1. POP’AFRICANA | FASHION | 52
Many would make the bold conjecture that Africa is the epicenter of human
civilization. However, a more firm affirmation is the reality that the cultural
verve that permeates the African continent has run (and continues to run) its
course through both intelligentsia and pop culture the world over. Take literary
giants such as Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and the like whose texts have
become staple readings in literature curricula or the reverence shown towards
the late Senegalese film director, Ousmane Sembene, who popularized the
griot or narrative approach to film. Together, these two truths bolster the case
that Africa’s mark on the global culture in which we live in today has been
monolithic. In this fashion, art-forms such as literature, film, dance, music and
a myriad of others serve as a cultural communicator or a passport of sorts that
allows denizens beyond the African continent to return to and revel in the hub
of humanity.
The omission of fashion amongst the rattled out list of cultural communicators
above is no mistake. Fashion, interestingly, occupies a unique lane as a cultural
expressive art-form that experiences a dichotomy between Africa—seen as the
traditional and static emblem of the art-form—and the West—distinguished
as fashion’s modern and ever-changing mainstay. How so, you might ask?
Jean Allman, whose book, Fashioning Africa: Power and the Politics of Dress,
revealed the contemptuous thematic threads history has painted on African
dress and fashion, sums up the dichotomy as such: “fashion [is]…an explicit
manifestation of the rise of capitalism and Western modernity...Treating fashion
as a marker of civilization…is the reason why fashion has been excluded from
the repertoires of non-western cultures. Other codes of clothing [behavior]
are relegated to the realm of costume which, as ‘[pre-civilized]’ [behavior], is
[characterized] in opposition to fashion.”
So is it that Africa does not have fashion and simply has clothing that is replete
with costume-like elements? Clothing that is absent of value, of modernity, and
of experiencing change? In this regard, Africa has somewhat been viewed as
a civilization void of style and stuck in a traditionalist embodiment of fashion
where clothing is seen as merely caricaturist costumes that stagnate the
progressive ways of fashion. This historical betrayal has even gone so far as
isolating the word itself—fashion—from Africa and concluding, according to
Allman, that we Africans’ are “the people without history” thus we are “the
people without fashion.” Yes, without fashion.
To counter this Eurocentric vision, fashion is steadily moving away from its
exclusive connection to Western modernity. History, regality, and reinvention
have always held a place in African dress. However, much credit is due to
the dismantling of the distinction between African dress and African fashion
by foregrounding the history and value of African fashion. As Allman puts it:
“[Dress] is at the very core of African modernity (or modernities)…[and] dress
and fashion have been centrally implicated in the forging of a distinct African
modernity.”
The stagnancy of tradition is often aligned with African dress, but it is this
adherence to tradition that breathes life into the urbanity that is African
fashion. Time-honored fabrics such as woven cloth, tie-dye cloths, and wax
prints serve as the palette for the bold, colorful, and distinctive compositions
that personify African clothing. Behind the technicolor patterns on many of
these African fabrics is a deeper meaning that is tied to both the historical
traditions and the societal messages conveyed in the colors and prints that
embellish the fabric. For instance, the time that one devotes to weaving and the
familial tradition entailed in weaving wherein a mother teaches her daughter
the craft makes woven cloths the most valued African textile. This added value
towards “traditional” African textiles such as weaved fabrics has permeated
“contemporary” fashion circles, with Kente cloth and Ankara being amongst the
most well-known and in vogue examples of the woven African cloth today.
With contemporary fashion circles well-lulled by designs of raffia and Ankara, it
is refreshing that the historical atonement of African fashion has paved the way
for some deserved artistic appreciation from the West. Gone is the sense that
the art of African couture lacks vogue given that notable luminaries in the world
of European haute couture are now beginning to experiment in the vibrancy
of African textiles and the envelope-pushing silhouettes of African dress. In
part, the customs and routines that defined the wearing of African textiles
are shifting. Contemporary elements of western design such as attention to
color, patterning, texture, and construction are being elegantly juxtaposed with
modish African fabrics.
As expected, jotting up on runways from Milan to Paris are African-inspired
collections from couture houses like Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier. In
Dior’s Spring 2004 haute couture collection, designer John Galliano took us
on a tour de force journey that documented the breathtaking culture that is
Egypt. A technically polished line, the few pieces that were adorned in gold leaf
sheets truly spoke to the richness that was synonymous with King Tut, Nefertiti
and this Golden Age in Egypt’s history. In keeping with the gilded images that
come to mind of ancient Egypt, Galliano fitted Sudanese supermodel, Alek Wek,
with a feathered empress headdress in off-gold hues and a colorful medley
of crystal-encrusted earrings fashioned after scarabs. The ornate headdress
complemented Wek’s tube evening gown that was a shimmery, gold spectacle
with extravagant ruched tailoring at the foot of the dress.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s showing at Paris Fashion Week’s Spring 2005 haute couture
also drew influences from African couture and tribalism. Missteps did occur in
the collection, with Gaultier presenting elements of his African-inspired theme
in a fragmented fashion. Only a few choice outfits represented quintessential
African couture while much of Gaultier’s efforts to evoke a tribal flavor were
rather outlandish—well, it is a couture show! Hunter shields that resembled
tortoiseshells and African face carvings accessorized outfits such as a stunning
white cocktail dress with a plunging back line and a sophisticated fit. For haute
couture and for the theme at hand, the idea of literally fusing a tortoiseshell as
a clutch bag with such a conservative sheath is definitely not your run of the mill
concept. However, Sarah Mower, a contributing editor and writer of American
Vogue, felt that “the truly memorable pieces in the collection had nothing to do
with Timbuktu or any of the other geographical spots Gaultier quipped about
in his program.” And I concur. There were moments throughout the collection
where sensationalism crept in and the line between cultural sensitivity and
indifference was blurred. To the conscious eye, it seemed as though qualities
of African culture were forced upon templates of Western fashion in what was a
concerted effort to deftly fuse the two. Gaultier did strike the right cord though
when he molded the chic, vibrancy of a yellow Ankara cloth into an exquisite
evening gown replete with all the stylistic and technical elements essential
to haute couture. This piece was by far the dominant silhouette in Gaultier’s
show thus giving the collection some pass at a unifying African-inspired theme.
