Paging All Teju Cole Fans! Check Out The Téju, a Jacket Named After Teju Cole

Loving this little love affair between fashion and the African literary scene.

So Teju Cole—the author of Open City—and Ikire Jones, a philly-based fashion designer, are chums. For his “Savage and Saints” 2014 Collection, Ikire Jones names an Ankara-print sport coat after Teju Cole.

Teju who thinks highly of his friend’s work seems quite honored by the gesture. On Facebook, he describes Ikire Jones as “MF Doom meets Yinka Shonibare meets Veronese.”

The made-to-order sport coat called “The Teju” is “a safari jacket…belted, unlined, and uncavassed.” It comes with a whooping 450 dollar price tag.

Just in case you were thinking of getting one, it’s sold out. Sorry.

To be honest, I’m quite tickled by all this. “The Teju” is sold out?

For one thing, Teju Cole’s celebrity status has been officially confirmed. Who said the idea of the novelist as a cool cat is out of fashion?

If Teju’s name could get a line of made-to-order jackets to sell out, he’s worth his salt as far as I’m concerned.

See below for more photos of “The Teju.”

Too see more of what Ikire Jones has to offer, check out his website HERE.

Oh, before I forget, Teju Cole will be hanging out with Salman Rushdie next month at the Symphony Space in New York. Rushdie once said that “Teju Cole is among the most gifted writers of his generation.”

Since we don’t have to guess how Teju feels about Rushdie, there’ll definitely be lots of literary bromancing happening on stage. Def something to check out. 

See more info HERE.