African Fashion Inspired Curations Relevant in the 21st Century

 In times past  African fashion was regarded as archaic, backward and largely unrecognised amongst fashion trends around the world. However, in recent times, particularly at the dawn of the 21^st century African Fashion has gained prominence. For instance, African prints like Kente from Ghana, Kanga from Kenya and Boubou from Senegal have gained prominence as major designers worldwide, such as Emporio Armani and Gucci, among others lately have begun using these prints for various fashion weeks around the world. Testament of this is the usage of these fabrics for the New York fashion week and Paris Fashion Week, among others.

     In 1967, Yves Saint Lauren exhibited his African Collection. He created a series of delicate gowns using wooden beads, raffia straw and golden threads; amongst his collections, the dress that stood out the most paid homage to the Bombara Sculptures, which the Bombara people in Mali made. After his exhibition in spring-summer  1967,  fashion designers began looking into Africa in search of Inspiration for their clothes. This is ironic as years back, the westerners regarded African fashion as just animal prints, mud cloths and cowrie shells.

It is worthy to note that the African Fashion industry has evolved and has come to stay as different designers inspired by these unique fabrics and prints have turned them into beautiful dresses, handbags and pieces of jewellery used in our daily lives.  The Ankara Fabric, though not initially from Africa, became the trademark of the African people, today that fabric is being displayed in different Fashion weeks and shows and even worn by several international acts like Beyonce, Michelle Obama, inter Alia.

        Various designers have come out of the African hemisphere, and their designs have blown the minds of the fashion industry worldwide. Laduma Ngxokolo, a south African knitwear designer, established the Maxhosa brand in 2011. He aimed to explore knitwear solutions that would be proper for the amarkrwala traditional dress.  Xhosa is, however, a tribe in South Africa today. This traditional Knitwear is made from the Xhosa bead wear Aesthetics,  south African mohair and wool. This Knitwear has gathered Prominence around the globe and has even garnered numerous awards and achievements. It was also used by cast members of the hit movie “ Black Panther”, who wore Laduma’s designs to its premiere. His designs captured the hearts of many fashion lovers and enthusiasts from London, Oslo, Tokyo etc. It even won the 2015 Vogue Italia Scouting for Africa Prize to showcase his collections at the Palazzo  Miranda Show in Italy.

      Another designer whose Fashion inspired curations took the world by the storm is Lisa Folawiyo.  A Nigerian born designer mastered wearing Ankara through the use of ornate embellishments, and she turned the fabric into a Coveted luxury brand. Expert artisans normally handcraft her designs. These designs have been shown on the New York Fashion week and on Lupita Nyong’o and Thandie Newton.

      The Ivorian designer Loza  Maleohmbo fuses her designs inspired by the Ivorian tribal Aesthetics with the Newyork urban fashion. Her designs could best be described as a mixture of the old and the new. Her beautiful curated designs bring together the history, street style, and travel style of the people of cote d’ Ivoire.    Her collections comprise the AW15, which drew on the  Zaouli masquerade dancers, Baoule wedding traditions and the everyday Ivorian attire, made from burlap, kente, wax prints and organza. Her Ivorian inspired designs are being noticed and used in this 21^st century by influential people like Solange Knowles, who has become one of her biggest fans. She is also being identified by Vogue’s Italia scouting for Africa initiative and participated in the  H&M’s closing the loop recycling campaign. Her designs are being stocked at stores worldwide, including Tommy in New York, Alara in Lagos,  Merchants on Long in Capetown.

      African Fashion inspired designs have been turned into various beautiful ornaments by designers, like the pieces of jewellery made from locally sourced materials in Kenya.  The country’s beautiful pieces propelled the jeweller into making rings, necklaces, bracelets, and now it has become a household brand not just in Kenya but all over the world.  Also, the Kristen Gross collection is synonymous with contemporary African designs as most of her pieces came from the beauty of Africa were inspired by it. Today you can get it anywhere around the world.

      Moving on, Bags, shoes, items of clothing, pieces of jewellery etc., were Fashion products that grew out of Africa, a continent regarded as nothing. Different Fashion shows play host to a variety of designs that came out of the African hemisphere.  These designs even compete with big Fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Gucci on the international scene.  They are even being worn by prominent Western celebrities, mostly the African Americans who have begun to adopt their  African Heritage.

     Indeed the African Fashion Industry has evolved, and its materials are still being used every day to produce more beautiful designs globally.

AUTHOR: ADEKUNLE ADESEWA NNENNA (Intern, Batch- August 2021)