Kenyan international fashion designer for 2016 rhythms on the runway

US based Kenyan Fashion Designer, Zedekiya Lukoye will be a part of this year’s Rhythms On The Runway‘.

This year’s event will take place on November 26 at a yet-to-be named venue in Ghana. It will see Fashion Designers in Ghana and across the world showcase their upcoming clothing line, and also performances by some musicians.

We are told there will be cocktails and exciting surprises for patrons.

About Zedekiya Lukoye

NY based designer, stylist and all around dapper dan, Zedekiya Lukoye aka Zeddie is slowly but surely making his mark in the NY fashion and social circles. A native of Kenya, Zeddie came to NY in 2011, after serendipitously being discovered in Kenya buy a Saks 5th Avenue buyer, who upon seeing his style, approached him and enquired about his background. On discovering he was a designer, she organized for him to go to New York and show at Africa Fashion Week New York, in July 2011. For an African designer to feature on a NY runway was huge. For Zeddie, it confirmed his love and passion for what he was doing. Zeddie fell in love with the big apple, and now that he was in the Mecca of fashion, he was determined more than ever to actualize his dream of being an internationally known designer.

Zeddie got into the fashion industry in 2008 when he secured a job at a denim shop, initially on the floor assisting clients, but eventually sewing and creating denim garments for clients. A year later, and together with a former high school friend, he launched Blackbird Jeans, which quickly developed into a recognizable stand out brand in Kenya, initially specializing in bespoke denim wear, before incorporating custom shirting and bespoke suiting. The brand’s fresh and contemporary style attracted a young fashion forward clientele, and it wasn’t long before Blackbird Jeans became the go to label for anyone that wanted what was trendy yet classic, the latest in fashion but not compromising on style. Needless to say, local celebrity clients were at the top of the list when it came to demand for Blackbird Jeans clothing.

In July 2015, exactly four years after stepping foot on NY soil, Zeddie became the Director of Bespoke at 3X1, one of the top 10 denim stores in the world, which prides itself for their “House-designed & custom-made jeans in classic & trendy styles, created on-site from premium denim”. In essence, the ultimate luxury jean, handmade, fitted, and designed just for you. 3X1’s client list reads like the who’s who in fashion and entertainment, including several “A” list athletes, and entertainer.

Prior to joining 3X1, Zeddie was Head of Shirting at Alexander Nash, a bespoke men’s atelier with their operations based at the heart of Manhattan, whose clients include Tyson Beckford, Rory McIlroy, and Graeme McDowell, to name a few. Zeddie was at Alexander Nash for two years. He also still serves as the Creative Director and Head Designer of Blackbird Jeans, and his new Blackbird label, which will soon launch in NY.

Along the way, and on this ever teaching path, Zeddie has met a lot of people that have been influential and have played a part in his growth and development, not just as an upcoming designer, but as a man, all of whom he is eternally grateful to. His sartorial journey is being memorialized on video, and there will soon be a compelling visual to accompany this great story.

It is safe to say that Zeddie’s star is on an upward trajectory, with no sign of quitting, and here’s looking forward to Blackbird being a ubiquitous term in the near future.