|
 African
Fashions and Designers Win World Acclaim
By
Muguette Goufrani
.
Africans
are painting the world in a kaleidoscope of bold,
vibrant colour combinations and dazzlin patterns.
The rich fabrics and virtually unlimited selection
of turbans and other festive headgear, bright
scarves, colourful wraps, wearable art and elegant
gowns that brightened our days and lit up our
evenings in Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon,
Cote d'Ivoire Uganda, Benin, Ghana, Tanzania,
Guinea and other African destinations, were simply
outstanding. What's more, so were the creators.
During the past decade as publishers, we've had the
privilege of meeting several of the brightest stars
in Africa's fashion galaxy, and thanks to the magic
of serendipity, more will surely appear in the near
future. As I've learned, in many African societies,
the choice of colours and textiles has special
significance to the wearer. For example, hats often
tell stories of everyday life, with its struggles,
spiced by uplifting periods of joie de
vivre.
 While
I have lived and worked in various North and West
African countries in my earlier career as an
airline and travel agent, my media involvement has
brought the importance of African fashion into
sharp focus. How did this love affair start?
Perhaps it was at the first Africa Travel
Association Fashion Show, organized by Chief
Margaret Fabiyi of Lagos, Nigeria. The 'Chief' has
supplied many of my favorite wardrobe items ever
since. Here are some brief comments about her and
others in this fascinating field.
Fashions
from the Spice Island: Zanzibar is an exotic East
African paradise of balmy beaches, fragrant spices,
Swahili lifestyle and rich cultural treasures. It
was here during the ATA's Seventh Cultural and
Ecotourism Symposium, hosted by Zanzibar Tourism,
that Editor Jerry Bird and I had the good fortune
to meet and get to know Farouque Abdela. Each of
the many fashion items on display at the Zanzibar
Beach Resort Hotel that day was an individual work
of art, featured side by side with his partner's
latest creations on canvas. An international
fashion designer, Abdela has worked with Iman,
Donna Karan, Christian Lacroix and other names in
the world of fashion.
Aphadi
brings African Fashion to Europe: While returning
to Paris after an exciting month of business,
conferences and touring in Cameroon, we spent some
quality time with Seidnaly Alphadi, whose African-
inspired creations have taken Europe by storm. It
seemed like half of the Cameroon Airlines plane was
filled with models from a Fashion Show our friend
had just staged in that Central African country. We
continued our fascinating interview at the Charles
de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Born in Niger, Aphadi's
credentials include: Founder - Festival
International de la Mode Africaine and President -
Federation of African Creators. His global
recognition includes the Chevalier de l'Ordre de
Mérite de la France, Kora Fashion Award -
South Africa, and Meilleur Styliste Africain -
Fédération Française de la
Couture et du Prêt à
Porter.
Cameroon's
Esterella Stars in Limbe: At a garden party, hosted
by Cameroon's Ministry of Tourism near the popular
Limbe Botanical Gardens, our group was treated to
an outstanding fashion show by 'Esterella,' one of
Cameroon's top designers. We made sure to renew our
friendship with this talented lady on a return
visit several year's later, and added to our
archives of African fashion photography. Esterella
is the first of several Cameroonian fashion
designers on my recommended list.
Nigeria's
Chief of Fashion: We met Chief Margaret Fabiyi at a
conference in Cotonou, Benin, West Africa in 1997.
One year later, in Arusha, Tanzania, we were
treated to the first of a series of fashion shows
this talented lady has organized for Africa Travel
Association conferences. While enjoying luncheon at
Arusha's Impala Hotel, it was suddenly announced
that a fashion show was about to take place. To
everyone's surprise, the models turned out to be
our own delegates - and the variety of fashions for
men and women, large and petit, young and not so
young - was superb. Chief Margaret has staged
encore presentations at ATA venues in Ethiopia and
Cape Town, South Africa She resides in Lagos, and
her company, Webisco, combines fashions and
textiles with cultural tours, including her annual
Black History Month series.
Ethiopia's
Rising Star: Guenet Fresenbet, known as Gigi,
launched the first fashion magazine in Ethiopia,
with the message of promoting clothing that is made
in Ethiopia by Ethiopians. Gigi's desire is to
promote the Ethiopian textile and leather industry,
so that Ethiopia as well as other African nations
can play a more competitive role in the worldwide
fashion industry. Gigi has always had a passion for
art - but decided to pursue a career in the fashion
industry in the late 80s after studying fine arts
and graphic design in the United States. Although
Gigi spent several years in the USA, she has always
had a desire to return to her homeland to promote
Ethiopian clothing and textiles. Her dreams have
always been to see Ethiopian clothing sold in finer
stores throughout the world.
