddenly friends. Most of the designers were girls so us boys became firm friends and soon discovered we shared a similar dark and twisted sense of humour." Koroma also stood out in another way - he was the only black man in town. "I turned up with dreadlocks and dressed in this conceptual way, which was quite an interesting and shocking thing for the locals. The Italians would stare but I got used to it. At least it meant I was worth looking at."
Koroma and Jones worked side by side at MaxMara for four years, all the while talking about establishing a brand together. Then, in 2005, they decided to put their words into action by entering Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden, London. The annual talent competition held during London Fashion Week aims to nurture dynamic young designers and has helped launch the careers of British brands including Basso & Brooke and Erdem. Reaching the final, their all-blue, minimal catwalk presentation impressed judges with its pure, fresh approach. "It was all about the British housewife, bizarrely. We took ordinary, dowdy, overlooked things like dungarees and aprons and worked them into something sophisticated and luxurious. And that’s pretty much how we’ve worked ever since."
Modernist didn’t win Fashion Fringe but did impress UK high-street giant Topshop, who awarded them New Generation sponsorship at London Fashion Week, thereby cementing the label’s reputation. Each successive collection has been more confident than the last as the duo continues to finely tune both its aesthetic and working relationship. "Because we have such different backgrounds it’s actually quite complex to express what we want in our work. Also, we’re complete opposite personalities but there is that overlap and that’s what makes it interesting. We’re not your typical London designers so there’s often something quite odd about our collections."
Koroma’s African roots don’t clash so much with Jones’ English ones as much as first impressions might suggest, thanks to the values instilled in them by their respective families. "In Africa there’s a lot more vibrant and grand gestures in the way people live their lives. Everyone has a generous, big personality whereas Andrew came from a more low-key, humble background. Yet in a way we had the same upbringing. Yes I was well off but there wasn’t one day that I was allowed to take anything for granted - it was always about working and getting the results. My parents’ philosophy was quite strict but they were also loving. And so were Andrew’s."
Koroma and Jones’ shared appreciation for hard graft has stood Modernist in good stead. Again it’s a case of opposites attract as they work differently to the same creative ends. "I like to work really hard on a piece and make it look effortless like I haven’t done that much at all while Andrew wants the amount of work that has gone into it to be obvious, so there’s that tension. He’s really technical and interested in details. I concentrate on concepts and the bigger picture. What I hate doing he loves, and vice versa. It works perfectly."
Likewise, they look at both their backgrounds for inspiration, drawing on sources from England, Sierra Leone and beyond in each collection. The well-received autumn/winter 2007/08 range is a prime example. "Most designers tend to look at Africa for summer collections, and in a really obvious way with lots of neon prints. I‘ve always thought that approach is really superficial and patronising. Instead we did a winter collection and looked at it in a David Lynch kind of way. We had three points of reference - mid-America, Africa and northern England, with lots of voodoo and witchcraft references as well as Wickerman and Masai influences. We have this strange language in the way we look at things, it’s never a literal translation. Plus culture has become flexible now that we’re all international citizens, especially in fashion. That’s what makes it exciting."
EVOLVING STYLE
The current spring/summer 2009 collection began with research into Parisian architecture, Marie Antoinette and baroque. Entitled Trousseau, an antiquated term for the trunk of clothes a bride would pack before her wedding day, their contemporary take on a newlywed’s wardrobe is comprised of intricately crafted dresses, skirts and trousers made from lace, organza and silk in a palette of white, smoky plum and black. Hand-embroidered detailing and laser-cut swirling motifs prettify silhouettes designed to exaggerate a woman’s curves. Dainty bespoke gloves, bags and hats complete the unconventional look. "We worked in cut this season. The shapes are stronger than before but the overall look is softer. The colours are intense, not sugary, and the fabrics are quite couture. It’s our play on chic."
The collection is their best yet, seeing a departure from their previously more stringent, sombre look. It’s also their most romantic, appealing to foxy, independent women with their own sense of style. Modernist count Cindy Crawford as a regular customer and reference Charlotte Gainsbourg and Charlotte Rampling among their muses. "The Modernist woman is someone who understands and appreciates clothes, so she’ll wear something not because it’s in fashion but because she sees the value of it. It’s an international look. It’s youthful but not super young, and it’s worn by people who have strength and attitude."
Alongside other up-and-coming black London-based designers such as Gavin Douglas and Duro Olowu, Koroma is happy here, for now. "London is the best place to be for young labels. In Paris or Milan you’d get swallowed up but London is more individual, it has that edge. But I’d like to see more of the world," he says. With his family still based in Freetown, does home beckon any time soon? "Economically there’s a long way to go, it’s quite a poor country. But people in the west have this misconception that Africa is filled with shantytowns when, in fact, if you can afford it you have access to everything. For instance the mobile phone industry in Africa is the fastest-growing market in the world. I think it’s exciting that things are changing, and that affects fashion globally, too. The more people I talk to, the more I want to go back. For now though, I just want to keep working."
Words and styling HELEN JENNINGS
Photography PATRICIA NIVEN