Fashionista.com featuring Mimi Plange November 2016

Her designs have been spotted on Michelle Obama and Rihanna, and featured in the likes of Vogue, The New York Times and WWD. Mimi Plange, the Ghanaian-born and San Francisco-raised designer behind the eponymous label, doesn't make clothes from recognizably African fabrics. But subtle details — like the ribbing in her spring 2016 collection that references scarification or the kente-inspired abstract print in her recent furniture collaboration with Roche Bobois — show that Africa is never too far from her mind.

"I grew up in the melting pot that is America, but I have not forgotten where I came from," Plange explained over email. "Our clothes are a mix of American sportswear soaked in African traditions and modern silhouettes. I believe the clothes translate an authentic Ghanaian aesthetic because that is what I am."