Adinkra Symbol of the Week

This week's symbol is called 'Mate Masie':

Translated, 'Mate Masie' means "I understand" and is symbolic of wisdom, knowledge and prudence.  It can also mean "what I hear, I keep".  This symbol also highlights the need for one to take into consideration what another has said.  

African Ankara on Gwen Stefani

Look what I found on the cover of L'Officiel magazine:

Remember this post? The dress was worn by Beyonce on February's issue of L'Officiel magazine:

Gallery 20

Want to see a picture of the gallery which we'll be filling with copious amounts of colourful African cloth? Here's how gallery 20 looks at the moment (...a kind of 'before' picture).

The ceiling is made for hanging exquisite examples of cloth from too:

Adinkra Symbol of the Week

This weeks Adinkra symbol is called Fihankra:

Translated, "Fihankra" means house or compound and the 'four walls' of this particular design represent the safety and security traditional Akan housing (with it's one entrance/exit) give its people.    

Graphic Design Feedback

This Saturday saw us meet at the BMAG again, this time to agree on the layout as well as the publicity (posters, flyers, programs) for the exhibition.  Here are a few images of the proposed ideas, I won't tell you which ones we're thinking about going with though.... :p

Adinkra Symbol of the Week

This weeks symbol is called Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu:

 Translated, Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu means "siamese crocodiles" and symbolises democracy and unity in particular.  This particular symbol searves as a reminder to those engaging in tribal warfare that their actions are harmful to everyone involved as the crocodiles share one stomach but have two heads fighting for different things.  

More Vlisco!

Came across this ad picture and had to share it :-)

Adinkra Symbol of the Week

This week's Adinkra symbol is called Hye Won Hye:

Translated, this symbol means "that which does not burn" and is symbolic of imperishably and endurance.  Priests whom walk on fire with their bare feet are said to embody this symbol and are a reminder to others to endure and overcome their difficulties.

Adinkra-print dress of the day:

Oluchi Onweagba in African Haute Couture

Runway picture of Oluchi Onweagba for Mustafa Hassanali - Africa Fashion Week 2010 (Johannesburg-SA)

Adinkra Symbol of the Week

This week's symbol is called Adinkrahene:

This symbol is called "the chief of the Adinkra symbols" and signifies the importance of playing a leadership role throughout your life.  It is said that this particular symbol, being the chief of the others, played an "inspiring role" in the designing of other symbols.

Style Africa Meeting!

This week's meeting took place in the Danford Room where many of my anthropology lectures take place at the University of Birmingham.  The room features walls adorned with artifacts from West Africa collected by CWAS (Centre of West African Studies) lecturers and patrons from the nineteen sixties to present day.  Missing from the collection encased in the Danford room, however, is the University's surprising collection of West African cloth.  Today some pieces were brought out of storage, and donning white gloves we set to viewing the collection hands-on.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces: (apologies for the quality of the photographs, they were taken on my phone)

This is a vibrant print, produced in India for African purchase.  Prints like this are usually inexpensive to buy, but lack the prestige and the expensive materials of real African fabrics and prints.

This top (folded in half) is an example of African dip-dye cloth.  This piece caught my eye as the dip-dye pattern is intricate yet simplistic due to the use of white space between the dyed areas.  The gold embellishments around the collar and the pockets are incredible examples of embroidery.

This is a piece of Kente cloth, native to the Akan people of Ghana.  Kente is made in strips of painstakingly woven pieces of cotton and silk, which are then sewn together to create a large cloth which can then be made in to clothing.  This particular piece (which is over 50 years old) has symbols, not to dissimilar to Adinkra ones, woven into the strips of fabric two.  It's hard to imagine how long this cloth would have taken someone to produce!

The second part of our meeting was set aside to design the "look" of Style Africa, which included designing posters and information booklets/fliers.  Adam would then take our designs to a graphic designer and interpret them into the finished product.

....a final snap of us making a mess of the Danford room (:

Adinkra symbol of the week

This week's Adinkra symbol is called Nkyinkyim:

This symbol represents initiative, dynamism and versatility.  It appears on the anthropology pages of my University's intranet  for students along with the Adinkra symbol, which translated means "war horn".  

Spotlight on: Congo Rose

Congo Rose (http://www.congorose.com) is home to the most amazing African prints, handbags and clothing.  Brightly coloured moon bags, textile necklaces and journals adorn this website's pages.  It doesn't stop there either, Congo Rose also supply beautiful African textiles in a rainbow of colours and a myriad of designs, some of which incorporate Adinkra symbols:  

The stand-out pieces for me were the bright and cheery textile necklaces, each of which is totally unique.  They are the perfect quirky accompaniment to liven up any outfit:

Add to that the amazing Khanga Congo Rose has to offer:

And the lovely pieces Congo Rose have created for the home which include: cushion covers, tablecloths, aprons and napkins!

