Suno’s Upcycled Clothing Celebrates Kenyan Artistry, Social Responsibility

Subtle. Understated. Restrained. These are not words in Suno’s vernacular. The New York-based label, founded in 2008 by designer/screenwriter Max Osterweis, is a riot of color and print. The daringly original pieces lend themselves well to the storied provenance of their fabrics: Vintage “kangas,” or large, sarong-like pieces of printed cotton traditionally worn by coastal East African women, almost all of which bear Swahili aphorisms about social or sexual politics.