The Business of Fashion Podcast: Ib Kamara – “Europe is Not the Centre of Everything. Where You Come From Matters.”

Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Imran Ahmed, Founder & CEO, The Business of Fashion
Guest: Ibrahim (Ib) Kamara, Art & Image Director, Off-White; Former Editor-in-Chief, Dazed

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Imran Ahmed sits down with Ibrahim “Ib” Kamara, one of the fashion industry’s most influential creative voices, to explore Kamara’s journey from his childhood in Sierra Leone to reshaping global fashion narratives in London and beyond. Recorded during the launch of Tea magazine MENA in Abu Dhabi, the conversation touches on topics including cross-cultural identity, redefining industry hierarchies, authorship and responsibility, making the leap from styling to design, and how creatives from the Global South can and should define their own cultural centers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood in Sierra Leone and “Culture Shock” in London

• Kamara’s Early Years:

  • “I had one of the best childhood growing up because I was out in the street till 11pm running around with my friends. And Sierra Leone is beautiful… with so much talent and so much possibility, but the world doesn't get to see that…”
    — Ib Kamara [01:48]
  • Moved to London at age 15–16; experienced significant “culture shock” transitioning from a place of authority and “not questioning anything” to a society where outspokenness was valued [02:32].

• The Duality of Identity:

  • Kamara describes navigating two identities: conforming at home (“Dr. Kamara”) to please family expectations, while expressing his artistic side outside [04:17].

2. Hiding Artistic Ambitions & Finding Fashion

• Fashion as an Escape:

  • Fashion was a secret passion, inspired by UK TV, online fashion illustration purchases, and research on stylists such as Barry Kamen and Simon Foxton [03:17–04:19].
  • “At home I couldn't [be artistic]… but outside my house I could be whatever I wanted to be in London.” — Ib Kamara [04:19]

• Why Styling?

  • “I loved images and I was fascinated by how people put things together… I could develop my style quicker than going into other forms that I was a little bit afraid of in the beginning.” [04:50]
  • Visual culture came via discarded European magazines in Sierra Leone, fostering an understanding of imagery even without access to formal design education [05:00].

3. Early Career Breaks & The Beyoncé Moment

• First Steps in Styling:

  • After quitting science/medicine at 19, Kamara interned at Life magazine and began styling friends with thrifted vintage clothes [06:05–06:48].
  • “It was liberating. I felt like I could do this forever…” — Ib Kamara [06:50]

• Breakthrough — Styling Beyoncé:

  • At age 24–25 (circa 2016), Kamara was contacted to style Beyoncé for a video, taking friends with him to LA [08:14–09:09].
  • “I was nervous as hell. I was completely out of my depth. But when my people were there to give me the courage—I was able to do it, and it was one of the most fulfilling exercises at a very young age.” — Ib Kamara [09:09]

4. Accessible, Relatable Imagery

• Imran Ahmed’s Observations:

  • “Your images have this instantly recognizable quality…powerful but very approachable and understandable…” — Imran Ahmed [09:59–10:25]

• Kamara’s Approach:

  • “I love humans, I love real stories…My parents worked real jobs. I worked real jobs. I’m always consistently inspired by them… I’m inspired by simplicity, even if you’re trying to send a global message.” — Ib Kamara [10:28]
  • News and politics formed part of his visual and storytelling sensibility [10:50].

• Describing His Role:

  • “Now, I would say I’m kind of like an expressionist, but a creative expressionist…Give me a medium and give me a couple of years, I feel like I will master it.” — Ib Kamara [11:54]

5. Redefining Dazed: A Global Perspective

• Context of Dazed’s Evolution:

  • Kamara took over Dazed as Editor-in-Chief amid “a wider racial reckoning” and the rise of global social connectivity [12:29].
  • “Before 2016…Instagram was not so global…but [soon], the whole world communicated; kids from Nairobi, South Africa, London, West Africa, China, Middle East—all talking…It didn’t make sense that Dazed did not reflect that.” [13:08]

• Making Dazed Global:

  • “It was so London centric, so London biased…the whole world was cut off…So I set out to make a magazine that was global, has a sense of culture, has empathy…Brave enough to do stories that could potentially get me fired…” [13:45]
  • Kamara’s team mirrored this diversity and ambition [14:17].

