An exhibition focused on African fashion is reportedly set to be held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2022 and will attempt to reframe the narrative regarding the continent. As per sources close to the matter, the exhibition will demonstrate its creativity and independence after decades of false assumptions.
The exhibition ‘Africa Fashion’ will open on 11th June 2022 and will reportedly feature 250 objects that tell the tale of the continent through the work of its most influential and prominent designers.
According to Kimberly Jenkins, the operator of the Fashion and Race database, an organization that intends at the decolonialization of fashion, the fashion output of Africa has been clouded by false assumptions. Jenkins also added that, while there are regions that are in requirement due to poverty and war, the whole continent has often been misunderstood.
She further underscored that there is the idea that the continent is not equipped or capable of showcasing creative or innovation design. Following centuries of political shifts and colonization, for the last few decades, Africa was stereotyped as a continent that is in perpetual requirement of charity, added Jenkins.
As per sources, ‘Africa Fashion’ will also be narrating its story by means of other items comprising copies of the influential Drum Magazine. This is further followed by khanga, kente, commemorative, and bogolanfini cloths from the liberation and independence years, plus family portraits and home movies that depict how fashions have altered.
As per Christine Checinska, the curator of African and African diaspora fashion at the V&A museum, the exhibition will tell a story of unbounded abundance and creativity. For Checinska, that is very different as compared to the stories that have been heard around ‘lack’, when it comes to the continent of Africa.
For the record, the exhibition has been in the works for two long years and will be featuring work from trailblazing designers. These include Folashade “Shade” Thomas-Fahm and Alphadi from Nigeria, Kofi Ansah from Ghana, and Chris Seydou from Mali.
Source credit: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jul/07/va-exhibition-will-use-250-objects-to-highlight-creativity-of-african-fashion