A brand-new London and Ghanaian streetwear brand is launching in Leeds this June.
Yes, you heard right. London-based, Ghanaian-raised designer Alexandra Kocovska Cipriani is bringing her new brand, Arcminute, to the students of Leeds. Celebrating the upcoming urban brand, the launch of Arcminute swaps the conventional champagne-sipping reception most brands opt for, for a classic Hyde Park house party with a pop-up shop styling out party-goers.
There is so much to be excited about when it comes to Arcminute. The streetwear brand blends a perfect cocktail of classic comfort-wear, such as joggers and hoodies, with modern futuristic bold fonts and minimalist colour palettes. This offers a modern alternative to the global brands we are so used to seeing day-in-day-out, bringing streetwear firmly back into the twenty-first century.
With this modernity, it seems only right that Alexandra packs up shop and heads north to Leeds were youth, excitement and forward-thinking is in abundance. With 100% cotton hoodies, joggers and t-shirts, the brand is perfect for those of you who want to make those early lectures despite having a heavy night the night before, staying on-trend and ridiculously comfy.
For her brand, Alexandra has looked towards the fusion of her Ghanaian culture with the UK’s capital London. With nearly 100,000 Ghanaian-born residents living in the capital today, the nation has no doubt had a revolutionary impact on our modern blended culture. “We have a diverse sense of what is fashion and take inspiration not only from geographical backgrounds but also music,” says Alexandra.
London-Ghanaian music has never been more prevalent, with urban artists such as Stormzy, Lethal Bizzle, Tinchy Stryder and MOBO Awards founder Kanya King being huge successes in today’s popular culture. Music also maintains close ties to the streets of London, with rap-stars keeping music videos raw and organic, often styled in their identifiable streetwear fashions.
Alexandra’s Arcminute collection reflects these ties between Ghana, London, music, and style. Simple greys, blacks and whites appear to reflect the birthplace of street style and the concrete playground of London. Meanwhile, bold clashes of yellow add the urban element of construction and development pushing forward a new modern society while also incorporating tastes of vibrant Ghanaian culture.
Arcminute also comes with an inspiring story, with Alexandra setting the perfect example of a young talent who has set out to fulfil her dreams. After being born three months premature with no pulse, she continues to display her fighting spirit, launching her label while completing studies at Istituto Maragoni in London’s East End, all by the age of 22.
Alexandra’s strong independence and intuition is shown by her bravery to step away from someone else’s shadow, creating her own brand rather than following suit into established big fashion houses. As a female, Alexandra has gone against the norm, embarking explicitly on menswear, with her savvy business skills spotting the gap in the market and pursuing to make style universal.
As a young designer, Alexandra understands the struggles facing young talent. “At my age, nobody really takes you seriously. There are obvious issues with juggling studies and brand work, but also trying to create something that stands out in an already saturated market. The key for me is to have fun and align/collaborate with relevant artists across all sectors to create a brand-new community.”
With so much young talent still to surface, embarking on a team movement of generation-y to create this brand-new community is exactly what we need. Alexandra and Arcminute set the bar high but also offer inspiration and reassurance that there is so much more to our university years than study.
Shop Arcminute online and watch this space for arrivals in department stores : www.thearcminute.com
And, sign up at www.thearcminute.com/leeds to attend the exclusive Hyde Park, Leeds launch party on the 5th of June.
See you there.
Isabella Minns
Image: https://thearcminute.com