Africa

[Spike413]

and some photos from YSL s/s 02, which I love but since neither style.com or firstview have the full collection available, this was all I could find.

there were some beautiful prints and details, like the antelope print tops and caftans and the ring pierced leather pieces....but alas, I can't find any

 

[Spike413]

Looking through some of Galliano's archives, it seems that Africa/Tribalism is something that he draws inspiration from a lot....

HC f/w 99, sort of Edwardian explorer

HC f/w 00

HC s/s 01

all photos:firstVIEW

 

[Spacemiu]

I'd liek to see some one do something really creative with the diffrent tribal african things, with out the cliches.


i think safari is diffrent than africa, it's a little to impearlaist for me.

 

[Lena]

i think safari is diffrent than africa, it's a little too imperialist for me.

absolutely.. it's a totally different mood space

thanks for the africa inspired visuals spike

 

[mdankwah]

I'd liek to see some one do something really creative with the diffrent tribal african things, with out the cliches.

My thoughts exactly, somehow designers have a single minded idea of what Africa is, as an african myself i tend to get very disappointed and angry when designers try to communicate the idea of Africa and get it quite wrong.

 

[Papercut Crisis]

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[Spike413]

I agree Space and Lena, I think you can incorporate safari in an African inspired collection, but it's totally different. I much prefer African inspiration.....

 

[sugarpea]

i never understood what "african-inspired" meant....its not like there is one culture in the african continent...damn.....but the clothes are beautiful...i just hate that its as if africa is one monolithic place and that anything slight "geometric" dripped in eathy tones is deemed "african"

 

[urchin]

Nice thread

 

[Papercut Crisis]

Masks are a cliche that I could do without. Other than that, the designers are in my opinion incorporating african influences into their designs in rather interesting ways. What could they do that would make you happier?

 

[sugarpea]

Masks are a cliche that I could do without. Other than that, the designers are in my opinion incorporating african influences into their designs in rather interesting ways. What could they do that would make you happier?

well, my irritation stems from the fact that "african-inspired" clothing, while beautiful really plays into the stereotype that africa is a monolithic region...you would never see a designer have "european-inspired" clothing because there is an appreciation of and sensitivity to the many cultures of europe while everyone seems to think that africa is all the same; in fact many people think its one damn country....there are some pan-african trends...but there are so many differences...a zulu woman would not be wearing the same thing that an ashanti woman would be wearing and yet inspiration from each of their cultures is clumped together as "african"

 

[Papercut Crisis]

So bassically you want them to give more details on the inspiration instead of cutting it short by using the name of their continent?

 

[inzombia]

I agree with sugarpea on the ridiculousness of understanding "Africa" as a monolithic aggregate in the Western imagination, when it's a huuuuge continent with multiple regions, indigenous populations with specific cultures, and often warring nations, all of which can overlap but don't always. Egypt and Algeria are not the same as South Africa, Madagascar or the Ivory Coast, after all!

 

[sugarpea]

So bassically you want them to give more details on the inspiration instead of cutting it short by using the name of their continent?

uh, yes...wouldnt "european-inspired" or "north american-inspired" strike you as odd?

 

[morgan38]

^Many cultures are represented broadly by different "styles". Look at Asian and Native American inspired clothing. Both of these ethnic backgrounds are respresented by very different cultures; however many of the aesthetic patterns are similar. The inspirations of African culture are just that: inspirations. They are not exact reprensentaions of cultures.

 

[inzombia]

"Asian"-inspired bothers me too, since this usually means dragons and mandarin collars. What cliches! So yes, these aren't exact representations; instead they're representations based on sloppy stereotypes about an imaginary "Asia" or "Africa" that exists outside of modernity. When designers reference inspirations from Western design history, they're usually quite specific about time and place, say, the French Revolution, the English dandy, or the 1920s American "new woman." These phrases conjure up specific images that have fascinating social and design histories (e.g., about the ways in which fashion becomes a marker of social status, about fashion's relationship to mass production or new definitions of gender and sexuality); it would be nice if the rest of the world were treated with the same attention to their own fascinating histories.

 

[sugarpea]

^Many cultures are represented broadly by different "styles". Look at Asian and Native American inspired clothing. Both of these ethnic backgrounds are respresented by very different cultures; however many of the aesthetic patterns are similar. The inspirations of African culture are just that: inspirations. They are not exact reprensentaions of cultures.

asian inspired and native american inspired makes as little sense to me as african inspired...once again, no one ever says european inspired...because it sounds absurd and this sounds more absurd to people than say asian inspired and african inspired because there is more appreciation for european diversity and the notion of multiculturalism in europe....furthermore, inspirations can be specific as well..inspiration from ghanaian kente cloth makes sense to me...inspiration from africa makes no sense at all unless you buy into stereotypical notion of "africa" as galliano's f/w 00 collection clearly illustrates

 

[sugarpea]

"Asian"-inspired bothers me too, since this usually means dragons and mandarin collars. What cliches! So yes, these aren't exact representations; instead they're representations based on sloppy stereotypes about an imaginary "Asia" or "Africa" that exists outside of modernity. When designers reference inspirations from Western design history, they're usually quite specific about time and place, say, the French Revolution, the English dandy, or the 1920s American "new woman." These phrases conjure up specific images that have fascinating social and design histories (e.g., about the ways in which fashion becomes a marker of social status, about fashion's relationship to mass production or new definitions of gender and sexuality); it would be nice if the rest of the world were treated with the same attention to their own fascinating histories.

i didnt read this until i posted right now...this is exactly what i was getting at

 

[utopia]

"Asian"-inspired bothers me too, since this usually means dragons and mandarin collars. What cliches! So yes, these aren't exact representations; instead they're representations based on sloppy stereotypes about an imaginary "Asia" or "Africa" that exists outside of modernity. When designers reference inspirations from Western design history, they're usually quite specific about time and place, say, the French Revolution, the English dandy, or the 1920s American "new woman." These phrases conjure up specific images that have fascinating social and design histories (e.g., about the ways in which fashion becomes a marker of social status, about fashion's relationship to mass production or new definitions of gender and sexuality); it would be nice if the rest of the world were treated with the same attention to their own fascinating histories.

I think that was very well said.

keeping it on topic with the africa trend, when I wear something from a culture (or time period) that is not my own, I want to know what it is I am actually wearing. I know the names of the african villages, and, in a few cases, the names of the actual women who made my african jewellery and bags. therefore, it has a lot of meaning to me...it doesn't feel so blind.

 

[sonjanicky29]

Wow i really like some of these African clothes!I htink they are so unique and orginal.
Sonja