


In many African countries, something is happening in terms of design. Many creative minds are at work here and combine old traditions with current perspectives. This is also true in the field of fashion. Designers from Africa (or with African roots) may not have been present on the catwalks of the Western fashion world for a long time, but now they are celebrating success in Paris, London and New York. Whether locally or in the diaspora, a young fashion design avant-garde is setting trends with provocative and visionary designs and changing the clichéd image of Africa that has been formed in the world.
Under the title “African Styles”, a documentary on Arte attempts to describe the various activities and approaches with which designers – from street style to haute couture – give new value to old African fabrics and textile techniques. At the same time, the aim is to create economically sustainable structures, jobs and training places on the ground. The documentary sheds light on a diverse scene that, according to the announcement, is also about social change on the continent.
In Lagos, Adebayo Oke-Lawal is challenging gender roles with his label “Orange Culture”; Senegalese designer Selly Raby Kane is dissolving the boundaries between fashion and art. In Cape Town, Lukhanyo Mdingi focuses on social responsibility with his brand; in Dakar, fashion designer Sophie Nzinga has opened the first school for fashion design in West Africa; and in Berlin, the young label “Emeka” focuses on upcycling. Kenneth Ize, who returned to Nigeria from Austria, creates designs with hand-woven fabrics that conquer the world’s catwalks; and in Paris, Imane Ayissi has become the first and only designer from sub-Saharan Africa to make it onto the stage of haute couture.
The 53-minute documentary will be broadcast on Sunday, 9 July at 5 pm on Arte. Please note that the documentary is only available in German and French.
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