Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is the first institution in the UK to present a major show of contemporary fashion from four regions of Africa. This ambitious project belies the historic notions of wax-printed dress from the continent, and instead presents some of the most current and innovative work from four capital cities.
The cities represent the compass points of Africa – Casablanca, Morocco, in the north; Johannesburg, South Africa, in the south; Lagos, Nigeria, in the west; and Nairobi, Kenya, in the east. The curatorial strategy of Fashion Cities Africa is clearly defined and is mindful not to present the whole continent, but instead to firmly place the work of the designers in the cities where they work and the context of their practice.
Instead of privileging the vision of the curator to select and interpret the objects displayed, the exhibition’s curators – Martin Pel, the keeper of fashion and textiles, and Helen Mears, the keeper of world art, with exhibition consultants, Africa fashion specialists Hannah Azieb Pool and Helen Jennings – visited a city each, not to select work but to explore the fashion scene and identify prominent individuals who are the driving force of their fashion industry.
Bloggers, stylists and photographers were invited to select designers – established names and emerging talent – who represent current attitudes to dress and identity in their cities. This curatorial strategy expands the narrative on contemporary fashion from the regions and reveals the nuances and extent of design practice.
The admirably democratic approach and the resulting large number of designers exhibited does mean, however, that some of the most innovative work is diluted, with often only one example of each designer’s work presented.
Despite the multiplicity of voices and distinctive curatorial approach to each city, the exhibition design unifies the work, presenting a coherent and easy-to-navigate show. Displayed across three galleries, the displays are divided by city, with prominent introduction panels offset from the installations. The graphic panels provide context for the fashion industry alongside ethnographic details of each city.
Diversity on display
The first city portrayed is Johannesburg. South Africa has a complex network of competing fashion weeks across its major cities, yet Fashion Cities Africa confidently navigates through this, foregrounding the country’s most populous city, which was at the heart of the anti-apartheid movement and is on the rise after decades of decline.
Among the many voices represented from this city, the most striking is the Sartists, a creative collective comprising photographers, journalists and fashion designers who have worked with international brands including Adidas. They are showcased in the exhibition by their Sports Series – a photography project that highlights the struggle of South African athletes when sport was seen as a white man’s activity. This uses clothes that would have been worn by white communities to tell the story. But only one photograph, with a display of the garments depicted in the image, is shown and, disappointingly, not the Sports Series in its entirety.
The exhibition swiftly moves onto Moroccan fashion with garments selected by distinctive voices from the city including a fashion journalist, a stylist and a textile designer. Together, they present some of the most diverse work across the spectrum of designers working in the country. These range from the heavily embellished kaftan evening wear of established designers such as Zineb Joundy, to the more experimental and bold wax-print suits by Amine Bendriouich developed in collaboration with the artist Hassan Hajjaj.
Bendriouich’s work was selected by Moroccan photographer Joseph Ouechen, and a filmed interview with him is screened in the gallery. It follows Ouechen around Morocco, documenting him as he takes photographs. The viewer only sees the photographer at work and not what he photographs. Ouechen’s Instagram feed (not represented in the exhibition) is an online portfolio of his extensive documenting of Morocco, but it would have been better if there had been printed photographs in the gallery to give more context and a better idea of the visual landscape of the country.
Social media and fashion
Nairobi, called the “silicon savannah” for its reputation as the technology incubator of the continent, is aptly represented by creatives well known for harnessing social media in their work. Alongside a fashion film by Nest Collection – which combines music, fashion and film to present a contemporary Kenyan identity – is the work of brother and sister duo Velma Rossa and Papa Petit. They are known for their trendsetting Tumblr feed, 2ManySiblings, that documents their fashion shoots with second-hand or thrift clothing styled with emerging designer labels.
The duo highlight the global cycle of the clothes industry and the resulting “mitumba”(second-hand) clothing trade in Nairobi. The installation by 2ManySiblings was devised specially for Brighton Museum and is accompanied by a dress-up corner encouraging visitors to create their own looks with second-hand clothing. It’s a nice touch and reinforces the issues raised in a playful and accessible way.
