Contemporary African Fashion

248 Pages·2010·16 MB·english

by  Suzanne Gott

F
afriC a . CuLturaL StudieS “Well written, highly readable, and very accessible . . . covers a whole G n edited by
o
range of topics relating to various historical, economic, social, and tt Suzanne Gott and

the dynamiSm and artistic dimensions that constitute contemporary African fashion.” an a Kristyne Loughran
d
Creativity of —mary Jo arnoLdi, Smithsonian Institution a
L
o
afriC an faShion u
“Fashions globally focus on the here and now, embracing and emphasiz- g
h C
ing change. African fashions have existed across the continent much
r
a i
longer than often imagined, and the complexity of the continent n
itself—geographically, culturally, historically—means that readers
r
of this volume will quickly learn that fashion is not monolithic in
contemporary Africa, but varied across regions and countries, even
f
within a single country.” s
C
—from the foreword by Joanne b. eiCher
o a
n
African fashion is as diverse and dynamic as the continent and the peo-
t
ple who live there. While experts have long recognized the importance
e
of clothing as a marker of ethnic identity, life stages, political affiliation,
m hy
and social class, they have only just begun to discover African fashion.
Contemporary African Fashion puts Africa at the intersection of world p
r
cultures and globalized identities, displaying the powerful creative force o
and impact of newly emerging styles. Richly illustrated with color pho- r
a
tographs, this book showcases haute couture for the African continent. a
The visual impact of fashion created and worn today in Africa comes to
r
life here, beautifully and brilliantly. r
y i

Suzanne Gott is Assistant Professor of Art History in the Depart- a o
o
ment of Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. f
c o n t r i b u t o r s Her work focuses on fashion from the Ashanti Region in Ghana. r
p
Heather Marie Akou Karen Tranberg Hansen iC
KriStyne LouGhran is an independent scholar who specializes in
Elisabeth L. Cameron Kristyne Loughran
African jewelry and fashion. She is editor (with Thomas K. Seligman) of a m
Janet Goldner Hudita Nura Mustafa
Art of Being Tuareg: Sahara Nomads in a Modern World.
n
Didier Gondola Leslie W. Rabine
Suzanne Gott Elisha P. Renne e
f
Joanna Grabski Victoria L. Rovine AfricAn ExprEssivE culturEs
a
Rebecca L. Green Patrick McNaughton, editor S t
h n
i
$27.95 o n
P
INDIANA Front cover illustrations: (clockwise from right) Haliatou Traoré Kandé’s rin n
University Press fsaenmcbyl we ianx beongsoelmanbfilen,i pbhyo Btorgernadpah W byi nCshteiaarda, pRh. oBtiongir;a tpwho b-py iKecime D Joahmnsaolin e; n- ted in o
Bloomington & Indianapolis Kandioura’s designs for Farafina Tigne Independence Day Celebration, C
h
www.iupress.indiana.edu photograph by Janet Goldner. Back cover illustration: black velvet ensemble in in
1-800-842-6796 modèle Mali style by Haliatou Traoré Kandé, photograph by Chiara R. Bini. a indiana C
F
n
a
a
C
i
r
sf
a

