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The New York Public Library
presents
A Design and Style Series Event
New African Fashion
Helen Jennings and Enyinne Owunwanne
in conversation with
Bethann Hardison
Mataano Twin sisters
and Mimi Plange
Wednesday November 30, 2011
6:00 P.m.
Margaret Liebman Berger Forum
Room 227 (2nd Floor)
The New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
5thAvenue at 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018
Room 227 opens to the public at 5:30 p.m.
All events are FREE and subject to last minute change or cancellation.
From Africa-inspired to African-made, New African Fashion is the first book to celebrate a new wave of fashion designers who are emerging on the global stage. Hundreds of vibrant, full-color images showcase the innovative work of emerging designers, photographers and models. Writer, editor and fashion expert Helen Jennings presents the history and future of African fashion, sharing a selection of images from the book. She is accompanied by illustrious members of the African fashion community, including the duo who make up womenswear brand Mataano, designer Mimi Plange and former model turned fashion editor, Bethann Hardison. Enyinne Owunwanne of African fashion Heritage 1960 moderates the discussion.
Ever since the late 1960s when Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne presented African-inspired collections, the textiles, details, and colors of Africa have moved into the realm of high fashion. In the past few years, young designers from the continent itself have emerged as people to watch in the fashion world. Helen Jennings, editor of award-winning ARISE magazine, offers in New African Fashion a brief history of African fashion, beauty and style, follows its influence on modern designers, and spotlights the best designers, photographers, and models from across the continent and the African diaspora. Profiling popular lines such as Duro Olowu,Jewel by Lisa, Black Coffee, and Eric Raisina, Jennings explores the myriad reasons why African fashion is having its moment in the sun. She shows how designers are looking beyond cliches of the African aesthetic by embracing both traditional and contemporary fabrics and garments, and how the passion for ethically and environmentally conscious clothing is fueling this trend. As colorful and exciting as the fashions it features, this volume will appeal to anyone interested in following the world's most exciting new fashion development.
Copies of New African Fashion are available for purchase and signing at the event.
Helen Jennings is one of the UK's preeminent fashion journalists as well as the editor of ARISE, the award-winning global glossy celebrating African fashion, music and culture. She has been at the magazine's helm since its launch in 2008. It is now sold in over 20 countries worldwide. ARISE assignments have taken her to Miami to interview Idris Elba, to Johannesburg to shoot with Oluchi Onweagba, to Lagos to hang out with Femi Kuti at The Shrine and to Nairobi to report on Kenya's fashion scene. Jennings studied at Kings College London and over the years she has contributed to such titles as i-D, The Face,Time Out, Neo2, Touch, The Fader, Trace and Oyster. She now puts all of this experience into her first book, New African Fashion.
Brooklyn-born Bethann Hardison was an international runway model in the 1970s and model agent in the 1980s, during which time she was responsible for launching the careers of both Tyson Beckford and Veronica Webb. She established the Black Girls Coalition with her close friend Iman in 1988 as a means of championing models of colour and to this day, she remains a fearless campaigner for diversity in fashion. She worked on Vogue Italia's 'Black' issue in 2008 and currently contributes to the Vogue Black website and is working on a documentary project.
Mataano: Twin sisters Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim grew up between Somalia and the USA and currently live in New York. They launched their womenswear brand Mataano (meaning twins in Somali) for spring/summer 2009 and have since showcased their feminine, modern designs in Addis Ababa, Lagos, New York and Johannesburg. They have been interviewed by Oprah and profiled by CNN, Vogue,ARISE and Essence.
Mimi Plange was born in Accra, Ghana and raised in California. She studied architecture and fashion before relocating to New York, where she worked for both Patricia Fields and Rachel Roy. She launched her label (formerly called Boudoir D’huitres) in 2007 offering luxury womenswear inspired by Victorian fashion and her African heritage. She now has retailers on three continents and shows during New York Fashion Week.
Heritage1960, founded by Enyinne Owunwanne, calls itself a “one stop shop for global African fashion and lifestyle brands.” It got its name from the year 1960 in which 17 African nations gained their independence. Owunwanne says, “I’m passionate about viewing Africa from a global perspective. Heritage1960 is a celebration of freedom, individuality and style. Everything and everyone on Heritage1960 is connected to Africa in some way.
Conceived and organized by Arezoo Moseni, Design and Style is a new series of events featuring discussions and presentations by leading professionals in the various design fields.
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