" AFRICA IS NOT A TREND IT'S A CONTINUOUS INFLUENCE"

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This year the summer catwalks were awash with accents of Africa. Burberry Prorsum used colourful wax prints to create wrap dresses, and pencil skirts and peplum jackets were embellished with beads, stones and crochet. Hermès offered a spin on pared-down safari chic and Roberto Cavalli and Gucci opted for tiger and zebra prints.

Of course African inspirations are nothing new in fashion. Ever since Yves Saint Laurent's landmark 1967 collection of shift dresses made from raffia, shells and wooden beads, generations of international designers, from Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano to Diane von Furstenberg and Vivienne Westwood, have looked to the continent. Yet only a precious few indigenous designers, among them Azzedine Alaïa and Alber Elbaz, have shared the limelight. Until now that is.

In the past few years a new generation of African and diaspora designers have been showing the world how African fashion is really done. These talents are riding the broader wave of global interest in Africa's cultural, economic and technological ascension and are able to take advantage of improved infrastructure, education and good governance as well as social media and e-commerce.

Whereas previously fashion was not seen as a viable occupation in Africa, today's designers are making desirable, well-made and cleverly marketed collections that hang from rails all over the world.

The best designers, such as Nigeria's Maki Oh and Jewel by Lisa; South Africa's Stiaan Louw and KLûK CGDT; and London's Duro Olowu and Joe Casely-Hayford strike a balance between seasonal trends and traditional fabrics and adornments, offering fashion that feels both fresh and authentic.

Their work is bolstered by a growing number of Africa-focused fashion weeks, such as the annual Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg, magazines including Faband Canoe, blogs such as One Nigerian Boy and Shadders plus retail environments both online, such as heritage1960.com, and on the street, such as Temple Muse in Lagos.

The emerging designers represent the kaleidoscope of aesthetics within African fashion right now. Some are Afro-centric, others make clothes that don't at first glance seem African at all, but when viewed together they reflect the talent and diversity the scene has to offer. A case in point is Kooroo, a womenswear label by Hebret Lakew and Enid Lanez.

Lakew hails from Addis Ababa and studied fashion in New York, where she also worked for MaxMara. Lanez was born in Uganda and travelled extensively prior to the pair meeting in Nairobi in 2003.

The label concentrates on harnessing sustainable materials and production to create easy, flattering pieces such as linen swing coats, bias-cut dresses and slouchy trousers. "We hope to do our part to strengthen African fashion by creating local employment and bringing an ethnic fusion to our designs," says Lakew. They've shown in Edinburgh, Dar es Salaam and at the Festival for African Fashion and Arts (FAFA), Kenya's annual fashion event.

Ivorian Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud launched her menswear label, Laurenceairline, in 2011 as a creative response to the humanitarian crisis facing her home. Although Paris-based, her production is all done in Abidjan.

"In the Ivory Coast education is inaccessible to most, so our workshop is a centre for professional development with profits fully reinvested in the project," she explains. Her autumn/winter 2012/13 collection of shirts, shorts, pyjamas, suits and parkas come in peacock feather prints and shocking red tartan. "These playful constructions complete the wardrobe of a modern, free-minded dandy, each fabric evoking the various ports of call on a long voyage."

Tsemaye Binitie takes a more glamorous approach. Inspired as much by Moschino as by his Nigerian mother's wardrobe, the London designer excels at body-conscious sports-luxe wear. The Kingston University graduate worked with Stella McCartney before going solo in 2009 and was voted Womenswear Designer of the Year at Arise Magazine Fashion Week 2012 (AMFW). "I design for strong, beautiful women who thrive on cleanly cut clothes," he says.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Mimi Plange is making major waves in New York. She has been developing her label since 2007 but it was her highly tailored autumn/winter 2011 collection, inspired by tribal scarification practices in her native Ghana, that caught the eye of her current mentor, US Vogue's André Leon Tally.

"Africa is not a trend, it's a continuous influence," stresses Plange. "The mainstream's embracing of African influences just goes to show how strong and multifaceted our textiles and materials can be. Now African designers must use this spotlight to showcase our own work in new and refreshing ways."

