The African culture should always be in our minds at all times, in our thoughts, beliefs, attitude, and character. It is a movement, a culture, a lifestyle to uphold our values, upgrading our art without losing its touch, to grow still withholding what is ours. Our meals, our lifestyle, culture, fashion should be made known to the world. Because Africa is no longer that little continent filled with little huts, uneducated people living by the river side staring at foreigners thinking they are spiritual beings.
Africa has grown to become the one stop market for international brands to tap into as International fashion brands have begun to infuse African aesthetics such as the Bantu knot-outs, or as seen in Fendi 2015 resort African inspired bag collection. The Ankara fabric has been won by celebrities like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, Michelle Obama and so many others.
The black culture is being promoted and the first way that was done was through our fashion. So why then would an Nigerian designer release autumn/winter collections or spring summer collections when we only have rainy and dry season. Would the winter collections be filled be thick clothing such as fur and leather, do we experience winter in Nigeria? Are you trying to attain international recognition without appealing to your county’s set-up?
What exactly is the plan? The excuse would be that they set out their brands on an international standard which would cater to anyone in the world. In other words they had rather appeal to the ‘standard’ of fashion which does not cater for African brands because you are trying to conform forgetting that these standards were not made for us or having us in mind. It is often sad seeing the organizers of fashion weeks in Nigeria use this standard for their events.
Original Article by THE UGONNA
