Luxurious Dressing Room for the Modern Afropolitan

If you are looking to create a luxurious space to get ready for the daily grind or that special night out think about an easy conversion of an adjacent bedroom to a dressing suite.

ethniciti was inspired by the sleek and bright collection by West Elm and created a color palette focused on African wax prints and contemporary artifacts.  Don’t be late.

The Kanga

For women in the humid port city of Dar es Salaam, the kanga is a must-have accessory, functioning as an everyday wraparound dress, bath towel, shawl and baby tote. But for Mustafa Hassanali, a popular local designer who organized the second annual Swahili Fashion Week, the traditional rectangular cloth from east Africa’s Indian Ocean coast means much more.

Kangas, more often seen for sale on the dusty streets of hectic and disheveled Kariakoo market, take on a bright, sensual, and fashionable essence.  In a show covered by People’s Daily, Hassanali sees the beginning of an emerging, modern, east-African fashion trend.

High Fashion Accessories in the African Style

Tanzanian-born Doreen Mashika is one of a growing number or of fresh, free-thinking artisans from that region.  Her modern interpretations based on traditional materials and textures makes for a stunning collection of high fashion, African- inspired accessories.

Doreen is inspired by a deep sense of affection for the immense cultural heritage and wealth of design possibilities that Africa possesses.

Body Art

In the hands of a master –  these stunning images of the works of Angela Plummer offer us a glimpse of how the traditional mores of fashion influences take on interior design. It’s all about attitude.  We are moving beyond skins and masks and presenting modern interpretation of the culture.

Afropolitans

I have noticed welcome attention given to African fashion designers of late. It is clear that like other things African, the creative use of traditional wax fabric is reaching a worldwide audience.

Demonstrated by the photo shoot in a recent issue of www.munaluchibridal.com it looks like we are merely at the beginning of a trend toward all things African.

African-inspired high fashion crosses over to home fashion

Africa’s Masai influences collide in a mélange of exuberant hues, silhouettes and textures.

Following a triumphal appearance of African-influenced apparel presented by the ARISE Promise Of Africa Collective at New York’s fashion week, many of the world’s front-line designers are recognizing the emerging trend of high fashion African-inspired design.

Fashion spreads in the latest Essence and Ebony magazines beautifully craft a look that is so in keeping with the Afropolitan style, with it’s creative use of traditional wax prints and patterns accompanied by exquisite accessories.

The use of traditional wax prints, while new to some, has always been a mainstay in the creation of home fashion. I am always inspired by the migration of high fashion to our home environments. Moroso proves with the Binta arm chair that modern design can be creative, cultural, and inspiring.

The Artisans

A fundamental building block in the ethniciti design philosophy is the influence and contribution of the artisans.  These talented, aggressive, and forward-thinking individuals spread the notion of African-inspired design and the important role that art plays in interior design solutions.

In a recent edition of O Magazine, this notion is brilliantly expressed in the home of Peggy Cooper Cafritz a long-time art educator, activist and supporter of young African-American artists.

Her home exudes on the one hand this sense of confidence and commitment to the culture, while the overall presentation and integration of furnishings and artifacts projects the essence of her personal style, how she sees herself, and how she wants others to see her.

Photography by Sang An.

From Runway to Hallway: African Cultural Inspiration

I am always fascinated by the migration of style from one segment to another. The notion that fashion is driven only by high-minded designers seems not to tell the whole story. While it is true that couturier design concepts at times seem over the top, they do signal to me a trend that creative types need to pay attention to – African cultural inspirations.

A recent New York Times Magazine spread deftly illustrates the juxtaposition of African-Americans and Africans IN America. This dramatic black-and-white photo shoot of Lacroix, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Prada, etc. designs, clearly defines a modern interpretation of an essence of African culture – textiles thought about in a unique and creative way.

The New Arrivals to our shores are bringing a new sense of energy and timeliness to the creative environment that will surely make its impact on all areas of fashion.

Tell me what you’re thinking.