Africa Fashion has just touched downed in Melbourne with graceful aplomb. The landmark exhibition was originally curated by Dr Christine Checinska at the V&A in London before travelling onto Brooklyn Museum and Portland Art Museum, continuing to evolve with each iteration. As ever, this latest custodianship at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) presents more than 200 works and over 50 creatives from 22 African countries whose work reflects the influence, dynamism and socio-political force of contemporary African fashions from the mid 20th century to today. Nataal’s short film ‘Who Dey Shake’ directed by Lakin Ogunbanwo remains in the mix alongside objects, images and sounds that bring this vital scene to life.

The institution has made Africa Fashion its own by adding recent looks from its collection by designers including Thebe Magugu, Loza Maléombho, Lagos Space Programme, Orange Culture, Lisa Folawiyo and Imane Ayissi. Significantly, it leans into the city’s diaspora community by showcasing work from artists such as Sudanese-Australian artist Atong Atem alongside other photography from its collection by Phumzile Khanyile, Lakin Ogunbanwo and Hassan Hajjaj. It’s also invited local people to share images from their family photo albums that celebrate the everyday style of Africans in Melbourne throughout the independence and liberation era. In addition, Congolese-Australian photographer Thomas Suleiman has created an uplifting portrait series featuring a line-up of local fashion industry creatives from the diaspora, some of which are presented here. We sit down with Charlotte Botica, curatorial project officer, fashion and textiles at the NGV, who developed the show alongside her curatorial colleague Danielle Whitfield, to find out more.

What for you made the original V&A curation so impactful?

I was impressed by the commitment to foregrounding individual and collective voices in the development and delivery of the exhibition. Christine’s approach is very much about self-representation and agency, how artists see their practice and define themselves. Although seemingly obvious, this consideration instils multiplicity of perspectives. Through exploring the dialogues between past, present and future and this notion of looking back to go forward, the exhibition collapses linear time thus, contextualises African fashioning systems. It does not historicise long standing artisanal practices but sees them as ever evolving. I was surprised by how clearly this manifested in the exhibition and how many contemporary designers are fostering sustainability socially as well as environmentally.

How have you evolved the show for the NGV?

We were thrilled to build NGV holdings of fashion by designers from the continent. And we have localised the exhibition through our programmes, portrait series and call for participation, all which were developed in consultation with Christine and NGV co-curator of programmes Dorcas Maphakela. The programmes extend the holistic approach to the exhibition, uniting creative disciplines such as performance, spoken word, music and artists to showcase the vitality of local creatives.

What does the portrait series by Thomas Suleiman express about Melbourne’s diasporic creatives?

Sitters include leading Melbourne designers, jewellers, models, stylists and hair artists, highlighting the multitude of perspectives fuelling the local industry. The portraits and accompanying personal statements echo the energy, creativity and cultural agency that can be expressed through fashion and individual style.

What legacy do you hope the show will have in Melbourne?

We hope it resonates and inspires more projects like this, that come out of a collaborative consultative practice with a remit to globalise fashion histories beyond a Global North lens. We hope our programming continues conversations and nurtures relationships and visitation with all audiences including local diasporic communities. We also hope that people engage with the exhibition resources published online that are authored by the acquired designers. Most of all, we are eager to continue building this into a rich area of the collection that we can draw upon for years to come.