Breston Kenya's Unique View of Kenyan Style

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Photographer Brenon Ooro—aka Breston Kenya on social media—uses his camera to shine a light on culture and fashion in Kenya. Although he shoots a range of subjects, contemporary African fashion is a central focus for Breston.

"I believe fashion plays a big role in telling a country's culture, and I want to encourage people to look more deeply into what’s happening on the continent in the creative industries," he says.

Breston first encountered photography in his third year at university, in 2015. "As a journalism student back then I was fascinated with being behind the camera on all of our class projects, and so I wanted to share my creativity—not only with videos but also with photographs. With that I started shooting about anything and everything around the campus."

Everyday life is a big source of inspiration for Breston, who's motivated by what he calls "an innate need to capture the beauty of people and clothing as I see it." He currently shoots on a Canon 100D.

"Color, culture, music and life also move me to make photographs. The cities in Africa inspire me to keep creating."

Sharing the visual culture of Kenya is an important aspect of Breston's work. He says that his long-term goal as an artist is to create photos that "will keep inspiring people to view Kenya, and Africa at large, more creatively and positively."

It's all too common for people in the West to view Africa as one monolithic place. Yet the incredibly diverse continent is home to over 50 countries, and with a population of 1.3 billion people, it makes up about 16% of the world's people. Many young photographers from all over Africa, like Breston, are creating their own view of the authentic representation that's often lacking in the global media.

Breston takes inspiration from Osborne Macharia, a fellow Kenyan photographer who resides in Canada. Osborne describes his work as an effort to "re-imagine a New Africa;" he often shoots everyday people in surreal imaginary scenarios, exploring the concept of Afrofuturism.

Another influence is Trevor Stuurman, a South African artist recently named to Forbes 30 Under 30, who describes being African as his "superpower". Like Breston, Trevor's work offers a creative perspective on African fashion.

Asked to share a favorite photograph, Breston pointed to the one above. "It depicts one of the richest cultures in Kenya, the Maasai." An ethnic group who live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, the Maasai are known for their unique traditional clothing and semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Whether depicting a modern take on traditional garments, or capturing contemporary looks in editorial shoots, Breston's photography highlights the diverse creativity of Kenyan style.

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