About us

Bringing Africa to the world.

There's an old Yoruba proverb that reads: Àbá kì di ótitó ni kì jé ká dá a. While plans may never bear fruit, people should still make them. Here at Loké and Above, we've been planning for years.

Our story starts 2km above sea level in 2007. Loké co-founders DJ and Tunde competed against each other at an annual spring basketball invitational hosted by the International School of Kenya, DJ's school. When DJ and Tunde met on the court as rivals, little did they know that just a few months later they'd be classmates once Tunde's family moved to Nairobi, and teammates, as they played basketball, soccer, and volleyball together, winning accolades in all and attaining new heights each step of the way during their final two years of high school. Winning was always the priority, but even in (rare) defeat, progress was the motive. Upward motion has always been the trajectory.

Ten years later, the childhood bond over sports led to a series of startup efforts during college and grad school: from coaching to consulting to a range of other ideas in between - some great, others less inspiring - but always with an eye toward how best to incorporate an African perspective into new business ventures. In 2020 the vision has become clear: build a brand from the ground up, inspired by Africa, with global appeal.

Loké and Above is the result of years of creativity and thought, coupled with a healthy dose of competitive rivalry, funneled into a net-native user first experience designed to bring the energy of Africa to the global marketplace.

This is who we are. Welcome to our site.

 

Loké - Upwards. 

Driven by the need to make sure we go above and beyond, we embody our very name, Loké. We are determined to bring Africa to the world through the incorporation of beautiful African designs into everyday life.