‘Africa Fashion’ exhibition showcases the diversity of African fashion in London

The Victoria and Albert Museum displays more than 250 objects in the exhibition, about half of which are from the museum’s collection, including 70 new acquisitions. Many of the garments on display belong to the personal archives of a selection of iconic African designers of the mid-20th century: Shade Thomas-Fahm, Chris Seydou, Kofi Ansah and Alphadi, for the first time their work is on display in a London museum. The exhibition also celebrates the influential contemporary African fashion creativesincluding Imane Ayissi, IAMISIGO, Moshions, Thebes Magugu and Sindiso Khumalo.

It will remain open until April 16, 2023, see you then will showcase the garments and the stories behind them, along with the designers’ personal views, sketches, editorials, photos, images and catwalk footage who complete this trans-oceanic fashion journey. The museum’s new acquisitions also co-exist in this space, under which current fashion trends stand out, along with personal testimonials, textiles and photographs, which are on display for the first time.

African fashion is diverse, it is creative, it is much more than the constructions created from the West by lack of visibility or seeing stereotypical examples on television. This exhibition offers a comprehensive vision that moves away from stereotypes and shows, through the eyes of 45 designers from more than 20 countries, the diversity that exists on the continent. Christine Checinska, curator of Africa Fashion says: “With Africa Fashion, we want to bring out individual African voices and perspectives. The exhibition presents African fashion as a self-defined art form that reveals the richness and diversity of African histories and cultures.” In addition, in this exhibition, they take a tour that illustrates the evolution of this fashion in the 20th century and up to the present, as explained by the curator: “Africa Fashion celebrates the vitality and innovation of a selection of fashion creatives, exploring the work avant-garde in the 20th century and the creatives at the heart of today’s eclectic and cosmopolitan scene. We hope that this exhibition will lead to a renegotiation of the geography of fashion and become a game changer for the field.”

Part of the exhibition focuses on the years of African liberation from the mid-1950s to 1994. During this period, there was a political and social reordering that fueled a long period of unlimited creativity in fashion. Politics and fashion influence each other, so they wanted to capture it. For example, there is a commemorative canvas made in the early 1990s after the release of Nelson Mandela, with a portrait of South Africa’s first black president-to-be and the words “A better life for all: Working together for jobs, peace and freedom”‘.

The exhibition aims to explore how fashion, along with music and the visual arts, formed an important part of Africa’s cultural renaissance and laid the foundation for today. It will also be accompanied by a wider audience program focused on African fashion, including talks and talks, learning events, music performances and free live events.