The show concludes with a roll call of Nigeria’s leading fashion designers. The country’s largest city, Lagos, has one of themost established fashion industries in Africa and the designers represented in the exhibition take part in the internationally respected Lagos Fashion and Design Week, which normally takes place at the end of October.
Established designers who have garnered an international following are featured here. One of them, Maki Oh, uses traditional western Nigerian textile techniques including adire – a process where fabric is dyed indigo with intricate patterns left white, called resist dying – and hand-loomed cloth called aso oke. Unfortunately, only one outfit from her huge body of work is presented, and adire and aso oke are barely explored.
The curators do, however, highlight the complexities of producing ankara fabric – the familiar brightly coloured, bold African patterns made using wax. Associated with West Africa, ankara batik prints were originally produced in Holland primarily, but sold in their colonies in Indonesia, later becoming popular in West Africa. There is debate around the fabric because of its complicated origins, and this is told through the voices of UK and African designers who work with or disapprove of the fabric’s cultural connotations.
Creating a legacy
Outside the main exhibition, the curators have brought voices of the wider public into the museum through a small photography exhibition. Portraits of individuals wearing African-inspired fashion, selected via an open call, are exhibited alongside their oral testimonies. But, crucially, this small display demonstrates how curators can work with local residents to ensure exhibitions resonate with the community.
Something worth mentioning is that the museum is honouring its commitment to conserve and expand its collection of important African textiles from 1860 to 1940. And with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures Scheme, the museum is bringing this collection up to date as it starts to acquire African fashion from the 1960s onwards. So the legacy of Fashion Cities Africa will last long after it closes and will stand as an exemplar for future research and exhibitions documenting the rich style and cultural history of Africa.
Alison Moloney is the curator of the international exhibitions programme at the London College of Fashion
Main funders Heritage Lottery Fund; James Henry Green Charitable Trust; Arts Council England Major Partner Museum Programme; Art Fund Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants Programme; the British Council
Exhibition design In house
Graphic design Lulu Kitololo Studio
Lighting and set-build In house
Admission MA members £4.20, Brighton & Hove adults £3.50, children free, non-resident adults £5.20, children £3
Exhibition ends 8 January 2017
The cities represent the compass points of Africa – Casablanca, Morocco, in the north; Johannesburg, South Africa, in the south; Lagos, Nigeria, in the west; and Nairobi, Kenya, in the east. The curatorial strategy of Fashion Cities Africa is clearly defined and is mindful not to present the whole continent, but instead to firmly place the work of the designers in the cities where they work and the context of their practice.
Instead of privileging the vision of the curator to select and interpret the objects displayed, the exhibition’s curators – Martin Pel, the keeper of fashion and textiles, and Helen Mears, the keeper of world art, with exhibition consultants, Africa fashion specialists Hannah Azieb Pool and Helen Jennings – visited a city each, not to select work but to explore the fashion scene and identify prominent individuals who are the driving force of their fashion industry.
Bloggers, stylists and photographers were invited to select designers – established names and emerging talent – who represent current attitudes to dress and identity in their cities. This curatorial strategy expands the narrative on contemporary fashion from the regions and reveals the nuances and extent of design practice.
The admirably democratic approach and the resulting large number of designers exhibited does mean, however, that some of the most innovative work is diluted, with often only one example of each designer’s work presented.
Despite the multiplicity of voices and distinctive curatorial approach to each city, the exhibition design unifies the work, presenting a coherent and easy-to-navigate show. Displayed across three galleries, the displays are divided by city, with prominent introduction panels offset from the installations. The graphic panels provide context for the fashion industry alongside ethnographic details of each city.
Diversity on display
The first city portrayed is Johannesburg. South Africa has a complex network of competing fashion weeks across its major cities, yet Fashion Cities Africa confidently navigates through this, foregrounding the country’s most populous city, which was at the heart of the anti-apartheid movement and is on the rise after decades of decline.
Among the many voices represented from this city, the most striking is the Sartists, a creative collective comprising photographers, journalists and fashion designers who have worked with international brands including Adidas. They are showcased in the exhibition by their Sports Series – a photography project that highlights the struggle of South African athletes when sport was seen as a white man’s activity. This uses clothes that would have been worn by white communities to tell the story. But only one photograph, with a display of the garments depicted in the image, is shown and, disappointingly, not the Sports Series in its entirety.
