Renowned Designer Ozwald Boateng is known for his rich collections celebrating culture with notable African references. For the Ghanaian designer with an OBE, constantly linking his roots to his designs has been a major priority. He told Vogue; I felt that there was a way that I could actually create an African aesthetic but in a very modern way.
His new collection tagged Africanism doesn’t fall short of doing that. The inspiration it was showing his daughter that women can too – his own way of teaching her about the equality of the sexes. Although the name came from the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, the genderless collection is aimed at capturing the true essence of an African and interpreting it through style.
The pieces in the collection are a mix of traditional English fabrics such as tweed and flannels with the Kente and tribal fabric that Ozwald designed himself.
In this Vogue exclusive, he writes about the inspiration for the collection as well as why it was so important for him to showcase this collection at ARISE Fashion Week 2018.
ARISE Fashion Week 2018
While I was out in Lagos for Arise I went to this event, that was called homecoming which had performances from Skepta and Wizkid, a truckload of local musicians. There was this youthful energy that was so African and so content on being African.
Before, I remember being in Nigeria and there was this sort of desire to move away from that and adopt another culture. This wasn’t the case. This was about a uniqueness of self and an understanding of self, culture and value and that realisation has created an incredible confidence. 60-70% of the population of Africa is under 21. So it’s all about inspiring youth.
I felt this was the right time to do this show in Africa, I wanted to redefine the meaning of luxury on the continent and create a new visual language in this space.
Credits
Brand: Ozawald Boateng | @ozwald_boateng
Photography: Jamie Morgan | @jamie_morgan_photographer
Styling: Artcomesfirst | @artcomesfirst
Hats: Laird Hatters
Scarves: Rumisu
Click on the gallery below to see the full collection
