Notes From Couture Part 2: Meet the Kenyan Artist Behind Dior’s Sculptural Haute Couture Gowns

Jonathan Anderson is accustomed to blending fashion with art and crafts. As a frequent collaborator with diverse artists from various disciplines, a significant part of his success, as one of fashion’s leading creative directors today, stems from these extensive series of collaborations with the art world, filmmakers, anime studios, and ceramists. For his spring/summer 2026 haute couture debut for Dior, he continues this tradition, working with the acclaimed Kenya-born, England-based potter Magdalene Odundo. As it turns out, Anderson has been a longtime collector, friend, and fan.

Inspiration to execution

References of the Kenyan artist’s oeuvre are evident throughout the show in visual forms as well as in design ethos.

Odundo herself is renowned for her sculptured, human-inspired, bulbous, glossy ceramic vessels. Among her core themes is the study of the human form and the female body in particular. “I’ve always equated clay with the humanity that’s within us, fragile like our bodies,” the artist once revealed.

On the Dior runway, where Anderson received a standing ovation, he reimagined these forms into striking, almost unrealistic, structured gowns with organic curves and gentle drapes that swept around the body.

Elsewhere, dreamy floral motifs by Odundo made their way to a series of looks, including a floor-sweeping black dress. It didn’t end there. Bags too, received the Odundo effect. Polished, glazed, and moulded to artistic beauty, like her pottery. It’s a level of craftsmanship that cuts across disciplines.

From advertising to art

Beginning her pottery career in the 1970s, after relocating to the UK from Kenya, Magdalene Odundo has a background in commercial advertising and education. Working with clay, her artistry draws from global ceramic traditions spanning Egypt, Kenya, and Uganda among others. Her work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums globally.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading this edition of Africa Fashion Decoded.

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