By: Jemimah Chungu
The new Africa fashion exhibition at the London’s Victoria and Albert Museum celebrated some of the very best Africans and Africa’s diaspora finest fashion wear and designers.
The African fashion exhibition opened on 2nd July 2022 all the way till next year on 16th April 2023. On display is not less than 250 items, 70 new acquisitions for the museum whilst 40 contemporary designers are engaged.
The exhibition is billed as the U.K’s most extensive exhibition of Africa fashion and has fashioned antique fashion that can be traced back to the 1950s-60s and the colonial freedom history complemented during the era infused with modern fashion.
Exhibition curator, Dr. Christine Checinska says: “We really see fashion as a catalyst with which to tell deeper, richer, expanded stories about the myriad histories and cultures across the continent and so we hope that our visitors will come away feeling inspired, and perhaps some assumptions might be challenged as well. So it’s a space where you can think about African fashions, you can experience the buzz of the African fashion scene, and you can come away inspired, we hope, to find out more”.
“It wasreally important and actually vital to have this exhibition right now, because we see it’s the African creatives that are shifting the landscape of global fashion. That’s how important their impact is right now. So they demand to be seen. They demand to be heard. And we see their impact spilling out across global fashions,” he added.
Morrocan fashion house Maison ARTC artfully created some pieces for the exhibition alongside other starring fashion designers. He insighted about the fashion he created for display
“My piece is based on the two garments that come from two different cultures. The first one is the British culture, which is the trench coat. And the second one is the burqa that is also very profound in Morocco, and all the Arab countries. In Morocco, as far as we know, it’s the North Africa. And I decided to make a dialogue between both of them and to give a respect to the two countries,” says designer Artsi Ifrach.
The back is printed with the poem ‘Our Deepest Fears’.
It’s a call to strive to be the greatest version of ourselves, despite our fear of failure or other people’s judgment.
“Africa fashion means to me: Africa. There is no fashion in Africa, there is culture that evolution wise becomes fashion and inspires many designers all over the world. But this was a place that culture became so profound and so strong and we had to dress ourselves with beautiful garments and beautiful artisans,” he says.
Apparels by Nigerian designer Lisa Folawiyo are embroidered with thousands of beads that twinkle under the lights with prints on that have touches of traditional African designs a modern twist.
Nigeria-based Nkwo Onwuka’s outfits are made from recycled denim, and give a nod the West African country’s culture with the traditional gele head wrap.
South African brand Nao Serati’s sparkly purple suit blends femininity and masculinity in a celebration of gender fluidity.
The African fashion exhibition stand to highlight the impact they are having on the wider fashion industry and fashion world at most.