Congo Rose make it possible for everyone to add a splash of bright, authentic African style to their own homes and to themselves. So go on, add a unique piece to your wardrobe or home, http://www.congorose.com :-)

Adinkra symbol of the week

This week's Adinkra symbol is called Nyame Nti:

Translated this means "by god's grace".  The stalk is taken to represent the "staff of life" in many cultures.  It symbolises to the Akan that food is the basis of life and that they could not survive if not for the food that God has placed here on Earth for their nourishment 

Adinkra symbol of the week

This weeks Adinkra symbol is called Kwatakye Atiko:

Translated, the name refers to the hair style of an Asante war captain, thus Kwatakye Atiko is a symbol of bravery and valour.  It is also given as an earned title to any brave son of an Akan community.  

Haute couture African-inspired dress of the day

Vlisco.  It has to be.  I can't have gone any longer without posting a piece of Vlisco wax print on this blog (albeit Dutch wax print).  

Spotlight on: Ozora

One of my designers of the moment has to be Ozora.  The things that are most striking about Josephine Sey's designs are her silhouettes and the use of bold colours, particularly in her more recent shows.  Much of the collection shown at Africa Fashion Week London was crafted from light and floaty materials, particularly the full length gowns which swept around the models feet as they graced the runways.  This, however, did not detract away from the sense of power Sey incorporates in her designs and in her choice of model.  The image below perfectly surmises my point: 

At Africa Fashion Week London Ozora was right on the money in terms of trends of the moment.  Sey had the summer 2011 'Ibiza party' trend for bold colours and dresses and tunics like the one below covered: 

Admittedly, the two designs above are very 'western' and it could be argued that Ozora's collection was lacking African influence in areas.  I, however, disagree.  I believe Josephine Sey has taken elements of West African style and translated them in to dresses that encompass both traditional and contemporary ways of dressing.  The yellow and blue dress below illustrates how Sey has taken a traditional shawl (usually worn as part of a skirt, top, headdress ensemble) and modified the look, incorporating the blue shawl into the dress itself, thus creating a hybrid look that is both unique and up to date.  

'Unique' is definitely a term i'd use to describe the fusion of African Fashion and the West.  There is quite simply nothing like it.  

Please take a look at more of Ozora's amazing designs at their website: http://www.ozora.co.uk/

Stella Mwangi - Lookie Lookie

Casually wandering around the internet in search of runway videos from the recent Africa Fashion Week London I stumbled upon one with really catchy music edited into it.  A few Google searches later and I found the music belonged to Stella Mwangi, the above song is definitely a favorite :-)

Haute couture African-inspired dress of the day

The accompanying gold arm bands, headdress and earrings compliment this absolutely stunning gold dress perfectly.   Designer unknown, is that him or a stylist in the background? - If anyone knows do tell :-)

Introduction to Style Africa

To the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery the project STYLE AFRICA is first and foremost an art exhibition, showcasing amazing examples of West African fabrics from Fancy Print to Adinkra. 

I'm one of 20 students from both Birmingham City University and The University of Birmingham working with the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) to produce an exhibition opening in March 2012 in Gallery 20.  

This blog aims to track the progress of the exhibition while also including pictures and snippets of information about African fashion and style I find inspiring, from traditional cloths and clothing to contemporary pieces and the work of AFWL (Africa Fashion Week London) and AFWNY (Africa Fashion Week New York) designers among a myriad of other amazing talent.  

Pictures from Africa Fashion Week London 2011, check out the AFWL11 website  http://www.africafashionweeklondon.com/ for more AMAZING photography and runway videos!

Adinkra symbol of the week

I begin this feature with a brief explanation of what Adinkra symbols are and how they are used.

Adinkra symbols originate from the Akan of Ghana and the Gyaman of the Ivory Coast.  They can be used on a number of different items ranging from cloth to pottery, architecture and even advertising.  Ever eaten a Divine chocolate bar? The packaging is coated in a variety of Adinkra symbols:

Adinkra symbols are used to decorate but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages that convey traditional wisdom and aspects of life.  

This week's Adinkra symbol is called Denkyem and symbolises adaptability.

The symbol is representative of a crocodile, an animal that lives both on land and in water and is thus adaptable.  My friend Charlotte has this particular symbol tattooed on her wrist; she lives in Austria, but has studied over here in the UK all her life.