Fashion Designer Emefa Kuadey, israella KOBLA Wins the Bay Fashion Fund Award

The Bay announces Emefa Kuadey, designer and founder of israella KOBLA, has been awarded as the winning recipient of The Bay’s Fashion Fund, an initiative built to mentor and support emerging BIPOC designers in Canada. Kuadey has been awarded a $25,000 grant coupled with a three-year mentorship program designed to tackle some obstacles new designers face when entering the competitive retail landscape.

Kuadey, British born of Ghanaian descent began her career as a civil engineer. In 2017 Kuadey left the engineering field to pursue her passion for design, enrolling at George Brown College. In 2019 she was invited to showcase her work at Vancouver Fashion Week. Following the success of VFW, Emefa released isarella KOBLA’s debut collection, Freed from Captivity, that same year.

Inspiration for the Toronto-based brand comes from a juxtaposition of the designer’s interests – fashion and engineering. Each collection is designed to transcend time, re-imagining minimalism with…