Courtesy of Lagos fashion week, Shade Thomas-Fahm, David Hill Gallery, Imane Ayissi, Nabil Zorkot, @M.A.Roock, Mikey Oshai
Bennis was at the forefront of “Generation Kaftan” —
a group of designers credited with the exploding
popularity of Moroccan styles in the 1970s.
Then there’s Shade Thomas-Fahm, who pioneered
ready-to-wear in 1960s Nigeria by opening the coun-
try’s first fashion boutique (no small feat in a country
where made-to-order occasionwear was the norm).
She was passionate about the use of local textiles but
chief among her trophies is the impact she had on
womenswear. “This was the moment of women’s
independence as well as national independence.
Thomas-Fahm was doing really simple but revolu-
tionary things, like putting a concealed zip in an iro
[the traditional Nigerian wrapped skirt],” says
Checinska. “She wanted to design clothes that were
easy to run about town in. It was this idea of women
having busy lives, they don’t want to
spend hours wrapping and rewrapping
their skirts.” One such iro will be on
display in the Vanguard room.
Many of the 267 objects on show in
Africa Fashion were procured via a
call-out to the public. Among them
a kente cloth bought in Ghana to mark
the christening of a child on the brink
of moving to Britain, as well as a Chris
Seydou-designed skirt suit in bogolan-
fini (a Malian cotton fabric dyed with
fermented mud), made for the wearer’s
18th birthday. Photographs from ten
families will be presented in Capturing
Change, a section dedicated to the vital
role that photography played during
decolonisation. It’s an unorthodox
approach to curation, which Akerelesays, “speaks to the very essence of what African
fashion is. The starting point of our creativity is
community, it’s the heart and soul of what makes
fashion in Africa unique.”
Checinska hopes the exhibition will mark a turning
point in the way the continent is represented. In fact,
the V&A is introducing a dedicated curatorial team to
work alongside her, with two new
members of staff focusing on perfor-
mance, art, architecture and photo-
graphy. “A shift in priority is long
overdue. People of colour are in the
global majority. It is crucial we see
ourselves represented in exhibitions
staged by leading cultural institu-
tions,” she says. “There is a long
history of black fashion and textile
designers creating exceptional work,
some under their own labels, some
under the auspices of the big fashion
brands. We have had a far-reaching
impact on fashion and style. It is time
this is recognised. ” ■Africa Fashion is at the Victoria and Albert
Museum from July 2; book at vam.ac.ukLeft An outfit by
the Malian fashion
designer Chris
Seydou. Above
A flyer for Shade
Thomas-Fahm’s
boutique in Lagos,- Right Nigerian
label Orange Culture,
autumn/winter 2021
Below Je Vais
Décoller, 1977, by
Sanlé Sory, a
photographer from
Burkina Faso who
chronicled the years
post independenceThe Sunday Times Style • 27