Luxury online retailer THE OUTNET is pleased to announce the launch of an exclusive collection in collaboration with designer brand Roksanda and the non-profit organization Malaika. A percentage of proceeds from the sales of this capsule will be donated to Malaika, a charity which aims to empower young girls and their communities through education and health programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The charity was founded in 2007 by international model and philanthropist Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, a personal supporter of Roksanda.
With her signature artistic influence, Roksanda champions color and clever cuts for this curated capsule collection; offering reinterpretations of both the bold and subtle moments that have shaped her archive. Inspired primarily by the important concept of circular economy in the fashion industry, positivity and change, the collection features some of Roksanda’s renowned sculptural shapes, prints, fabrics and vibrant colors from past collections – and aims to address how femininity and empowerment can be shown in both strength and vulnerability.
Empowerment is a key value for Roksanda and an element that her designs have embodied since the conception of her label in 2005. She aims to protect and shelter in lifting and empowering women with her clothing, whatever their walk of life. Similarly, Malaika’s mission is to empower young girls and communities in the DRC through education and health programs, something that resonates closely to Roksanda, as mother to her 8-year-old daughter. It is this powerful synergy in their goal to support girls and women through their work that brings the two together for this project with THE OUTNET, who has previously supported charities including mothers2mothers, Smart Works and Women for Women International through global initiatives.
To celebrate the collaboration, THE OUTNET asked girls supported by the Malaika charity, living in the DRC to contribute to the project by coloring shapes related to the Roksanda collection. These colorful pictures were then used as the backdrop for the creative campaign featuring Noëlla Coursaris Musunka.
We are thrilled to be working with Roksanda on this beautiful capsule for THE OUTNET. Roksanda is renowned for her signature designs, making her loved by our customers worldwide. We are proud and excited about this collaboration, as well as being able to support the wonderful work Noëlla and Malaika are doing to help empower girls in the DRC. We send our utmost gratitude to the children who helped create background artwork and thank both Roksanda and Noëlla for their kind support in bringing this project to life.
Emma Mortimer, Managing Director at THE OUTNET
I was first aware of Noëlla when I saw her wearing my clothes, she looked so incredible, elegant and most importantly, inspiring wearing them. I instantly wanted to know more about her and learned about the work that she does with the charity Malaika. I felt an immediate connection as I think there are many similarities between us, both as women and mothers to young daughters, but also in our work. Noëlla aims to empower girls and young women through education while my aim is to support, lift and shelter them through my designs, creating a soft armor for life’s daily challenges. I feel that we both want to make a small but hopefully significant change in the world through this concept of empowerment. Equally, I felt a duty to address a more circular economy at this time when fashion is moving faster than ever. It is so important for us as designers to now slow down, to think and to be more conscious about the way in which our customer is consuming clothes. In relooking at treasured archive materials and some of my most favorite and signature cuts from the past, this opportunity with THE OUTNET has given me the perfect platform to do this.
Roksanda Ilincic
We are so excited for this opportunity to partner with Roksanda and THE OUTNET, two women-led companies that are joining us in our efforts to empower girls around the world. This collection is elegant and strong; representing the feminine mindset in a way that is a joy to wear. Malaika believes in working with companies that demonstrate the value of women’s leadership, and this collaboration reinforces this belief. As we work with our students to help them become the female leaders of tomorrow, we want to show them examples of women succeeding — as businesswomen, as artists, as scientists and as creative thinkers. Roksanda and THE OUTNET are helping us to do just this, and our students are equally excited as they have been asked to contribute artwork for the campaign! One 10-year-old grade 6 student, Abigael, told us, “I really liked the coloring of the forms, it represents, for me, the freedom of expression”. We look forward to all the creative energy that this collaboration will spark!
Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, Malaika
The collection will launch globally on site on 24th January 2019 at THE OUTNET.
