A 2010 Fashion Odyssey

Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, 23, from Ghana, has already aroused interest as a finalist at the Graduate Fashion Week 2009 Gala Show.

Her final collection is inspired by African prints, the theme of space, and words and phrases such as ‘change’, ‘establishing an identity’ and ‘rebellion’. This unusual blend of ideas is strongly linked to her admiration for the Nigerian fine artist Yinka Shonibare. It is especially his photographic images of an astronaut in a spacesuit made from African fabric which grabbed her creative imagination.

Designing her own prints, she has produced eye-catching patterns, using bright and lively colours, which are essentially based on an African print she found in her mother’s wardrobe: “I saw this fabric in my mother’s closet and fell in love with it; I just had to use it”.

However, there is an added twist to her prints – all the patterns are made up of small space shuttles. This detail adds an extra dimension to the design, subtly fusing together the African theme with that of astronautics.

 

This merging of Africa with outer space runs throughout the collection; a canary yellow coat was teamed with a printed jumpsuit and a leather leotard matched with a jersey helmet.

 

Her leather jumpsuit and leotard not only project the futuristic theme but also play with the female form, hugging the figure in a symmetrical design with contrasting bright and dark colours. There is a distinct pull between masculinity and femininity. The female form is enhanced with the leather leotard using corset style criss-crossing laces and enlarged hips but there is a strong masculine touch in the exaggerated shoulders. The same amplified shoulders are found on the leather jumpsuit. The overall straight shape of the jumpsuit also creates an androgynous appearance as does the chevron accentuating the loins. This play on body form adds an obscure element to the design, in a way creating an alien-type being, and arouses one’s curiosity.

Akosua Afriyie-Kumi has, without a doubt, produced an original and thought-provoking collection. The contrasting colours, collision of ideas, creative detail, and the manipulation of the female form, cannot but grab your attention.

By Susannah Spring