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The Face...
Lionel Njefi | Founder & Kreativ Director
Lionel founded URBEON in 2018. He was born in Cameroon and grew up there until the age of 19. During his studies in Kiel he was involved as an international tutor, and many within this international community often wished to express their identities through their culture, most especially through their clothing. Seeing the struggles many faced with steriotypes and eventually living a life other than what they wished for gave a spark towards the birth of URBEON.
About URBEON
URBEON (=URBAN + NEON)
Urban touches more on the lifestyle aspect of our brand, as well as its relevance in the dance and music culture, while Neon stands for both the colorful nature of our prints and the fact that we have to stand out through our bravery in whatever situation we find ourselves. Put together, these two give us URBEON, a brand that brings decent beautiful prints to an urban lifestyle and the courage to stand out, be true to yourself and go your own way.
Lionel Njefi created the first designs at the kitchen table of his apartment in Hamburg, a city in which he and the young brand have since found their home. He currently works with a network of designers, photographers and creatives to further develop URBEON and to encourage everyone with their collections to feel unique in their own identity.
The most used African print on our designs is the Ghanaian Kente print. 2019 in Ghana was declared "The Year of Return." People with Ghanaian roots living in the diaspora were thereby called to come to their homeland to get in touch with and learn about the origin of their identity. Having struggled with his identy and knowing many who have, made this initiative more than symbolic to Lionel. Using this print is a reminder to always love and be true to oneself, no matter how you choose to be. Lionel found a talented Ghanaian self-taught graphic designer during that time who changed his perspective. Ahmed was brave enough to go his way despite all odds. Lionel collaborated with Ahmed and he would love to collaborate more with more brave individuals like him because giving back to his home means a lot to him.
The Brave Year
"Bravery lives in many shapes and forms. For a long time, I felt like my feelings and emotions were sinking and choking in me. All because I didn't have the courage to block out others' opinions and just do what I really wanted to do. I haven't stopped being afraid of all the noise, but I've learned to be brave in the face of that fear and live with it."
Building your own brand, following your own path, putting your own ideas out there all takes a lot of courage. Lionel Njefi has dedicated 2023 to this courage.
Many of us deserve the lives we dream of, but we spend our time expecting approval and acceptance from others. I founded URBEON as part of a journey to spread Bravery out there to all who are facing their fears. The people we look up to are really not superhumans. They are just brave enough to go their way, despite any challenges. URBEON is about helping everyone be the best version of themselves by being brave enough to take that step. Coming from a country and a continent that struggles with challenges from the public eye, I aim at letting URBEON change that narrative and show the world that we all have more in common than differences. Our Mantra:
It's not the Good, the Smart, or the Rich one who wins in life....
It's the BRAVE one!
The Future
Our production journey so far has been based mostly on "print-on-demand", a healthy start for a small label with limited resources. With our Genesis Collection, we took a leap and got our apparel manufactured for the first time (Genesis = Beginning). URBEON is growing and we know who we are and what we want to stand for. We want to bring the brave people and voices to the forefront and change narratives. One of the ways is by showing what good and sustainable quality could come from least expected places. Just as we encourage you not to believe in all that is said about what you can or can't do, we too want to take action on what we know we can and will do. Coming from Africa, we know of it's potential and want to write our own part of the story. In this Brave Year of 2023, we will move into manufacturing, parts of which will be done in Africa. There we will work with selected sewing factories who will implement our designs in the highest quality. This can be made possible through your support and believe in the Brave Journey.
We also wish to spread the words of Bravery to all. Starting with from our Brave Stories series and more upcoming formats and campaigns, we wish to bring real-life stories that would encourage you in your journey to more bravery. If you could live a life filled with a little more bravery, this world will be a better place.
