Black History Month: Black fashion and Africa Fashion Week London

Africa Fashion Week London

Africa Fashion Week London is an annual event celebrating-you guessed it-African Fashion. It aims to nurture and promote African design, and is Europe’s largest event promoting African talent. After a cancelled event last year due to Covid restrictions, AFWL 2021 promised to be a comeback to remember, especially as it marked the 10th birthday of the event.

Hosted at Freemasons Hall in London, this year featured collections from Adire Odua, Gary Pie, and Mary Martin, among many others. Designers hail from across Africa, including Nigeria and South Africa, as well as some based in London. There were workshops and panel events, promoting intersectionality and sustainability in fashion, as well as discussing the future of African fashion and design.

African influence on western fashion

Throughout history, fashion has been heavily inspired by Africa, and especially in recent times. The Black diaspora has influenced western fashion, and social media platforms have amplified the reach of African designers. Though the zoot suits of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance have shrunk somewhat, they’re still evident in menswear today, with pinstripes and wide lapels seen in current collections on catwalks around the world. The drop waisted silhouettes of the 1920s flapper dresses come back in waves, with Josephine Baker at the forefront of many inspiration modboards.

Politics and fashion have gone hand in hand for many years, especially within the Civil Rights movement, offering a different vision of the ‘radicals’ many of the activists were made out to be. Take Rosa Parks’ mugshot, for example. Arrested for sitting at the front of a segregated bus in 1955, instead of in the ‘coloured section’ at the back, Parks’ mugshot shows a demure woman, well-dressed in a buttoned up, tailored blazer, her hair braided up in an updo topped with flowers. Her attire formed part of the narrative around her arrest; she did not look like a stereotypical troublemaker, even though she was, of course, making good trouble. Parks’ outfit worked to highlight the injustice the Black community was often subjected to.

Many of the women of the Civil Rights movement adopted this attitude; literally fashioning themselves to be taken seriously. Jumping forward to the 1960s and 70s, with the more militant politics of the Black Panthers, whose style was a direct contrast to the military uniforms. In black leather jackets and berets, the Black Panthers symbolised Black freedom in many aspects. Activist Angela Davis, with her natural hair haloing around her head, embodied the “Black is Beautiful” movement. For the Black diaspora of the 1970s, “Black is Beautiful” was a new awareness of Black beauty ideals, in contrast to the cultural portrayal of white beauty.

Reflections of the Black Panthers’ uniforms of black military style and leather are seen in many collections, including Vetements, Yohji Yamamoto, and even Tommy Hilfiger’s military jumpsuits and turtlenecks. Beyonce resurrected the Black Panther Party at the 2016 Super Bowl, creating a halftime show which paid tribute to Black Lives Matter and invoked the history of the Civil Rights movement.

Hip hop and rap of the 80s and 90s has also been a huge influence on the fashion world, with street style almost 40 years later still taking direction from hip hop stars. 90s hip hop especially paid homage to the ancestry of its artists, with Afro-centric prints worn by many. The influence of the 90s is still evident in leisurewear, with brands such as Martin Margiela, Vetements and Balenciaga carrying the trends through to the 2020s. In 2018, Virgil Abloh was appointed as Artistic Director of Menswear at Louis Vuitton, one of the first Black directors of a French design house, signalling a shift that has been a long time coming.

Fusion fashion

Fusion fashion, seen explicitly in streetwear, but also evident in Afro-centric prints and Ankara patterns elsewhere, offers a way for people to express their identity or heritage. With western silhouettes tailored in African fabrics, fusion fashion combines the clothing of two cultures, creating a way to keep traditional dress relevant and modern, but also as a way to connect the wearer to their roots. For people who fly two flags, like we do at WorldRemit, afrofusion fashion is another way to express that heritage.

In Kinshasa and Brazzaville, in the Congo, fusion fashion has been a staple for almost a hundred years. The ‘Congolese Dandies’ have been bringing French elegance to their communities, tracing back to colonialism and the acquisition of extravagant French tailoring. Today, sapeurs in the Congo fuse bright Congolese fabrics with 1920s zoot suit silhouettes, creating a specific subculture within their townships.

Leaving the past and creating the future

W.E.B. DuBois’ 1920 short story, The Comet, was a very early foray into Afrofuturism, imagining a vision of the future through an African diasporic lens. Afrofuturism explores African culture by combining it with technology, to imagine a future without the appropriation and exploitation of the west. It offers a powerful platform for Black creators to connect to their heritage and ancestry, especially when it cannot be traced to a specific place because of slavery and displacement.

As an alternative reality, Afrofuturism opens up conversations about the impact of Black history and where movement has caused gaps. Because of its ties to sci-fi, speculative fiction, or fantasy, Afrofuturism is a popular and growing literary genre, but it’s also seen in art, fashion and architecture, where the past informs an alternate conception of the future. Marvel’s Black Panther is an excellent example of Afrofuturism, with the nation of Wakanda demonstrating an entire nation envisaged without the interference of colonisation and cultural erasure. The Afrofuturist fashion in Black Panther, as well as its set design, sees traditional African art and dress blend with technology, creating a specific kind of cyberpunk. In fashion terms, Afrofuturism offers a way to reclaim tradition and African identity. For many people in the Black diaspora, their own origins are lost, so Afrofuturism means they’re able to imagine and shape a different future.

How many flags do you fly?

We’re exploring your stories as part of our #IFlyTwoFlags series, focusing on the intersections of culture within our community, especially for those who might not identify with one particular country. Check out our other stories, and tell us your own using #IFlyTwoFlags.

An overview of I Fly Two Flags

Black History Month: Flying two flags for Black art

Tukiya flies four flags. How many do you fly?

Representing more than one country - I Fly Two Flags

Where is the Nigerian Diaspora? The Nigerians flying two flags

What would the NBA look like without migration? #IFlyTwoFlags

The Bangladeshis who fly two flags #IF2F

Juanita flies two flags. How many do you fly?

Flying Two Flags in Athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics