The Brooklyn Museum has announced an exhibition on African fashion
A wave of free creative expression poured over the continent in the middle of the 20th century after most of Africa gained independence, and thankfully, it hasn’t stopped developing since.
The Africa Fashion exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum opens this summer, where more than 180 individual pieces make it the most comprehensive set of its type. The importance of clothing to African culture will be highlighted in this exhibition and the current fashion revolution in Africa will also be discussed.
Africa Fashion is a celebration of the creativity and worldwide influence of African designs from the 1950s to present day, displaying a magnificent assortment of apparel alongside music, visual art, and much more. Iconic artworks from both designers and painters provide light on the revolutionary impact that dress had in Africa’s cultural renaissance.
Immersive displays of haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, as well as images, books, drawings, music, video and catwalk footage, textiles, and jewelry, are all part of this thematically arranged multisensory experience.
Twenty-plus countries are represented by more than forty designers and artists, ranging from pioneers like Kofi Ansah (Ghana) and Shade Thomas-Fahm (Nigeria) to the next generation of innovative thinkers like Thebe Magugu (South Africa) and Gouled Ahmed (Djibouti). Many of the pieces on display are making their debut appearance in the States.
Lastly, one of the most endearing aspects of this exhibition is the encouragement of cultural exchange and appreciation. People were encouraged to send in their own artwork and photographs. The show will feature some of the chosen examples.
Africa Fashion will debut at the Brooklyn Museum on June 23 and stay on display there through October 22. The deadline for submitting images and videos is April 14.
Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of any developments within it. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all.