Studio IMO

Studio Imo is a boutique design label founded by design duo Edwin Okolo and Imobong Emah. Established in 2013, the brand started off as a  remote collaborative project between both designers who were studying in Ghana and Nigeria. Drawn to each other by their mutual admiration for the golden era of Dolce and Gabbana, the pedigree of Valentino and the self-referential kitsch of Sonial Rykiel and Missoni, both began to work together, reverse engineering a design philosophy that paid homage to their favourite brands but incorporated a contemporary Nigerian sensibility to their own projects.

Knitwear has been going in fierce directions lately, but the brand still sees a coolness in knitwear’s outdated codes of volume. Over the years, what Studio Imo’s frontman and creative director Edwin has learned about the craft is that yarn choice can have a massive impact on branding. There has to be intention behind the yarns used and how they are marketed. Edwin’s choice allows him to get away with design choices that would look frumpy in any other medium.