Yohannes Goitom
“People these days are more worried about what people say about them rather than how many people they can inspire by being themselves”
Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Yohannes Goitom is a fashion designer/stylist and founder of YG2015. Known for his bold colors, modern contemporary designs, and bandanas, he has styled artists such as; Skat Nati on his Dankira video with Weeha, Rahel Getu, Veronica Adane and host Yonathan Elias.
Yohannes started getting into fashion at the age of nine. The young aspiring designer found fashion through the years as his father frequently brought him clothes from abroad. Following the trends of the time, he started taking his clothes to tailors to customize them into his designs. Alongside his customized outfits, he also took notes from his sister who was studying to be a fashion designer at the time; seeing her measurements, watching how she made her clothes. When he got the chance to study at Mcensal fashion school in Kenya he went there for four years through which he invited his sister to join him and they graduated together. Through the years people started to recognize him from his unique styles on social media and so he founded his YG2015 brand in 2015.
When asked what fashion means to him he was studying to be a fashion designer at the time; seeing her measurements, watching how she made her clothes. When he got the chance to study at Mcensal fashion school in Kenya he went there for four years through which he invited his sister to join him and they graduated together. Through the years people started to recognize him from his unique styles on social media and so he founded his YG2015 brand in 2015. When asked what fashion means to him he stated that fashion is an expression of who he is. His biggest influences are Chris Brown and Virgil Abloh. He is currently working as a stylist while getting ready for his fall/ winter collection coming this 2021. He plans to host a workshop called the right key and he also plans to create a new brand that he stated he would announce soon.
He wants to build an established brand for himself. He believes his major all-purpose is to change people through him. Success to him does not mean the fame or the fortune he gets but someone looking at him and saying “he inspires me”. He is constantly trying to break taboos and bring new things to the table. He is also trying to create a competitive and creative environment in Ethiopia, which is what he admires most from Kenya. He said, “people these days are more worried about what people say about them rather than how many people they can inspire by being themselves”. His message was:
“step out of the box and dare to be yourself”.
