The Rising Global Appreciation Of African Textiles: Authentic or Genuine?

By Chioma Chinweoke & Mazuba Kapambwe

Photo Credit: Getty Images; oohlalablog.com
African textiles fashion has quickly become the quintessential look to be spotted in. Embraced by fashion labels and celebrities alike both here and abroad, the question has turned into whether the support derives from a genuine, authentic place.

African textiles in its earliest form originated from the ingenious Igbo Ukwu tribe of popular West African country, Nigeria. Face 2 Face Africa Fashion editors Chioma Chinweoke and Mazuba Kapambwe examine whether the spotlight on the African textiles is either authentic or genuine.

Since its inception, it appears that the African-inspired look has popped up in many fashion houses such as Suno, Duro Olowu, Jewel By Lisa, L.A.M.B, Deola Sagoe, and Boxing Kitten. Lately on and off the red carpet, Solange Knowles has become the unofficial spokesmodel for Maya Lake’s Boxing Kitten line and she also showcased her fierce loyalty to the rising brand.

The Brooklyn, NY-bred designer, Maya has said that she produced her collection from the vibrant African wax block print fabrics made exclusively in West African countries. Suno, another big fashion label, has Kenya to thank for its flawless visual prints that they are known for. Suno, a New York-based line created by Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis, got major buzz when Rihanna was photographed twice in their designs. The appreciation for African textile is quite strong and necessary from the business aspect for Suno and Boxing Kitten. Most of their marketable power comes from the wax prints that they heavily relied on to produce their handmade collections.

“Shouldn’t the focus be on the fact that Ankara has become more mainstream?” remarked Chioma, Fashion Editor of Face 2 Face Africa. “I think that it’s brilliant that brands are drawing upon Africa for creating their collections. African style is quite unique and one can agree that it’s entirely done by talented tailors. I know that when I have an African traditional wedding to attend, I can count on my favorite tailors to make a one-of-a-kind outfit with a skyscraping gele. I also found that more and more stylists are embracing the African style culture.”

Stylists Ugo Mozie and Kanayao Ebi (both Nigerians) outfitted their celebrity clients, Dawn Richard and Angela Simmons in African style houses – Deola Sagoe and Virgos Lounge respectively. Fashizblack Magazine photographed Vanessa Simmons in South Africa, and former Project Runway contestant Daniella Kallmeyer. Mainstream celebrities embracing African style has become the trend  but is it up to the celebrity, the PR team, or the designer to exploit it for the better cause?

Mazuba Kapambwe, a contributing writer for Africa Style Daily, argues,  "While as an African lover of all things Jewel By Lisa ,Christie Brown, and Chi Chia London, I think it’s all a matter of personal preference whether non-African celebs choose to wear African labels or not. It is also up to the PR people of the African brands to reach out to Hollywood celebs and take it from there.”

For many of the African-based fashion labels, they took to befriending big name African celebrities and they also made social media work for them. However many celebrities based in America are looking to African fashion houses to get a unique look for their red carpet appearances and photo shoots.

UK-based fashion designer Ngozi Pere-Okorotie of Zed Eye outfitted her close friend, Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji, for her two appearances on CNN. Jewel By Lisa is a Nigerian fashionrun by Lisa Folawiyo who used social media to promote her line. Her PR team released a video featuring model Eku Edewor on YouTube called “A Day in Life of A Jewelette” and they also launched a blog where they published the latest inside scoops on their projects such as outfitting Kelis for her recent world tour.