Creative Spotlight is a segment that puts some of the most talented and innovative Creators and Creatives living in Africa and the Diaspora in the limelight. It is our way of letting you discover the people behind the creative works that you see, listen to or wear on a daily basis. Today, the creative we will be spotlighting is none other than Kenyan Contemporary Fashion stylist and Creative Director, Dalton Odiyo.
Tell us a little about your background.
Dalton Odiyo is a contemporary Fashion stylist and Creative Director based between Nairobi, Kenya & Cape Town, South Africa. I love to create and tap into expressions through various avenues like Fashion, Photography and Film using it as a tool to reimagine the past to create my own present reality. Storytelling is the base to my works since it is equally adept across sports, music, fashion, and youth culture domains through experimental mediums.
What inspired your brand name?
Odiiyo is my official name. In my native Luo language, the name means to mould something into shape. My name relates with normal day life choices such as using my past; the good, the messy and the lessons learnt not to confine me, but as fuel to become someone entirely new.
What and who inspired you to choose your career?
Honestly I am inspired by two things. Firstly, the urge to highlight the different ways one can work with textiles and change people’s ideas of how the typical African should be dressing. This is important since Fashion/Dressing can be used to express identity, beliefs, and personal style. Secondly, My mother expressed herself fearlessly with her fashion sense as she mastered the art of combination to create aesthetically pleasing looks, which I admired and this gave me an environment to grow and learn from in the Fashion umbrella at a young age.
Details about your work? What does it entail?
Being a Creative Director and a Fashion Stylist, my work is rooted deep in my origins and my lifestyle. My creativity derives from the way I grew up and lived. In my work, I intend to move and have impact with how I create concepts in my projects, to continue to develop my visual language that will inform and touch people from everywhere.
Your past works? People and brands you’ve worked with.
In my recent works, I have been honoured to work with brands such as Daily Paper, Iamisigo, Moshions, The New Originals & Byredo to mention just but a few. I have also been able to work with creative talents such as Gabriel Moses, a renowned photographer and film maker from South London.
Recent Notable Works
My recent notable works are, an SS24 Campaign for Daily Paper and a Product campaign for Carnault, a non tobacco electric cigarette company based in Basel, Switzerland.
My body of works have been featured by fashion magazines such as Vogue, Dazed, Metal Magazine, Manor magazine, Colors Studios, Vogue Business and much more.
