Reference Publications

Modernity and Tradition in a Global World: Fashion in Africa

African Arts, Summer, 2008 by Elisabeth Hackspiel

Zuercher Stalder AG, LyssachSchachen, Switzerland

June 30-September 1, 2007

Clad in extravagant hand-tailored clothes of boldly patterned and brilliantly colored fabrics, adorned with dramatic jewelry and topped with impressively braided hairdos or voluminous head wraps, the modern West African lady proudly presents herself in public and at festive events. During the last three decades, West African women have turned their back on Western clothes and the Western fashion system and have developed an indigenous and vibrant fashion which negotiates between modernity and tradition. Presenting fashion as a stunning public spectacle African women display courage and pride as well as an abundance of humour and creativity that make western fashion look drab and uniform.

"Modernity and Tradition in a Global World" was curated by Ilsemargret Luttmann, a German specialist in African history and free-lance artist, who has been collecting African fashion since the 1970s. When the first exhibition of her collection at the Ethnological Museum in Hamburg in 2005 enjoyed considerable attention, Luttmann was invited to show her collection at the renowned Smend Gallery for textile arts in Cologne from February 1-April 28, 2007. The Ethnological Museum in Cologne (Rautenstrauch-JoestMuseum) organized an international conference on "Fashion and Modern Identities of Clothing in Africa" in conjunction with the exhibition in March 2007. Luttmann collection was shown at the Museu da Cidade do Recife in Recife, Brazil, May 15-31, 2008 and it will also be exhibited at the Goethe Institute in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, in October 2008.

When we think of African fashion we either see desperate African refugees in torn European second-hand clothes or long-legged African beauties like Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek modelling high fashion of the world's top designers. In fact, this contradiction comes close to the essence of African fashion. On one hand it is deeply affected by globalization and postcolonial economic crisis, and on the other hand it glorifies African cultural heritage and invests tremendous amounts of energy and creativity in garments which rival the flamboyance of Western haute couture. It combines African textile traditions with colonial dress and extreme forms of global modernity. The popular West African dress, taille basse, for example, combines a tight skirt, developed from African wrapped dress, with a loose blouse that was introduced by Christian missionaries who wanted to make African women cover themselves in a chaste, Christian manner. Today the taille basse follows the latest fashion and presents itself as sensuously appealing. It is cut tightly around the breast and waist, offers a seductive decollete and emphasizes the hips with flounces. Married women tend to drape an additional piece of cloth (pagne) around the hips, which alludes to female fertility. They may drape another one as an elaborate turban, lending an air of pride and dignity.

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The textiles' patterns also mix indigenous and colonial traditions with modernity. Highly respected are quality traditional wax-prints. These export prints made for Africa in the Netherlands and England were originally developed by the Dutch to undercut Indonesian batik production but sold more successfully on the African market. Other fabrics are made of cheaper local fancy-prints with bold patterns, including images connected with traditional proverbs or objects of modernity and prestige, such as cell phone or radio. The wide flowing boubous, loose-fitting gowns worn by men and women in West Africa, testify to the Islamic influence in this region. They are very often made from fine cotton damasks imported from Austria, where the same fabrics are used as table cloths and bed linens.

Since the 1980S West African fashion has turned away from ready made clothes in a Western style. Clients and tailors cooperate closely to design unique fashionable creations. They may study international fashion magazines as a source of inspiration but each dress is created individually. Tailors maintain that artistry, originality, and creativity are the very essence of their enterprise. Since fashion is the primary mode of demonstrating social standing, economic success, and credit worthiness, each woman strives to be as beautiful and fashionable as possible, even if she can barely afford it. Thus, fashion tends to change very quickly; new trends appear every six months, as Luttmann noticed during her visits to the region. Unlike the Western fashion system, which regards trends as a question of marketing campaigns directed towards a mass market, fashion trends in Africa are fostered by individual creativity, personal charisma, and social ambitions. Ilse Luttmann interprets the West African cult of beauty and fashion as special strategy to survive social competition during severe social-economic crisis.

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Different fashion centres have developed in West Africa: Lome in Togo dominates the textile trade; tailors from Dakar in Senegal and Kinshasa in Kongo are regarded as the leading designers; Abidjan of Cote d'Ivoire has become the center for beauty products and the most flamboyant braided hairstyles, which originate from the Wolof people in Senegal. The tremendous creativity in West Africa has also brought forward successful fashion designers who have won world acclaim and inspire Western designers. The most well-known are Alphadi from Niger, Oumou Sy from Senegal, Lamine Kouyate (Xuly-Bet) from Mali-Sen egal, and Chris Seydou from Mall