Behind the scenes from one of our most ambitious photoshoots yet…
The Dhow Boat 
The wooden Dhow boat is a traditional sailing boat that has been used for centuries in the coastal regions of East Africa, beautifully handcrafted by the local fishermen for generations.
Dhows are often associated with picturesque coastal locations, offering a scenic setting for a photoshoot. The combination of the traditional wooden boat against the backdrop of the sea, shoreline, and a vibrant African sunset creates a visually captivating environment.
From growing up in Kenya, we saw Dhow boats on coastal family holidays. When we started the Koy brand 7 years ago, it was our dream to one day capture a new summer collection through a stunning coastal photoshoot; and with that came the idea of doing a sunset Dhow scene on ‘Mida Creek’ in Watamu. When planning this ambitious task, one boat in particular came to mind, The Monangu Dhow, owned by our good friends who run a luxury safari and travel business in Kenya - 'Africa Born'.
The idea was great in theory, but we may have underestimated the risk factors involved. We had a total of 10 people on a small dhow, with expensive camera equipment, and our new clothing range consisting of linen suits, shirts, jackets and luxury travel bags.
In order to get to the dhow boat, we needed to take a smaller tender boat out to sea whilst keeping all our equipment and clothing dry, clean and crease free - now this was challenging!
Keeping the clothes in good condition was almost impossible, plus maneuvering 10 people around the dhow with the winds gusting in order to capture the perfect photos was another serious feat, especially whilst chasing the sun’s golden hour before dusk. Here’s the first selection of images showing the behind the scenes footage from the Dhow shoot. More to come in another blog so stay tuned...
See our new collection for the final results of this photoshoot - NEW ARRIVALS