The exhibition swiftly moves onto Moroccan fashion with garments selected by distinctive voices from the city including a fashion journalist, a stylist and a textile designer. Together, they present some of the most diverse work across the spectrum of designers working in the country. These range from the heavily embellished kaftan evening wear of established designers such as Zineb Joundy, to the more experimental and bold wax-print suits by Amine Bendriouich developed in collaboration with the artist Hassan Hajjaj.
Bendriouich’s work was selected by Moroccan photographer Joseph Ouechen, and a filmed interview with him is screened in the gallery. It follows Ouechen around Morocco, documenting him as he takes photographs. The viewer only sees the photographer at work and not what he photographs. Ouechen’s Instagram feed (not represented in the exhibition) is an online portfolio of his extensive documenting of Morocco, but it would have been better if there had been printed photographs in the gallery to give more context and a better idea of the visual landscape of the country.
Social media and fashion
Nairobi, called the “silicon savannah” for its reputation as the technology incubator of the continent, is aptly represented by creatives well known for harnessing social media in their work. Alongside a fashion film by Nest Collection – which combines music, fashion and film to present a contemporary Kenyan identity – is the work of brother and sister duo Velma Rossa and Papa Petit. They are known for their trendsetting Tumblr feed, 2ManySiblings, that documents their fashion shoots with second-hand or thrift clothing styled with emerging designer labels.
The duo highlight the global cycle of the clothes industry and the resulting “mitumba”(second-hand) clothing trade in Nairobi. The installation by 2ManySiblings was devised specially for Brighton Museum and is accompanied by a dress-up corner encouraging visitors to create their own looks with second-hand clothing. It’s a nice touch and reinforces the issues raised in a playful and accessible way.
The show concludes with a roll call of Nigeria’s leading fashion designers. The country’s largest city, Lagos, has one of themost established fashion industries in Africa and the designers represented in the exhibition take part in the internationally respected Lagos Fashion and Design Week, which normally takes place at the end of October.
Established designers who have garnered an international following are featured here. One of them, Maki Oh, uses traditional western Nigerian textile techniques including adire – a process where fabric is dyed indigo with intricate patterns left white, called resist dying – and hand-loomed cloth called aso oke. Unfortunately, only one outfit from her huge body of work is presented, and adire and aso oke are barely explored.
The curators do, however, highlight the complexities of producing ankara fabric – the familiar brightly coloured, bold African patterns made using wax. Associated with West Africa, ankara batik prints were originally produced in Holland primarily, but sold in their colonies in Indonesia, later becoming popular in West Africa. There is debate around the fabric because of its complicated origins, and this is told through the voices of UK and African designers who work with or disapprove of the fabric’s cultural connotations.
Creating a legacy
Outside the main exhibition, the curators have brought voices of the wider public into the museum through a small photography exhibition. Portraits of individuals wearing African-inspired fashion, selected via an open call, are exhibited alongside their oral testimonies. But, crucially, this small display demonstrates how curators can work with local residents to ensure exhibitions resonate with the community.
Something worth mentioning is that the museum is honouring its commitment to conserve and expand its collection of important African textiles from 1860 to 1940. And with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures Scheme, the museum is bringing this collection up to date as it starts to acquire African fashion from the 1960s onwards. So the legacy of Fashion Cities Africa will last long after it closes and will stand as an exemplar for future research and exhibitions documenting the rich style and cultural history of Africa.
Alison Moloney is the curator of the international exhibitions programme at the London College of Fashion
Project data
Cost £90,000Main funders Heritage Lottery Fund; James Henry Green Charitable Trust; Arts Council England Major Partner Museum Programme; Art Fund Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants Programme; the British Council
Exhibition design In house
Graphic design Lulu Kitololo Studio
Lighting and set-build In house
Admission MA members £4.20, Brighton & Hove adults £3.50, children free, non-resident adults £5.20, children £3
Exhibition ends 8 January 2017
