At The Fashion Awards, Kojey Radical Has Reasons to Smile

Kojey Radical “can’t complain”.

That might just be his catchphrase.

As I follow him around the Royal Albert Hall before The Fashion Awards last night, where he was on hosting duties alongside Maya Jama for the second consecutive year, he passes by an eclectic mix of friends and well wishers, each more stoked to see him than the last.

With every “How are you?” comes a “Can’t complain!”

I mean, he really can’t. The 31-year-old musician, born Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah in East London to Ghanaian parents, is being well looked after. He counts his blessings. He was grateful to do the gig just once. So, to be asked again… “it’s a bit surreal, to be honest.”

As he tells me, “Nobody’s been invited to do it twice.”

He remembers exactly where he was when he first learned that the British Fashion Council were interested in him playing a role in proceedings. That information came to him by way of his sister who acts as his manager. “I was in Dover Street Market spending money I don’t have, so luckily it came through because it justified my purchases,” he says, laughing. But at this point, he wasn’t yet aware that they wanted him to, as he puts it, “host the whole entire thing”.

“My sister is very nonchalant about how she tells me things. So it wasn’t until I got to the Zoom call and there was about 20 faces there, then Maya pops up, that I realised I was being invited to host the ceremony.”

How does one decide what to wear to The Fashion Awards, arguably the biggest sartorial ceremony on the planet? If you’re smart like Radical, you depend on a notable industry-insider: Toni-Blaze Ibekwe, stylist and editor-in-chief of Wonderland magazine. Naturally, the tastemaker had a few different looks sorted for the evening.

I find him looking appropriately radical in a green top, cropped and wide-sleeved, by Paris-based, Netherlands-founded Botter, which he will later rock with matching trousers to open up the ceremony. And for the purpose of the BBC bit he’s about to film on the red carpet, he’s wearing it with a necklace by his friend Denny who’s known for his Instagram handle of @curriegoat.

“He did a collaboration with Vitaly and he sent me this piece, which I’m trying to sneak in somewhere later, too. See, you’ve got to support the people you love. And I’ve just been a fan of his art for so long. I would always like his videos and send him love and we had a chance to link up a couple of times. Before music, I was an illustrator and was in the world of design, so we always talk about art when we catch up.”

Kojey Radical wearing Zac McGarry with a Currygoat x Vitaly necklace

Kojey Radical wearing Zac McGarry with Toni-Blaze Ibekwe  

Whilst in Radical’s dressing room, Ibekwe shows me the rest of his looks on her phone, blocking out the ones that haven’t made the final cut with her hand. Not that I’m trying to sneak peak as, honestly, I’m too mesmerised by the floral-embroidery brown leather Etro jacket. It’s seemingly styled with 2024’s Wild West trend in mind: a brown baroque two-piece, a chunky cream roll neck and gold-tip cowboy boots.

I look beyond the Etro to see two co-ord ensembles – one by Denzil Patrick, a young British brand run by life partners Daniel Gayle and James Bosley, and the other by Central Saint Martin graduate (class of 2024!) Zac McGarry.

“We wanted to mix it – give some up-and-coming designers a chance to shine as well as just kind of wearing some fly shit, you know what I mean?”

There’s to be some “fly shit” on his wrist, too, courtesy of London-based watch boutique, Kettle Kids.

Ibekwe presents me with a pastel blue watch case that matches her nails, as if she’s always aesthetically at one with her surroundings. Inside are two Rolexs that harmonise with Radical’s palette for the night. A Datejust with a chocolate brown dial on the left, a Day-date with a silver dial on the right.

“As much as they serve a purpose, most of us use our phones [to tell the time], so they’ve got to tone with the outfit. Watches are just really fancy accessories, after all.”

Kojey Radical wearing Etro with Tom Wood rings, a Hatton Labs necklace and a Rolex watch from Kettle Kids

Kojey Radical wearing Etro with a Hatton Labs necklace

Other than looking good, Radical is looking forward to celebrating the talent he considers the leaders of Londons contemporary fashion scene – the likes of nominee Bianca Saunders and winner Priya Ahluwalia.

We also touch on Corteiz, the uber-buzzy label founded by Clint Ogbenna which was nominated for “New Establishment – Menswear category” award last year. This time around, the celebration is bereft of such a street-level nominee. “Brands like Corteiz are coming through and smashing things up, so they deserve a place at something like this, even though it’s a streetwear brand”. Radical mentions it as if to suggest he thought the Corteiz nomination would set a precedent for recognising similar hustles in the future.

What of Radical’s own plans? He’s recently been occupied with the idea of building up his legacy. He offers it up as an excuse for the wait on his sophomore album, the follow up to his 2022 debut, Reason to Smile.

“2nd album loading” his caption has read for months now. I tease him on the subject, wondering if he’s having difficulties with his broadband. Post-chuckle, he reveals that he’s never worked on a project for longer. “I feel like fans deserve that.”

But more so, his four-year-old son “deserves that”: “I’ve been thinking about what I leave behind,” Radical imparts to me.

“He already loves going to the record shop. And when we went recently, he pulled out a copy of Reason to Smile and recognised himself on the cover. That was one of those moments where I was like… my discography matters. So, I just wanted to make a body of work that really slots into the discography in a way that makes me feel proud.”

So, when is KR2 landing in our music apps? “Next year,” he promises.

Kojey Radical wearing Botter with Tom Wood rings and a Hatton Labs necklace

For now, he’s focused on tonight, looking forward to musical performances from his peers, including Chloe x Halle and Wizkid. “It feels like prom without the impending doom of being a child. Just the happy days — let’s go to the school disco man, vibe out and drink some punch.”

With that, he bids goodbye with a fist bump and a “Thank you, I appreciate you.” and follows the call for dress rehearsal, ready to add to his legacy.

Check out our list of the best-dressed men at The Fashion Awards 2024, featuring Kojey’s Etro ensemble.