Nonetheless, the lapses in cultural sensitivity still put a dent in the aesthetic
coherence of Gaultier’s collection.
Dior and Gaultier’s couture houses have not been the sole advocates of this
newfound synergy between African fashion and Western design. Other fashion
dignitaries such as Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren, the D&G duo of Domenico
Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Catherine Malandrino, and Diane von Furstenberg
have all been enchanted by the joie de vivre that sums up African fashion and
are incorporating them in their ready-to-wear collections. True to the form of
ready-to-wear, these designers recent foray into the world of African fashion
pulled less from the complex details and silhouettes of African couture that
push the upper echelons of avant-gardism and more from the vibrant prints
and distinctive textiles that define African fashion. Courtesy of Roberto Cavalli’s
Just Cavalli Spring 2008 collection entitled “La Ma Africa”, sauntering down
Milanese runways were colorful patchwork-patterned dresses, swimsuits,
motocross jackets in black, white and brightly hued tones that were inspired
by the flamboyance of Africa prints. To add, casual blouses and tunic dresses
in electrifying tied-dye color combinations of yellows and shocking pinks oozed
an effortless bohemian-chic look. Cavalli rounded off the ode to Africa with
a black translucent shirt dress that was corseted around the hip with loose
strands of feathered fringe. An exception from the West, in the form of Junya
Watanabe’s Spring 2009 line, presented an Eastern interpretation of African
fashion that was unsurprisingly very honest and executed with the necessary
touch of ingenuity and cultural regard that would charm Africans far and wide.
At this given rate, it would appear that African fashion is finally being accepted
into the Eurocentric fold of fashion that is mainstream and widely accepted.
With the likes of Gaultier, Galliano, and Cavalli espousing African couture and
its fabrics, the future does indeed look promising for African fashion as a whole.
But are these Western designers truly iconoclasts of African fashion? And
does Africa entrust them to fittingly communicate the dynamism that defines
Africa’s fashion-forward culture? Yes and no. Credit is due for these designers
who have broken away from the historical black sheep notion affixed to African
dress. However, if you peruse through each of these designers repertoire over
the years, consistent African-inspired themes are few and far between. A
migration back to hub of civilization—that is, Africa—has begun for Western
fashion, but many of these Western designers seem to be coolly toying with
the idea of Africhic, a blossoming phenomenon that captures the mixture of
African cloths and Western designs to great effect. Cavalli has been a trump
of sorts to the Africhic movement with two of his collections, since the turn
of the century, fusing Western design with elements of African dress. Even at
that, when placing the trust in individuals not entirely sensitive to the cultural
visage of African fashion, slip-ups like Christian Dior are unavoidable which
leaves African fashion open to somewhat sour and indelible comments like
those made by Ms. Bowers.
As damaging as Bowers’ observations may seem, they carry a healthy tone
of truth. Subjecting African fashion to such commentary can be avoided
by refusing to relegate African fashion to dizzying, here and there spells on
European catwalks. When Roberto Cavalli unveiled his Spring 2005 ready-
to-wear collection, Bowers likened the African influences within the line as
a “mania for Africa that is doing the rounds.” Mania can be viewed positively
or negatively; doing the rounds also. However, African fashion’s resplendence
merits more than just a passing fad. The influence of Africa on high-end fashion
circles is evident, but when African fashion is still considered an avant-garde
fashion phenomenon that is difficult to understand and not so widely accepted,
fleeting appearances at London, Paris, or Milan Fashion Weeks will just not do.
Being content with an odd African-inspired collection will not propel African
fashion towards the recognition that the art-form deserves. Thus, it is time to
call upon our own to lead the charge.
The bastion of African fashion lies not in hands of the West, but in the hands
of Africa’s own budding designers who are pushing the fabric of fashion as it
is today within the Continent and throughout diasporic regions. Reaching a
ten year milestone in its existence, South Africa Fashion Week has provided a
platform for numerous African designers to cast African fashion in a culturally
perceptive yet progressive light. But now, we must support them. Don their
wares, incorporate their stylish takes, and make visible on the streets of
Shoreditch, London to Élysée, Paris the richness African fashion has to show.
And it’s not to say African’s have not broken into high-fashion scenes. London-
based Nigerian designer Duro Olowu is definitely becoming a familiar face
to look towards for style etiquette with an Africhic blend. Olowu’s brand of
marrying shades of vintage, African-print couture fabric and retroish tailoring
atop vibrant color palettes has earned him a cult-following from high-powered
fashion icons like Vogue’s fashion news and features director, Sally Singer, and
Barneys New York fashion director, Julie Gilhart, who sport his ensembles with
fervor. London has been graced by the cross-cutting elements of African and
Western fashion that embodies Oluwo’s Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 ready-to-
wear collections and the reception has been upbeat. With Oluwo carving a niche
for African fashion in high-end fashion circles, the future indeed looks bright
for the fashion culture in Africa. Furthermore, as an avant-garde phenomenon,
Africhic or African fashion must ensure their representation is fitting plus
culturally and historically expressive and Oluwo, amongst other burgeoning
African designers, are doing just that, flying that flag with the necessary pomp
needed to win over permanent converts.
FASHION AFRICAFORGING A DISTINCT IDENTITY
BY IKECHUKWU ONYEWUENYI