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.