• How Issues Came Together:

  • Concepts often sparked from group chat debates and serendipitous global discoveries (e.g., young photographers in Vietnam, [15:15–15:41]); rigid budget realities were offset by creativity and collaborative tension [15:15–17:06].
  • “There’s a lot of debate, a lot of late-night conversations, a lot of ‘no, yes, not sure, let’s do it…’ But at the end it’s the best feeling to put a magazine together…to change the world in your own little way.” — Ib Kamara [15:41]

6. Collaborating with Virgil Abloh & Taking Over Off-White

• Meeting Virgil Abloh:

  • Connected online, invited to style Louis Vuitton shows; marveled at Abloh’s “childlike energy of anything is possible” [17:17–18:47].

• Stepping Into the Spotlight:

  • After Abloh’s passing, Off-White asked Kamara to succeed him—not to fill his shoes but to evolve the brand:
    • “It was not the easiest decision…you cannot…really fill someone else’s shoes…There’s only one Virgil…” [19:33]
    • Kamara was unaccustomed to being the “front person”; deliberated deeply, yet accepted to stretch creatively:
      • “You have to take a chance. You have to try.” — Ib Kamara [21:12]

• Designer vs. Stylist:

  • “With design, you can’t cheat. With styling, you can cheat…If it’s good, it’s good, we all know when it’s not. With styling, you can cheat in a picture…Design is respect, it’s a craft, so raw that it’s real. And that’s what I’ve learned.” — Ib Kamara [22:12]

• Navigating Brand & Business Transitions:

  • Credits supportive CEO and team for enabling creative freedom, even amid industry and ownership upheaval:
    • “Having a CEO behind you makes creativity flourish and gives you the peaceful mind to create.” — Ib Kamara [23:13]
  • “I am making a stamp to my own perspective, but within the universe that was created.” [23:30]

7. Advice for the Next Generation of Global Creatives

• Reject Eurocentrism & Champion Origin:

  • “Europe is not so much the center of everything of culture… Where you come from matters, and taste is not subjective to one part of the world. It’s global taste.” — Ib Kamara [25:20]

• Consistency, Collaboration, and Kindness:

  • “If you really want it, it’s consistency. Work with your friends. There’s nothing wrong with working with people your age and creating your own perspective, your own language…Bring your people up…” [25:40]
  • “Be on the Internet, collaborate with people everywhere in the world and be kind as well. Be nice a little bit if you can, please. We don’t need more monsters in the industry.” — Ib Kamara [26:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’m one of the luckiest people to come out of one of the most poorest place in the world, but also with so much potential.” — Ib Kamara [01:48]
• “At home I couldn’t… but outside my house I could be whatever I wanted in London.” — Ib Kamara [04:19]
• “Design is respect, you know, it’s a craft, so raw that it’s real. And that’s what I’ve learned.” — Ib Kamara [22:12]
• “Europe is not the center of everything. Where you come from matters.” — Ib Kamara [25:20]
• “There’s nothing more beautiful when you’re at a table and you’ve known these people for 20 or 30 years…and you’re all doing what you set up to do.” — Ib Kamara [25:56]
• “Be kind… We don’t need more monsters in the industry.” — Ib Kamara [26:35]

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:48 | Kamara on growing up in Sierra Leone, culture shock in London | | 04:17 | “At home I couldn’t [be artistic]… outside my house I could be whatever I wanted…” | | 06:05 | Quitting science; first styling project at age 19; liberty in creative self-expression | | 08:14 | Recounts big break—styling Beyoncé for a video | | 09:59 | Imran Ahmed describes Kamara’s images: “powerful but very approachable…” | | 10:28 | Kamara on inspiration from “real stories” and everyday life | | 13:08 | On reimagining Dazed as a global publication | | 15:15 | Inside the Dazed editorial process and team collaboration | | 17:17 | Kamara on meeting Virgil Abloh and working with him at Louis Vuitton | | 19:33 | Decision-making after Abloh’s passing and starting at Off-White | | 22:12 | “With design, you can’t cheat. With styling, you can cheat…” | | 25:20 | Advice for young creatives: “Europe is not the center of everything. Where you come from matters.” | | 26:35 | The importance of kindness in the industry: “Be kind as well. Be nice if you can, please…” |

Takeaways

• Ib Kamara’s story is one of cultural navigation, creative self-invention, and expanding fashion’s horizons beyond Eurocentric frameworks.
• He urges young creatives, especially from the Global South, to value their origins, build communities with peers, and define new standards of taste and collaboration.
• Kamara’s leadership at Dazed and Off-White demonstrates how authentic storytelling, respect for craft, and community-driven creative work can impact global fashion.

Episode in a Sentence:
From the streets of Freetown to the helm of global fashion, Ib Kamara’s journey is a testament to the power of authenticity, perseverance, and the imperative that “where you come from matters.”