Ibby Njoya is having fun with things. The London-based art director and set designer burst onto the scene a few years ago fresh out of university, and since then, it’s been hit after hit. To date, he’s worked with titles like Dazed, AnOther and Vogue, fashion heavyweights like Balmain, Off-White and Dries Van Noten, and worked with Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian. Njoya’s been busy, and he’s making the game his own. Through his bold, subversive and playful use of colour, Njoya has cultivated an instantly recognisable style. The British-Cameroonian artist often draws inspiration from African artefacts and culture, which lends a deep sense of history and intimacy to his sets. Through set design, Njoya builds distinctive and transporting worlds, which have propelled his unique vision and artistic style.

His latest move? Stepping in front of the camera for Calvin Klein's AW23 collection at FLANNELS. True to form, the iconic brand has launched a collection that focuses on minimal, elegant, classic pieces, remixed with a 2023 sensibility. And the search for that feeling. You know, the one where you put on a really amazing piece of clothing and you just feel, like you? Yeah, that feeling. For Njoya that means dressing up in iconic outerwear styles and sleek sweats.

To celebrate the launch of the campaign, Ibby Njoya sat down with us to talk design, style and power. This is everything you need to know.

How do clothes make you feel?

I always wear something that makes me feel good; it changes the way you behave. It gives me confidence and happiness. It’s fun to play with different pieces, creating different looks that go with my mood that day.

When do you feel the most like you?

When I’m in my happy place.

What brings you joy?

I really like to stay in my house enjoying my own time and company, perhaps because of the intensity of my work. But I also love to travel and explore different places. It gives me inspiration for my art.

What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion is an expression of yourself. However you feel comfortable and good with yourself.

Describe your sense of style in three words.

Colours, textures and fun. Your set designs feel like unique universes.

How do you use art to build worlds and tell stories?

Everywhere I go I see things that inspire me in different work pieces. Sometimes I’m going in one direction, but I see a corner shop that has a different texture that I like, and I want to implement it in the current world I’m creating. Art is everywhere. I feel that I have learned to wear invisible glasses to see the world with these lenses.

Your work is so vibrant and powerful; where does the inspiration for this come from?

My most powerful inspiration is African women’s clothes. But my day-to-day inspires me a lot. Life always brings something new, or a different way to see something old. Colours and textures are the things that most captivate my attention, but history, people and culture are also part of it.

What’s your creative process and how do you reflect your identity through your work?

My creative process is a conversation. A way of exchanging thoughts, feelings and/or actions with the world. My work is the result of how I interpret life and the things I most like about it.

What are you most excited about right now?

Right now, I can only think about my working vacations in Brazil. I’ll stay for one month enjoying the country.

What does art mean to you?

Art is an expression of yourself. Fashion is a type of art.