FASHION | AFRICA | NOW

Skander Negasi, CEO of Trade and Fairs GmbH, introduces us to the developing fashion and textile hub in East Africa. With manufacturing costs increasing in Europe and Asia, buyers are looking for new destinations. Following the successful launch of the Origin Africa trade show in 2012 in Ethiopia alongside US Aid, since then many international trade fairs, events & conferences within different industries, including textile, apparel and fashion have been organised. He is responsible for the biggest exhibition of this nature in Africa, the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) in Addis Ababa. The ASFW hosts over 4000 exhibitors and 6000 trade buyers. This includes H&M, Hugo Boss, Mango, Zara and more; and of course smaller local boutique designers and craftsmen are included, as well as huge industrial factory equipment. The main trends Skander highlights are the digitalisation of goods, sustainable production of fabric, and the practice of African Continental Free Trade (Africans doing business with Africans). For many African designers keen to expand their retail horizons, we encourage listening to Skander’s global insights from a business and trade perspective, “Without investment you don’t get anything…this is the homework for African designers… to promote their brand and work with shops… if they always depend on supporters, then it’s going to be very very tough.”

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For our 19th Episode, we met with Seju Alero Mike, creative entrepreneur from Nigeria. She’s a hybrid of emerging talent of combined passion for the creative space and methodological expertise. In Seju’s case, it is rooted in finance. Seju is the founder and lead curator of OSENGWA; an online platform featuring contemporary African art, fashion and music conceived by artists at the forefront of today’s Neo-African movement. In 2016 OSENGWA & The Monroe Trust presented the Afro Frontal exhibition in celebration of the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. More recently in 2020 Seju launched iRAAMi, an app which helps Africans in the diaspora find resources and experiences that connect them with the continent and one another. “We are always buying things from the West… I think it’s important that we also export. Not just physical goods but creative capital and intellectual capital”. Despite the turbulence of 2020, particularly for Black lives globally with the eruption of BLM and EndSars, but also the restrictions that came with the pandemic, Seju used the opportunity as a catalyst and leverage to establish and grow her entrepreneurial plans by moving back to Lagos, Nigeria from the US. Her eCommerce acumen contributes to the expansion of digitalisation on the continent.

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Soji Solarin is a Nigerian born contemporary fashion designer whose experience and perception on racism in Germany and world view offer a unique perspective on ‘Blackness’. Moving to America from Nigeria at the age of 13, he’s drawn inspiration from hidden figures such as the Black cowboys in America, which we later see reflected in Soji’s first collection “Negro Cowboys“. From Nigeria to Maryland, Los Angeles, lang haul to Berlin, where he’s now based, to Moscow where he debuted his Spring 2020 collection at MBFW - Soji has been able to identify and distinguish the disparities in how he’s been received as a Nigerian-born, but also more encompassing, as a Black person. “It’s very easy for white people to just like find their place and their identity… and Black people just have to search around.” The different nuances and racial climates has propelled his approach when designing his collections, to reflect the global malleability and pride of Blackness. “I would love to be part of why people see Black people in a better light.. and contribute something fruitful to the world”.

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Ibaaku joins us for our #16episode all the way from Senegal - sonic poet, visual artist, composer, radio presenter and platform founder. This multi talented artist shares with us extensive insight into the African music scene. In true Fashion Africa Now style, the topic of fashion and music is explored on the African scene; Ibaaku describes  fashion and music as “two expressions that go together. For me it’s a way to give body to the music, give body to the frequency… fashion and music are really intertwined”. Starting out as early as 2001, interesting observations are made from this well-versed musician. He touches on the gaps in the African music scene and the distinction of francophone musicians with historical constructs. Drawing inspiration from hip hop, jazz, afro music, funk and reggae at an earlier age, Ibaaku recounts his transition into the alternative music scene, away from mimicking other cultures and sounds and honing his own. In 2016 Ibaaku’s album, Alien Cartoon, pioneered the afrofuturism sound across Africa and the international stage. The goal is to keep the Senegalese culture alive, African culture and black people. In doing so he has collaborated with many Artists across the continent, recently pioneering a platform to connect alternative artists in Africa.

