Watching African fashion evolve

Basically I want your views on whether or not the evolution of African fashion is a good thing. 

I have a lovely cousin who also happens to be a designer. 

Lately, she’s received a lot of requests for “modern traditional wear”.

We were having a discussion about it and trying to figure out what exactly the term means. We figured it must mean traditional wear with a contemporary twist.

So, how do you purists feel about that? Should African fashion be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern runway or should it stay firmly in the realm of “traditional”? And isn’t the term “modern traditional” an oxymoron?

My view on it is this:

Nobody designs in a vacuum and nobody wants to be irrelevant. I figure, therefore, that ultimately all designers want their clothes to be worn by as many people as possible. My other assumption is that all African designers take pride in their African heritage and would love, where possible, to showcase it (and if they don’t, I want to know why not!).

Following that thought process, to be categorised as a successful designer of African fashion, you’d have to have designs that the majority of people want to wear.

Now I know we’ve had this discussion in an earlier post as to why not enough people wear African wear and this came out as one of the main deterrents – it’s just not modern enough.

My very well meaning mother when I was pregnant gave me an African outfit to wear. 

Knowing me as she did, she must have assumed that pregnancy had addled my brain as I ordinarily wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit like that (due to my pregnant doll like proportions that I have also alluded to earlier!). 

Turns out she was right and my brain had turned to mush, I wore it on several occasions and now cringe whenever I see pictures of myself during that period! 

If the design had been more contemporary though, I’d have worn it with pride (yes, that was the whole point of this paragraph!)

So come on, what are your thoughts and opinions? Share with me please. 

Oh, and head on down to the Afrawear store to get yourself something African, be it modern or traditional!