Fashion Rules: Lose the Granola, We’re Landing in Angola!
African fashion largely focuses on prints and bright colors. Textile design is an art in African culture that represents individuality and a rich history of diversity [1]. One exceptional piece is the Samakaka print that was designed out of the symbols from the Mumuila tribe in Angola. In early times, men would weave together strips of fabric to create mudcloth (known as bogolanfini) that originated in Mali [1]. The fabric would then be hand painted with secret messages printed on to pass down from mothers to daughters [1]. Mudcloth was not the first fabric made; barkcloth originated in Uganda to make home décor and clothing. Barkcloth is grown from the Mutaba tree and was used widely throughout Africa [1]. Women’s fashion in Angola ranges from traditional wear like batik wrap dresses to modern contemporary jeans [2]. Animal skins and handwoven cotton prints are the key fashion pieces in traditional Angolan wear [2]. More modern looks for both men and women consist of trousers and t-shirts. The weather in Angola is usually dry and cool or hot and damp [2]. This leads to some areas where people do not wear clothing, usually in small communities; they do not wear clothing but do cover the bottom half of their bodies with mudcloth [2]. Accessories can also be important pieces in Angolan fashion for women. Beads are popular materials used in jewelry pieces for special occasions [2]. During populous events, men will get tattoos to represent their social status. Women use accessories and different braiding techniques in their hair to elude to their social ranking [2].
Angola produces cotton which is why cotton fabric is used widely in their fashion industry. In 2014, the textile industry was suffering in the country with a lot of the fabric plants closing [3]. By 2015, the industry there was set to use new textile and apparel units, regaining its self-sufficient textile factories after relying heavily on imports [3]. A lot of the traditional clothing in the country is made from handwoven textiles, promoting culture and quality. Once they started to mass produce such clothing, the quality diminished slightly which forced people to outsource clothing via imports [3]. Fortunately, some small communities still use the old processes to make traditional clothing. Like many other countries, the West largely influences the fashion here. People will always look to movies, tourists, and western nations for fashion. However, traditional culture wear still remains a part of the fashion industry in Angola. As mothers pass down printed fabric, they are also passing down cultural remembrance. Daughters will keep the handwoven fabrics and pass those along to future generations, promising a future with culture and history.
The vibrant colors and tribal prints are used in collections around the world to represent African culture and a desire for hope, freedom, individuality, and enlightenment [4]. In 2018, two sisters designed a collection to represent their mother in the 1970s Angola when women broke free from any fashion restrictions [4]. Laurinda and her sister Fatuma wanted to pay their respects to their African culture while enriching fashion for women at the same time [4]. Their collection consisted of bright blues, yellows, oranges, and greens each paired with deep natural hues of brown, black, or white [4]. Prints are made of natural symbols like the sun, geometric shapes, and angular stripes, each intended to tell a story. Another designer, Nadir Tati, designs $10,000 gowns in Angola (Africa’s 3rd largest economy) [5]. Her pieces have even been worn by the first lady of Angola, celebrities, and actress Rachel Mwanza at the 2013 Oscars [5]. Her designs consist of vibrant colors, eclectic prints, embroidery, and oversized skirts. The country has only started to enhance and grow its fashion industry, as it slowly gained designers in 2014. Before then, a fashion designer was almost unheard of there [5]. In 2015, Angola hosted a fashion week to celebrate 14 years of sustainable growth, where the theme was the glamorous Baobab tree of Africa – the tree of life [6]. Designers showcased pieces representing the culture and environment of Angola, with inspiration ranging from the tree trunks to beautiful landscapes [6]. Fashion in Angola has continued to grow and become a prevalent part of the global fashion industry. There are a few fashion influencers in Angola who are becoming very popular. Soraya De Carvalho focuses on repairing fashion disasters and inspiring others with her style and blog [7]. She has over 100k followers on Instagram [8]. Maria Borges was named Forbes Africa magazine’s top model in 2013 and is the top model in Angola [7]. She has over 2 million followers on Instagram [9]. In addition to her fashion career, she is also an activist and businesswoman. She focuses on helping orphanages and education in Africa through the One Touch Charity [10]. Another popular public figure to keep on your radar is Amilna Estevao; she is a New York City model from Angola. She has been on many fashion magazines and runway shows throughout her career [7]. She has over 100k followers on Instagram and uses the platform to help animals in need [11].
Angolan fashion has come a long way, so where exactly is it headed? The country is influenced by Brazil as it is a Portuguese-speaking nation. That influence has leaked into the fashion industry, especially in its capital- Luanda [12]. Fashion icons and entrepreneurs are buying up Brazilian fashion and bringing it back to Angolan markets [12]. As Angola is coming out of a 6-year recession this year, the economy is beginning to gain its strength back [13]. The fashion markets will continue to include Brazilian fashion pieces. With such a strong culture and fashion story, it is sad to see Angolan fashion continue to be influenced by Brazil. Will this influence slowly eat away at the fibers of mudcloth? Will fashion no longer include culture? Lines are beginning to blur as fashion across the globe is influenced by other nations. Is this a good or bad thing? Stay tuned for my next blog coming soon…
REFERENCES
[1] https://continentclothing.com/blogs/continent-clothing/a-brief-history-of-african-clothing
[2] https://www.angolaevisa.com/blog/clothing-style-angola
[3] https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/7404/angola-textile-rises-like-a-phoenix
[4] https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/05/laurinda-fatuma-angolan-fashion/
[6] https://europaregina.eu/fashion-weeks/fashion-weeks-africa/angola-fashion-week/
[7] https://www.myus.com/blog/10-angolan-fashion-beauty-influencers-you-should-know/
[8] https://www.instagram.com/styleismything/
[9] https://www.instagram.com/iammariaborges/
[10] https://www.instagram.com/onetouchcharity/
[11] https://www.instagram.com/officialamilnaestevao/?hl=en