Traditional African design has always had a strong influence on fashion, and a number of our favorite designers have experimented with everything from eye-popping tribal prints to turbans and head wraps. Just as big as its place in the fashion industry is the need for so many women and men in the continent’s over 50 countries to earn an honest wage for their work.
- Lanre Da Silva Ajayi Dress, $471
Fashion 4 Development is an initiative established to promote development in emerging countries through fashion. Vogue Italia EIC Franca Sozzani is its Goodwill Ambassador–a genius idea as there are few as influential in fashion and art as she is. Sozzani has partnered with online retailer YOOX to create a series of “Discovered in Africa” collections, highlighting pieces from unknown talents, and allowing them to sell their styles to customers all over the globe.
- Le Collane di Betta Necklace, $232
- Koshie O. Sandals, $165
Pieces range from gorgeous ready-to-wear from Kofi Ansah to vibrant sandals and handbags from Koshie O. Liya Kebede’s line, LemLem, is featured as well.
- LemLem Dress, $299
- Kofi Ansah Skirt, $54
- Global Mamas Dress, $103
Two of my favorite pieces from the collections are the $1,463 Tiffany Amber Full Length Jacket and $112 Koshie O. Bag. Both are so perfect for Spring and the prints are fantastic.
Pieces in the “Discovered in Africa” Collections retail for $45 – $1,478. Visit www.yoox.com to start shopping now and hurry, pieces are already starting to sell out.
What do you think?
May 7, 2012 4:42 pm
I rdally hate the fact that non Africans are monopolizing our fabrics n prints when there are several african designers are stuggling. How about they start searching and teaming up. Smh.. Gets off my soap box.
May 7, 2012 6:07 pm
i completely concur with u parislesley…u are speaking the truth
May 7, 2012 7:08 pm
@parislesley
so true
May 7, 2012 9:44 pm
love that dress and am excited by the african inspiration.
May 7, 2012 10:09 pm
@parislesley, prior to scrolling down, I was thinking the same thing! I suppose they couldn’t even be bothered w/employing a model of color or two. While I think it’s possible for all people to appreciate different cultures, when will they stop capitalizing/monopolizing off of our culture while we gain nothing?
May 7, 2012 11:03 pm
I love that skirt and bag. Very cool.
May 8, 2012 12:21 am
I can’t deal with these designers. Where are the African designers??? If I am going to spend my money on an African design, then I want it done by an African designer! So many people are capitalizing off of Africans and the African culture! Not right!
May 8, 2012 4:46 am
Uhm, are we reading the same material? Several of the designers featured are in fact African, and where they are not, their commitment to production in Africa is a compelling enough incentive.
May 8, 2012 7:57 am
@ Kemi, God bless you. For 5 seconds there i was lost. People, all the mentioned designers above are Africans (Nigerians & Ghanaians). FYI – Africans never invented the Ankara fabric – we only made it popular through our frequent use. Depending on what part of the continent you look at, they have their own indigenous cultural fabric but it’s not Ankara that is displayed above. Thank you. And if you plan on responding, do a bit of a research.
May 8, 2012 9:30 am
And if you must know Miss @sassy an Miss @ kemi you would know that 1) they are not African designers nut they were imspired by the African desings.. 2) if you think they are helping US stop being brain washed.. If they wantedto help US they wud be using OUR fabrics not knock offs but the real deal that are hand made and at least 40% wud be given back. So ladies you do some researching before you try to discredit anyones opinion. Boom!
May 8, 2012 9:31 am
Sorry autocorrect!
May 8, 2012 9:50 am
I love the comments! Big ups to @For Your information! I agree, they should purchase African made fabric at the least. BEsides, none of the models are of color.
May 8, 2012 9:54 am
@ For your information, wish i knew what you were trying to say. :-(
May 8, 2012 10:15 am
i likes…but like everyone else, i’m wondering what happened to the models of color! damn shame!!!!! they won’t let us have NOTHING… they’ll take our damn headaches if we let em… “Gimme your headache n*****!” -Paul Mooney
May 8, 2012 11:06 am
Besided all the fuss in the comments above me, (and i agree with @For your information.) those shoes and that necklace are MADE for me!
May 8, 2012 2:06 pm
Global Mamas is a collective of Afrikan Women and they are associated with Fair Trade
Check it out : http://www.globalmamas.org/Info/39-AboutUs.aspx
the bag designer for KOSHIE O. is a woman from Ghana named Nina Baksmaty
http://www.koshieo.com/about-us/the-designer.html
These are authentic. If you want to patronize, do the research and click to buy.
May 8, 2012 3:15 pm
I read some of the comments made yesterday but I ignored it because addressing every comment made out of ignorance can be cumbersome. From what I can tell all of the previous commenters like the clothes and all want to see Africans in diaspora benefit from African culture. That being said Google is your friend. ALL OF THE DESIGNERS LISTED ARE AFRICAN!!!! That was a little obnoxious but necessary. If you would like to see more African Designers I would direct you to bellanaija.com. The lifestyle, music, entertainment blog covered the entire Arise Fashion show highlighting established as well as up and coming African designers (search archives). You may be pleasantly surprised at what African designers are doing. They also have a small piece on their front page acknowledging Nigerian designer Tiffany Amber’s collaboration.
May 8, 2012 3:16 pm
…Collaboration with yook.com
May 8, 2012 3:37 pm
@ RIF not all of them are Afrikan
That necklace designer is Roman. But I agree… Reading is indeed fundamental
May 8, 2012 4:30 pm
My bad…@IQgraphics, your absolutely correct. I saw the necklace then the sandals and assumed they were from the same designer.
May 8, 2012 10:26 pm
Wrong wrong and wrong how abouf you do your research. Like I said there.is minimal to no support of African designers in top notch labels and websites. Understandable that we are not the only ones that can manipulate the TRIBAL fabrics but there shud be some acknowledgment. There are several up and comming African designers who are STRUGGLING TO SELL because sites suvh as yoox take theif design and fabric template and monopolize on it. So parislesley knows exactly wat she is saying. Being an insider in this world I can tell you that these “Inspiration” that YOU will go and buy will bare fruit to the head honchos and provide NO DIVIDEND FOR OUR PEOPLE. Wake up n stop the flipping ignorance. Just because you see African names dont mean squat. We yeild no dividend. Dont let a charity name fool u either. If you “fashionistas”
May 8, 2012 10:29 pm
Would wake up and start fighting for your rights instead of worrying about who looks hot or hmmm.. We wud not be having such a stupid debate. Arabs in Sahara Desert I swear… All yall know is Givenchy this and Lavin that. How bout we rally up and reallg have fashion for a cause!!!! Nonesense!!!