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A career in fashion fuelled by passion, YEGA talks to Beatrace and gives the exposé on her spontaneous journey to becoming an established fashion illustrator. Luxury fashion, editorial and bespoke art, the unique combination of design, fine art and commerciality is what makes fashion illustration niche in the art form world for many Africans. This is why YEGA has found much of her success in the Middle East and Europe. Her illustrations have covered the walls in the Dubai Mall, they have been displayed in Harrods, graced the cover of Vogue Arabia in 2017 and featured in British Vogue in 2020. The traditional career ideals that many with Nigerian backgrounds face, led to a career start in law before her trajectory change to fashion illustration. “Talent is only helped when there is opportunity” - poignant words recognising the challenges in finance and representation. *Breaking ground in uncharted territory as a black female fashion illustrator, YEGA has recently founded the platform, Fashion Illustrator Africa.*

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Chebet Mutai gives an exposé from a global perspective into the fashion and textile industry all the way from Nairobi, Kenya. Her break into the fashion scene has been solution-orientated. Chebet founded the luxury lifestyle brand, Wazawazi that specialises in leather accessories, reflecting beauty and the progressive nature of Kenya, and by extension, Africa. Providing training, up-skilling, and generating economic value to the local community is at the helm of her brand. With a background in development and having worked at the World Bank, the discussion of the West promoting ‘ethical fashion’ prompts exposure to what the normality of fashion was like before this. Governance on what is deemed ethical can’t simply be applied to African fashion brands and companies when the nature and lifestyle of creativity in Africa is not exploitive. The Eurocentric assumption that “the politics of leather in Europe is the same as the politics of leather here”, when hide is a by-product and creates a whole new industry [leather production]. The dilemma of development and foreign aid to reduce poverty while the second hand clothing trade is directly detrimental to the local and Made-In-Africa textile and clothing industry is troubling to Chebet, who is determined to generate wealth and leverage her opportunities and connections for Kenya.

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The rise in black platforms promoting and celebrating Africa has been instrumental in raising cultural pride and and expectations of the Continent. Hubs of creativity, fashion, innovation business and entrepreneurship are rapidly springing forth and advancing with technology. And there are those non African who have invested their time and passion into the Continent, seeking commonality. Style anthropologist, writer, creative producer and part-time DJ, Carmen Hogg from Amsterdam, represents this through her work. Her individualistic approach has seen her frequent Ghana and Nigeria where she has established herself within a network of like-minded creatives. A sensitive, honest and thought-provoking discussion with Beatrace takes place on the erupting climate of race talks and the perceptions of her white background in the midst of Black creativity. “I love Lagos. Beautiful things happen there… My mentality matches with the mentality of Lagosians because I’m fast and direct. If I want something I’ll go for it.”

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Out of the Pearl of Africa is an erupting fashion scene. A Ugandan special with guests, Tazibone Solomon in Kampala and Ssonko Brian in Jinja, hosted by Beatrace Angut Oola out in the Diaspora in Germany, also originally from Uganda. Solomon brings a wealth of experience in Ugandan celebrity glamour, couture, media and entertainment. While Ssonko empowers local communities, artisanal production, textile innovation and advocates for sustainability. The multifaceted nature of fashion and its impact is revealed in the recounts of these two successful creatives, whose paths hadn’t yet crossed in Uganda’s burgeoning fashion scene. These two undeniably have different styles and experiences, but agree on the need for national infrastructure to support the ecosystem of fashion and emerging designers - a change in narrative! “If we all come together as designers and see how we can re-embark on this and create a general market for fashion” (Ssonko).

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Akinbode Akinbiyi’s wisdom from wandering through cities and nations, observing the essence and evolution of life is captured through his art form of photography. In this episode we hear his insight as Beatrace probes a conversation on the rising awareness and pride in Black culture. His vivid experience from the fifties to the present day of world changing movements frames several scenes that have brought empowerment and assertion to Africa and the Diaspora. Cultured, travelled, internationally renowned and a love revolutionist at heart, Akinbode Akinbiyi discerns on camera the meaning and the story of humanity. A contrast to the glossy aesthetic and instant camera culture. He retells of a conscious awakening that took place over the last few decades, before digitalisation. Whether information is instant or slow, from “back in the day”,  it is  important to be subversive and always questioning the narrative -  “important is to listen within yourself first and sometimes you realise there’s a gap, an empty space…you don’t fill it in with rumours, you look for the real things that’s happening.”

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Fashion Icon April Walker, from Brooklyn, New York, is considered as one of the architects and trailblazers in streetwear. The release of ‘The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion’ in 2019 on Netflix, put a spotlight on Walker Wear as one of the brands pioneering with the glitterati of Hip Hop from the eighties and nineties. New York was a diverse melting pot of hustlers, the famous, athletes and even correctional officers. On the flip side April reveals the underbelly of the misogynistic and oppressive music and fashion industries, being black and being subjected to mass-misappropriation, yet also being a woman - the first to launch a streetwear brand in that era. She dressed major league artists such as 2Pac, Biggie, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Method Man, and many other legendary artists, who undeniably shaped black culture globally up to this day. She paints a charming yet gritty scene of New York, leaving you in awe of the tenacity of talented musicians, rappers, fashion designers and stylists who were driven by heart and creativity in a sleepless city about to explode.