hy
r
a
r
i
o
o
p
m
e
t
n
n
o
C
C
o
n
t
e
m
p
Fas h i o n
o
r
a
r
y

a
afriCan expressive Cultures
f
patrick mcnaughton, editor
associate editors
r
Catherine m. Cole
Barbara G. Hoffman
i
eileen Julien
Kassim Koné C
D. a. masolo
elisha renne
a
Zoë strother
n
Fas h i o n
eDiteD By
suzanne Gott and
Kristyne loughran
foreworD By
Joanne B. eicher
inDiana university press
Bloomington and indianapolis
This book is a publication of This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Indiana University Press Manufactured in China
601 North Morton Street
To Roy Sieber and Sophia Sieber,
Bloomington, Indiana 47404-3797 USA Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data who urged us to look left, right,
www.iupress.indiana.edu
over, and under, and who
Contemporary African fashion / edited
Telephone orders 800-842-6796 by Suzanne Gott and Kristyne Loughran ; taught us by example
Fax orders 812-855-7931 foreword by Joanne B. Eicher.
Orders by e-mail [email protected] p. cm. — (African expressive cultures)
Includes bibliographical references and
© 2010 by Indiana University Press index.
All rights reserved ISBN 978-0-253-22256-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Fashion—Africa. I. Gott, Edith Suzanne.
No part of this book may be reproduced II. Loughran, Kristyne.
or utilized in any form or by any means, TT504.6.A35C66 2010
electronic or mechanical, including 746.9’2096—dc22
photocopying and recording, or by any 2010008141
information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the
publisher. The Association of American
University Presses’ Resolution on
Permissions constitutes the only
exception to this prohibition. 1 2 3 4 5 15 14 13 12 11 10
To Roy Sieber and Sophia Sieber,
who urged us to look left, right,
over, and under, and who
taught us by example
contents
Foreword by Joanne B. Eicher ix Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction
suZanne Gott anD Kristyne l ouGHran 1
PART ONe. FAShION WIThIN The AFRICAN CONTINeNT
1 The Ghanaian Kaba: Fashion That Sustains Culture
suZanne Gott 11
2 The Visual City: Tailors, Creativity, and Urban Life in Dakar, Senegal
Joanna GraBsKi 29
3 Secondhand Clothing and Fashion in Africa
Karen tranBerG Hansen 39
4 Fashion, Not Weather: A Rural Primer of Style
elisaBetH l. Cameron 53
5 Contemporary Wedding Fashions in Lagos, Nigeria
elisHa p. renne 67
PART TWO. AFRICAN FAShION DeSIGNeRS
6 African Fashion: Design, Identity, and history
viCtoria l. rovine 89
7 Using the Past to Sculpt the Costume of the
Future: An Interview with Kandioura Coulibaly
Janet GolDner 105
8 Intersecting Creativities: Oumou Sy’s
Costumes in the Dakar Landscape
HuDita nura mustafa 123
9 From Cemetery to Runway: Dress and
Identity in highland Madagascar
reBeCCa l. Green 139
PART ThRee. AFRICAN FAShION IN T he DIASPORA
10 La Sape exposed! high Fashion among Lower-Class Congolese
Youth: From Colonial Modernity to Global Cosmopolitanism
DiDier GonDola 157
11 have Cloth—Will Travel
Kristyne louGHran 175
12 Dressing Somali (Some Assembly Required)
HeatHer marie aKou 191
13 Translating African Textiles into U.S. Fashion Design:
Brenda Winstead and Damali Afrikan Wear
leslie w. raBine 205
Further Readings 221
List of Contributing Authors 227
Figure 0.1. Women dressed up for a
“kitchen party” (bridal shower) in
Lusaka, Zambia, 2002. Photograph
by Karen Tranberg Hansen.
f o r e w o r D
J o a n n e B . e i C H e r
Fashions globally focus on the here and now, embracing and emphasizing change.
African fashions have existed across the continent much longer than often imag-
ined, and the complexity of the continent itself—geographically, culturally,
historically—means that readers of this volume will quickly learn that fashion is
not monolithic in contemporary Africa, but varied across regions and countries,
even within a single country. Changes in the way people dress, in so-called tradi-
tional or ethnic garments (wrappers or pagnes, head ties, and boubous), are easily
apparent when traced over time in fabric design and color, as well as variations
in styling. Africans are well aware of fashions beyond the continent, too, and
adopt them readily, as President Nyere of Tanzania did in combining elements
of a Nehru suit and Mao jacket with Western-style trousers or as youth of both
genders do in the twenty-first century in wearing jeans and T-shirts. In an earlier
time, the farthingale had an impact on the forms of dress worn by the Herero
women in Namibia and the gowns of the Efik women of Nigeria. Middle Eastern
dress, caftans and hijab, are also found along with those called “Western,” but
may be more appropriately termed world or global fashion (Eicher and Sumberg
1995; Akou 2007), although typically with local interpretations and variations. In
this volume, examples of the early adoption of European clothes include Suzanne
Gott’s discussion of the incorporation of European blouses into Ghanaian wom-
en’s kabas and Elisha Renne’s description of the white wedding dress introduced
in early twentieth-century Lagos.
In addition, Africans have contributed fashions to the rest of world. African
women brought head-covering customs to the Americas at the time of enslave-
ment that have extended as fashion statements into contemporary times. In the
1960s U.S. Peace Corps volunteers in Nigeria adopted the Yoruba upper garment
called dashiki and continued to wear it on their return home. Handcrafted textiles