Pass the Platform | atijo

Fashion : Meet

16 February 2021

At Because, it's been our mission to champion the brands that may have gone under the radar in the sea of stuff available to us. In light of what's been happening globally over the last few months, we've noticed this is needed now more than ever, and have been wondering how best to continue this.

Hence the start of our latest feature, Pass the Platform, where we'll be sharing a selection of interviews who would have been picked by the interviewee prior, starting a thread and community of brands that are doing good within the fashion and beauty worlds. We hope this will bring attention to different voices that aren't always heard within these realms, as per our pledge to do better.

Nominated by POSTSCRIPT, next up is the four creative minds behind online vintage store atijo, Anu Odugbesan, Londiwe Ncube, Caitlin Moriarty and Safia Yekwai.

We caught up with the founders of the London-based brand to talk about the conception of the store and where they go from here...

How did the idea for the atijo store come about? And what is the origin of the name?

It was an organic process, we all loved vintage but we were seeking a more curated and luxury shopping experience to vintage shopping. atijọ is inspired by concept stores and bridging a gap between lifestyle, fashion and design as well as celebrating timeless fashion. The name is of Yoruba origin and it translates to ‘from the past.’

We love that atijo is a collaborative project. With 4 founders, how do you manage the brand and creative input?

We are all creative individuals and we each have a different style which we have discovered is the most unique thing about the project, we find a way to incorporate all of that into the brand and inspire each-other. We have built a support system where we can all learn and grow together.

Since the brand launched over a year ago, how do you think the landscape of vintage shopping has changed? Especially during 2020?

We have been part of a growing community within vintage and sustainable fashion, especially online. The past year was definitely a highlight for that, there is a growing interest in shopping more consciously and it has definitely become much more accessible so it’s exciting to be in the midst of it.

People love atijo for its minimalist aesthetic and tonal colour palette. Along with finding the right style, what else do you look for in a vintage item when curating a collection?

Quality and wearability - which is why we feature so many classic styles, we want our pieces to have longevity. We also think a lot about the hero pieces and key styles in our own wardrobes.

What can we expect from Atijo in 2021? Is creating an online store outside of Instagram something that interests the brand?

Absolutely! We will be launching our website and online platform this year. We are really excited to keep growing our brand and community, work on timeless collections and possibly expand into other categories.