Fashion
through the ages: Coiffure and fashion wear is an
expression of individuality and pride for African
women. For many centuries Africans struggled to
retain their unique traditions, languages and
cultures. This was achieved despite wave after wave
of outside influence and domination by Arabs and
Europeans. One of the features that has remained
virtually intact from generation to generation, was
the African head wear. This crowning glory
symbolizes strength as well as pride in one's self
and one's city, village or country of birth.
Attractive hats and tie-wraps are a portrayal of
femininity and etiquette. Likewise, personal
grooming and traditional hair styles of West
African women mirrors their social status. African
hats and head wraps are identified by their
colorful fabrics and distinctive designs. We enjoy
every opportunity to explore the cultural
significance of African fashion.
African
fashion has been a routine with our editorial team
for years, at home in Canada and away in Africa.
It's a reminder of the wide smiles, upbeat
attitudes and lasting friendships we enjoy. Like
the pace and lifestyle of Africa ... it feels
natural.
Muguette
Goufrani: africa@dowco.com
Africa
Travel Magazine, Worldwide Voice of the Africa
Travel Association.
http://www.africa-ata.org/fashion1.htm
The
author was born in Casablanca, Morocco
FASHION
FOOTNOTES:
Iman
Cosmetics: Iman, daughter of a Somalian
diplomat, might be called the Estee Lauder for
women of color. Iman distributes her cosmetics in
700 shops in the USA. Now living in London and
married to David Bowie, she's rated among the 5
most beautiful women in the world. Iman opened a
shop in London and South Africa in 1998. Her
products are for women of many races; Asian, Black,
Hispanics and Arabs. Iman says that Metis are in
fashion and provides products for them. Colored
women were always ready to invest in cosmetics, a
sector of rapid expansion. What's termed
minorities, represents the majority of world
population. In the USA, fifty percent of the public
will soon be colored, which represents a gigantic
purchasing power. We have to tell to the black
women that they are beautiful. I am against
products which clear the skin. Colored women
sometimes use chemical products and damage their
skin. Those products should be controlled by
professional dermatologists.
Oumou
Sy, Senegal's Queen of
Couture:
Where else does Western chic meet
Afro-avant-garde but in the creations of Oumou Sy,
Senegal's Queen of Couture. Her signature: bold
fashion ideas which contain glamorous
Afro-centricism fused with universal style. Ms. Sy
is not only a prolific fashion designer, but she is
also a stylist, teacher, businesswoman and founder
of the annual Dakar Carnival and International
Fashion Week in Dakar. Always on the cutting edge,
it was she (with her partners) who pioneered
cyber-cafe culture across all of Senegal.
Mali
Shows Off Fashions and Musical Talent: The Ministry
of Tourism and Handicrafts for the Republic of Mali
showcased the rich culture of Mali and its people
at the Smithsonian Folklife
Festival
on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In addition
to the great entertainment, Mali's musical
ambassadors gave their United States audience a
sample of the country's colorful fashions. Stay
tuned for much more about Mali's role in the world
of fashion and design.
More->
Convinced by the results from Webtrends and
comments from Tourism Ministers, we know that
Africa Travel Magazine's readers enjoy this timely
topic. That's why we invite designers,
jewelers
Instant
Decision. Fashion will Rule!
At Mrs.
Fabiyi's fashion affair in Arusha, Tanzania, we
decided on the spot that fashion would play a
leading role in our magazine. The exciting thing
about this particular show, was the fact that our
own delegates from the USA and Africa participated
as models. That simple but effective format set the
pattern for future ATA fashion shows at congresses
and symposia in Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon,
Guinea, Morocco, Zambia and Zanzibar..
While we live in
Canada's Pacific coast, as far away from Africa as
you can get, we are always having conversations
about this wonderful continent, its people and
places, simply because our hats are recognized by
Africans who are working here or are attending
university. As a confirmed adventurer , I enjoy a
visible link to the Africans who work so hard to
create these fabrics, hats and other wardrobe
items. By supporting African designers and
artisans, our publisher, Jerry Bird and I are
contributing on behalf of the magazine, to the
economy and cultural heritage of African societies
. We are also demonstrating to all we meet in
person, on our web sites and in person, that there
is an expanding market opportunity for African
clothing and fashions. Each hat or article Jerry
and I wear promotes the country of origin. The most
noticeable items that occupy our closet to the
bursting point, are found in the collection of hats
from different African countries. We wear each one
with pride; what you might call a positive
hat-itude!
Textile
Information from the Web
Adire
African textiles gallery:
variety of styles. Some African textiles such as
adinkra, kente and bogolan are becoming
increasingly well known. www.adire.clara.net/
Social
Fabric:
Exploring the Kate Kent Collection of African
Textiles. www.du.edu/duma/africloth/
Sub-Saharan
African Textiles.
from MARLA MALLETT www.marlamallett.com/african.htm
South
Africa's Fashion
Week
Sandton
Convention Center, July
Fashion
Boutiques of Cape Town
Capsule
on a variety of great little shops
\
|
