African Fashion Design

Legend has it that man found a way of clothing himself with leaves when he first realized he needed to. That could be considered the first fashion design attempt known to man. Over the years, every country has managed to take its traditional attire and make completely new fashion statements out of them. African fashion design also joined the ranks of international fashion houses years ago.

When it comes to African fashion design , many of the designs have evolved from the weather of the country. People had to remain comfortable and materials were selected based on the harshness of the climate. This lead to the use of several kinds of materials that may not have been used in mainstream designing. Keeping these materials and designs alive has been the work of several members of the African fashion design industry.

African fashion design originally began with a lot of animal hides and fur. All of this is a necessary part of one’s attire and cultural background. However, with time, these evolved into internationally accepted and sought after designs. Today the response to an African fashion show is tremendous. Among the kinds of fibre used for clothing is raffia palm, jute, flax and silk. Natural dyes from vegetables and minerals are used to create the unique hues of colour.

African fashion design incorporates the use of ceremonial attire such as Ashanti Kente cloth and Ankara etc. Some of the great names in the African design world are Seidnaly Alphadi (the child of the desert) and Sara Abera from Ethiopia. Oumou Sy too has made a name in the ready-to-wear line of clothing and fashion accessories and more recently Deola Sagoe, Jewel by Lisa, David Thale and many many more designers.