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Dialogues about Black aesthetics are necessary, according to Dr. Natasha A. Kelly. Dedicated to empowering and educating the Black community in Germany, the diaspora and strengthening the bond to Africa. Kelly is an academic, an author, a critical thinker, a visionary and an arts and culture shaker. You’ll hear her blunt perspective on institutional and structural racism, Black women and the Eurocentric gaze, digital racism, vector capitalism and tokenism - just some of the themes touched in this episode. “Colourism is a white aesthetic… Black is Black and Black is beautiful.” While Germany is one of the most progressive European countries, this does not apply when promoting the diversity of BIPoC in academia, fashion and media. However there are those whose work, voice and writings have been around for years and are worth engaging with, particularly after the reignited Black Lives Matter movement.

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Awa Meité, the Malian textile and fashion designer, epitomising power and humility. Awa debuted her unique handmade SS20 collection on the catwalks of Lagos Fashion Week, through unimagined fateful paths crossing. Awa Meité is known for her excellency and has been chosen to be part of Beyonce`s  Black Is King visual album. This has given her and the community she pays homage to, the fabulously talented and dedicated cotton producers and craftsmen and women in Bamako, Mali, international recognition. Her creativity overflows into film-making, painting and styling, contributing to strengthening the creative economy in Mali. Awa provides insight into the international cotton and textile trade, narrating how she provides conscious solutions to her local community. A real gem, she represents handmade fashion, artisanship, craftsmanship made in Africa, sustainable and unique. “When you do the weaving you are writing a story…this person is buying a story…we are story-tellers.”

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Two sisters take on Berlin, opening up their French fashion concept store La Case Paulette. These Reunion Islanders retell their journey from being ‘just a number' in the dog eat dog fashion industry of Paris, giving well rounded insight of their experiences as young black women living both in France and Germany and shifting into the pioneering space. “The Devil Wears Prada” was not just a movie, it’s the Paris fashion industry [Anne-Cécile], which they lived out working for world renowned brands, Givenchy. Audrey and Anne-Cécile Picardo, proud of their creole heritage, aim to bring a taste of the melting pot of La Reunion to their Berlin boutique, selling fashion, but also creating the nostalgia and familiarity of their roots. Recognising there are still things to learn, and the rise in sustainable fashion, “I’d rather spend a lot in one time knowing who made my clothes… now I’m in the position where I can choose and I’m in the position where I can offer this to people” [Audrey]

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Celebrating hair, aesthetics, identity and the sound from Uganda and the diaspora. Jaqee is an internationally celebrated recording artist, with a singing voice gentle, soulful and clear as glass, and a bold afrocentric persona. She’s also known for her raw unadulterated natural hairstyles carefully considered in line with her artistry, such as styles that represent crowns. Her talent and passion for her artistry over the years has led her to really own her authentic space within the creative sphere, which many can learn from and be inspired by. In the challenging year of 2020, Jaqee’s optimistic perspective of the time and space provided to ‘create’ has us excited about her album releasing at the end of this year. Musing over fashion, Jaqee concludes that it’s as a way of expression, identity, courage, stepping out of the box and most importantly, “Fashion is energy!” 

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Pioneering Creative Director, Sydney, has been on a journey of discovery exploring different creative avenues to find his boundaries and his voice. He has definitely found the vessel for the vision he has by encouraging a culture that is ethical, conscious and circular through hand-me-down trade. Sydney’s project, Emeka-Suits, provides a solution through fashion that offers a beautifully tailored collection that exudes “a feeling… more than a strict aesthetic”. The German-based designer from the African diaspora created a shift with his business model by using second-hand waste, using upcycling techniques, and turning fabrics into high-end products. That’s right, the fabric used are curtains that have been on a long journey of their own before being discovered, giving these androgynous suits eccentric flare. All this resulting in new creations that he describes as "extremely beautiful, extremely special like a flower in the desert” [Sydney]

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Making a difference in fashion. 2016 appears to be a pivotal year for both our guests; Buki Akomolafe founded fashion brand, BUKI AKOMOLAFE in 2016, describing her label as a cross-cultural bridge between two different worlds. Cherie Birkner exited the fast fashion scene in 2016, then shortly after founded the online platform, Sustainable Fashion Matterz, providing solutions and campaigns on sustainable fashion. While both have taken very different avenues within fashion in Germany, their passion to educate and spread awareness of sustainability in an authentic way is evident. While Africa is not a global competitor in fast fashion, we can draw on parallels of the sustainable fashion scene as well as longer lasting high-end artisanal production.

Future Fashion:

The initiative is supported by the Future Fashion project - a joint project initiated by the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ), of the state of Baden-Württemberg, which is committed to the conscious and sustainable textile and fashion consumption in Baden-Württemberg. "Future Fashion Made in Africa", an extension of Future Fashion, serves networking, knowledge transfer, exposure, market access for textile startups from Germany and African countries and is intended to strengthen the sector of sustainable textiles and promote international exchange.

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Passionate about creating spaces of learning, Prof. Dr. Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung shares his perspectives with Beatrace on artisanship from Africa and the diaspora. An internationally renowned curator of African art, author, professor at the Weissensee Academy of Art in Berlin, founder of Savvy Contemporary, yet with a doctorate in biophysics, Ndikung gives a critically thought-out and cross-dimensional perspective on the current state of post colonial art and fashion. A mouthful right? And newly awarded OCAD University International Curators Residency fellowship in Toronto. Not only that but we get a taste of his encyclopedic knowledge of history, philosophy, artisans, and fashion designers from Africa in this interview. ‘I don’t think the catwalks in Europe or America need to legitimise their [African fashion designers’] existence’. ‘It’s never just the aesthetic it’s always about the meaning’.

Contact us or send in a voice message telling us what you think: podcast@fashionafricanow.com

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Jana Braumüller, a feminist, political thinker and women’s rights campaigner within fashion talks with Beatrace. Sustainability and justice are at the heart of Fashion Changers, a digital content platform Jana co-founded. Petitioning for laws bringing radical transparency, along with workshops, events and a co-written book, are just some of the efforts Fashion Changers are helping to drive on a societal scale in Germany. A parallel journey many young designers and brands from Africa and the diaspora struggle with: diversity, sustainability and inclusivity - fair fashion. Hear the challenges from Jana & Beatrace's experience in collaborating and adjusting mindsets in the mainstream. ‘Fashion is a vehicle to improve certain things and empower people’ (Jana).Contact us or send in a voice message telling us what you think: podcast@fashionafricanow.com

Future Fashion:

The initiative is supported by the Future Fashion project - a joint project initiated by the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ), of the state of Baden-Württemberg, which is committed to the conscious and sustainable textile and fashion consumption in Baden-Württemberg. "Future Fashion Made in Africa", an extension of Future Fashion, ​​serves networking, knowledge transfer, exposure, market access for textile startups from Germany and African countries and is intended to strengthen the sector of sustainable textiles and promote international exchange.

The Fashion Africa Now podcast is brought to you by Future Fashion and produced by APYA Productions with financial support from the Ministry of State of Baden-Wurttemberg via the Baden-Wurttemberg Foundation for Development Cooperation (SEZ). This episode was created in association with Social Urban Nature. Fashion Africa Now podcast has the permission to use the music and the sounds created by Blackstereo music. 

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Listen in to a candid and fiery conversation Beatrace Angut Oola has with Omoyemi Akerele, live in Lagos, the highly sought-after driving force for much of Nigeria’s fashion industry; and Roberta Annan, with a strong business development background who kickstarted her place in fashion in the UN, and live in Accra. With years of experience in the African fashion industry, these formidable women agree on the need for infrastructure and collaboration amongst resident Africans and in the diaspora. “African fashion is not a trend. It’s here to stay. Not just a philosophised and a romanticised movement... There are people whose lives depend on this ecosystem” (Omoyemi). So we ask you, what is African fashion? 

Contact us or send in a voice message telling us what you think:podcast@fashionafricanow.com

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Meet Beatrace Angut Oola, founder of Fashion Africa Now and our F.A.N Podcast host. With strong credentials in fashion and the arts, working for some of the world's esteemed fashion brands, our Ugandan-German host is also a speaker, curator, guest lecturer and founder of a creative consulting agency, APYA Productions. Beatrace ignites and stewards candid and untold stories of talent from Africa and the diaspora, as well as those shaping the sustainable fashion scene.

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The first episode of Fashion Africa Now Podcast will drop soon, and Beatrace Angut Oola will be airing every second Wednesday. Here's a quick taste of what's to come. Stay tuned...

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