Book: Fashion Africa: A visual overview of contemporary African fashion (2nd edition)
Author: Jacqueline Shaw
Publisher: Jacaranda Books
Price: £29.99
Review by Joy Francis
Back in 2011, fashion designer and budding eco-entrepreneur Jacqueline Shaw self published the encyclopedic Fashion Africa: A visual overview of contemporary African fashion.
Fast forward three years and the leading blogger on African fashion has relocated to Germany as a lead designer, landed a publisher and the tome has been updated and revamped with a new foreword by Chris Spring, curator of African Collections at the British Museum.
Clearly a labour of love, Shaw says she curated the book to “highlight the challenges and misperceptions of Africa within the global textile industry”. Despite Africa’s stronger presence on the international fashion stage, thanks to social media, Fashion Africa is filling a still significant information gap for designers, fashion retailers, academics and journalists as well as manufacturers.
Holding a favourable spotlight over 44 top designers from around the globe, who have specifically sourced Africa for their brands, the book is stylishly crammed with beautiful photographs and illustrations – from the history of African fashion and the production process to the fashion itself. Among the talented and cutting edge designers featured are Adele Dejak’s bold luxury fashion accessories, Aurora James’s sustainable handmade leather shoes and Kemkeum Studios’s couture fashion made from Yoruban Aso Oke fabric.
Using a Q&A format, the designers are grilled about how they source their materials, their connection to Africa and their ethical stance. Shaw also draws attention to the need for local people to be technically skilled rather than rely on foreign workers, and how a lack of infrastructure for the textile industry is weakening its sustainability and investment potential. Unlike its precedessor, this updated version is better signposted, more visually measured and easier to navigate.
Fashion Africa aims to cover all things African and fashion related but manages to hold all the strands together without losing direction, or the reader’s attention. It caters for different levels of knowledge and interest – whether you just want to know what’s on trend, who is forging new paths in accessories, textiles or business, or how create a sustainable brand.
Strong on passion and factual information with Vogue level photography, Fashion Africa is a coffee table book with a conscience.
To purchase the book, visit: www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk/book/fashion-africa