By Milicent Arebun
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is setting up a contemporary exhibition titled “Fashion Cities Africa“, between April 2016 and January 2017 with the aim of exploring practices of dress, fashion & styling in 4 African cities – Casablanca (Morocco), Lagos (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya), Johannesburg (South Africa)
Designers to be showcased includes Nigerian designer Amaka Osakwe of Maki Oh, Nairobi’s 2Many Siblings, Casablanca based Zhor Raïs, South Africa’s The Sartists and more.
The Nigerian design label Maki Oh holds international stakes in the global fashion industry and her pieces have been worn by a number of personalities & public figures including Michelle Obama and Solange Knowles.
The exhibition is said to be the first major UK showcase that celebrates and examines the growing contemporary fashion scene on the continent.
According to co-curator, Helen Mears – “There’s been a surge of interest in contemporary African art and design in Europe and the US in recent years, but this is the first major UK exhibition dedicated to contemporary African fashion. We want to reveal the diversity that exists across the continent – and within single cities – and show that wax print is only part of the story of African fashion.” “Each of the cities featured has its own fashion scene: in some cases emergent, in others more established. Some African designers are now major players in international fashion, while others are experimenting creatively in the interface between global fashion and local identities”.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a community engagement programme and a vibrant events programme including music, dance, performance, workshops, talks and debates.