Helen Jennings is editor of Arise, the London-based African lifestyle magazine. Her book New African Fashion is published by Prestel and available on amazon.com

FR Nouveau style tribal 

Texte d'Helen Jennings

Cet été, les podiums des défilés résonnaient d'accents africains. Là où Hermès conjuguait esprit chic et safari, Gucci optait pour des motifs tigrés et zébrés. L'inspiration africaine n'est certes pas une nouveauté dans le monde de la mode, mais les stylistes de ce continent commencent à peine à émerger.

Depuis quelques années, une génération montante de designers africains et de la diaspora est en train d'incarner une autre facette de la mode africaine. Kooroo, un label de mode féminine signé Hebret Lakew et Enid Lanez, est un bon exemple de cette nouvelle vague. Lakew, originaire d'Addis Ababa, a étudié le stylisme à New York, Lanez vient d'Ouganda. Les vêtements sont fabriqués dans des matériaux respectueux de l'environnement : « Nous espérons pouvoir créer de l'emploi local et apporter une dimension ethnique à nos créations, » explique Lakew.

L'Ivoirienne Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud a lancé sa collection hommes en 2011, en réponse à la crise humanitaire touchant son pays. Bien que basée à Paris, sa production est entièrement réalisée à Abidjan. « En Côte d'Ivoire, l'éducation n'est pas accessible à tous, notre atelier fait par conséquent office de centre d'apprentissage, » dit Chauvin-Buthaud.

Tsemaye Binitie, autant inspiré par Moschino que par la garde-robe de sa mère nigérienne, excelle dans le style casual haut de gamme. Ce diplômé de l'Université de Kingston a travaillé avec Stella McCartney avant de se lancer en solo en 2009.

A New York, Mimi Plange développe sa marque depuis 2007, mais c'est l'originalité de sa collection automne/ hiver 2011, inspirée par les scarifications tribales de son Ghana natal, qui a attiré l'attention d'Andre Leon Tally de Vogue US, son nouveau mentor.

Plange résume bien ici l'esprit des nouveaux stylistes africains : « l'Afrique n'est pas une tendance passagère, c'est une influence inépuisable. »

Helen Jennings est rédactrice en chef du magazine de lifestyle africain, Arise, édité à Londres, et auteure de « New African Fashion » (www.newafricanfashion.com)

NL Nieuw: de Tribesti jl 

Tekst: Helen Jennings

Deze zomer bulkten de catwalks van de Afrikaanse toetsen. Hermès bracht elegante safarioutfits en Gucci zocht heil bij tijger- en zebraprints.

De laatste jaren toont een nieuwe generatie Afrikaanse designers de wereld volop hoe Afrikaanse mode echt is. Kooroo, een vrouwenkledinglabel en creatie van Hebret Lakew en Enid Lanez is hier het perfecte voorbeeld van. Lakew is afkomstig van Addis Ababa en studeerde mode in New York. Lanez werd geboren in Oeganda. Het label steunt op duurzame materialen en productieprocessen. "We hopen ons steentje bij te dragen door het scheppen van plaatselijke werkgelegenheid en etnische elementen in onze ontwerpen te verwerken", aldus Lakew.

De Ivoriaanse Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud lanceerde haar mannenkledingmerk Laurenceairline in 2011 als antwoord op de humanitaire crisis in haar geboorteland. Hoewel ze vanuit Parijs werkt, vindt de productie plaats in Abidjan. In Ivoorkust is onderwijs voor de meesten onmogelijk. Daarom vormt onze workshop een centrum voor professionele ontwikkeling", vertelt Chauvin-Buthaud.

Tsemaye Binitie, geïnspireerd door Moschino én door de outfits van haar Nigeriaanse moeder, blinkt uit in luxueuze sportkleding. Hij studeerde af aan Kingston University en werkte voor Stella McCartney voordat hij in 2009 solo ging.

Mimi Plange werkte in New York sinds 2007 aan haar eigen label. Het was echter haar herfst/wintercollectie 2011, geïnspireerd door de offerrituelen van stammen in haar thuisland Ghana, die de aandacht trokken van haar nieuwe mentor, Andre Leon Tally van Vogue US.

Plange vat de tijdsgeest samen van de nieuwe Afrikaanse designers: "Afrika is geen trend, het is een voortdurende invloedfactor."

Helen Jennings is uitgever van het in Londen gevestigde Afrikaanse lifestyle magazine en auteur van 'New African Fashion' (www.newafricanfashion.com).

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