Sustainability files – Managing fashion waste in Ghana

Obroni Wawu is the Akan expression for used clothes in Ghana. It translates to “the white man has died clothes”: a reference to Western material abundance. “Dead White Man’s Clothes” is also the name of the multimedia research project on the secondhand clothing trade that Americans Liz Ricketts and Branson Skinner begun in 2016 to investigate the impact of fast …

Talents: Sel Kofiga, The Slum Studio

The Slum Studio – IG @theslumstudio – is a Ghanaian brand that creates wearable art pieces with clothing waste sourced in Accra. Its model of sustainability applies circularity, regeneration, and ethical standards to art-making and is informed by a reflection on human geographies and the socially-produced nature of space. The garments are material maps of multiple journeys and the realities …

Visuals: Sackitey Tesa

Sackitey Tesa Mate-Kodjo is an Accra-based photographer, stylist, and art-director known for his dreamy portraits of stylish subjects. A member of the successful group of young creative professionals from the West African country working at the intersection of fashion photography and art, Tesa has been featured recently in Vogue Italia. His bio from Vogue reads: His love for photography goes back …

Ghana’s design scene hails from 2035: @MohammedBlakk

Mohammed Osumanu, 29, is a fashion stylist, designer, and artist from Accra who describes himself as as “a guy determined to push African art and fashion beyond boundaries”. The founder of the brand Afronative, Mohammed, aka @MohammedBlakk, is also one of the four #KvngsOfTheNewSchool, a crew of self-described “art citizens” advancing “an inclusive movement of afrocentric people who wish to …

BURBERRY SPOTLIGHTS ADWOA ABOAH’S GHANAIAN PRIDE

This May Burberry released the final part of its 2018 Pre-Fall ad campaign featuring and art directed by the British-Ghanaian model Adwoa Aboah. The portfolio is set in the model’s homelands: Juergen Teller shot the first installment in London, Aboah’s place of birth, moving then to New York where she is currently based.       This last series follows the …

CHRISTIE BROWN’S “CONSCIENCE” SS’18 AD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES THE POWER OF WOMEN

Last week Christie Brown released the campaign video of the Spring Summer 2018 “Conscience” collection. The ad, directed by Papa Oppong Bediako, received raving reviews for its stunning visuals. As of today, it’s been watched over 7000 on Instagram.       The Ghanaian luxury womenswear label directed by Aisha Obuobi and worn by style icons the world over, including …

TRENDWATCH: FASHION DJ-ING WITH STELOOLIVE

Thirty-year old Evans Mireku Kissi, also known as Steloolive, is a DJ based in Accra with a social media following that counts as many fans of experimental house music as of blipster (black hipster) fashion. Steelo believes in individual emancipation and self-styling is his way to practice it. A look at his online presence is enough to understand why he …

VIEWS ON THE AFRICAN REASPORA FROM GHANA

“Leaving the UK and going ‘home’ to Ghana” is an article by BBC News on reaspora, or reverse migration – the return of first and second generation immigrants to Africa. It comments on two video interviews with a lecturer/deejay and a businessman from Ghana, who have moved back to Accra from London in recent years. This article is useful to summarize a widespread view on reaspora …

WEAVING EWE KENTE IN CONTEMPORARY GHANA

Another Africa published an article on kente weaving and heritage preservation in Ghana. Here are some excerpts: Zoo symbolism: “The mighty elephant is the emblem of successful leadership, suggested by such proverbs as “No one follows the elephant in the bush and gets wet from the morning dew.” While the crocodile’s connotations with invincibility and danger is apparent upon seeing …

THE PROBLEM WITH FANCY PRINTS: DESIRABLE DIFFERENCE, AUTHENTICITY, AND CONSUMER APPROPRIATION IN GHANAIAN FASHION

Textiles are the most representative symbol of the globalization of African fashion (Rovine 2014). A young generation of stylists and designers based in various regions of the continent consistently employs them to express and export a style imbued with pan-African pride. The turn to an African-inspired aesthetic able to drive fashion’s regeneration at the global level is evident in the widespread practice of cutting fabric …