Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960
Photograph of a woman wearing voluminous wax print robes, headwrap and flipflops, with a small child in her lap. Photographer Hamidou Maiga documented Malian society and youth culture in his portraits, this photograph was taken in 1973 in the studio he opened the same year. Black and white gelatin silver print, collected as part of Read More …
Photograph of two young men wearing voluminous gowns, and kufi caps, seated outside in front of a cloth backdrop. Photographer Hamidou Maiga documented Malian society and youth culture in his portraits, setting up his own studio in 1973. Black and white gelatin silver print, collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project. Creator: Hamidou Maiga Read More …
Photograph of a young woman wearing a dress made of wax print commemorative cloth, crouching in front of a cloth backdrop. Photographer Hamidou Maiga documented Malian society and youth culture in his portraits, setting up his own studio in 1973. Black and white gelatin silver print, collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project. Creator: Read More …
This T shirt is one of many designs produced for the South African presidential elections in 1994, the country’s first fully representative democratic election. It was worn in support of the African National Congress (ANC) party and their candidate Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black head of state. This form of ‘protest’ or Read More …
This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by dress historian and Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Lou Taylor in the 1970s. Aso-oke translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’. It is a formal cloth that is traditionally handwoven by the men of southwestern Nigeria using a narrow strip loom. It is primarily made from Read More …
This strip of aso-oke fabric was collected by dress historian and Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Lou Taylor in the 1970s. Aso-oke translates as ‘top cloth’ or ‘high status cloth’. It is a formal cloth that is traditionally handwoven by the men of southwestern Nigeria using a narrow strip loom. It is primarily made from Read More …
This fitted dress and jacket was made for the donor, Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Lou Taylor, by British dressmaker Bill Pashley in 1975. The fabric was made by Alakiti Studio in Lagos, Nigeria, and bought by the donor’s father, Lord Elwyn Jones. Taylor wore the outfit to accompany her father to a diplomatic event. Read More …
This blouse and skirt outfit features puff sleeves and a peplum waist which were typical elements of 1980s style. The wax print fabric features sunflower, butterflies, and drooping lily motifs. This outfit was given to Fashioning Africa collecting panel member Lou Taylor by a Kenyan student of hers. Taylor is a dress historian and used Read More …
This skirt is made from adire eleko fabric. It was bought in Nigeria by Lou Taylor, a British dress historian and Fashioning Africa collecting panel member, who wore and loved it for many years. Adire refers to an indigo cloth that is produced by Yoruba women of southwestern Nigeria through a variety of resist-dye techniques. Read More …
This commemorative cloth was made in Burkina Faso and celebrates 10 years of ‘Association des Servantes du Christ’. Commemorative cloths are a popular way to promote organisations, people and events. Collected as part of the Fashioning Africa project. Creator: unknown Place: Burkina Faso, West Africa, Africa Date: 1989