Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo closed out last week with a celebration of African creativity. Maiden event Afromatic Tokyo 2022, co-hosted by Keiko Sydenham of Junction Partners (Tokyo) and Jerome Sydenham of Afromatic Festivals (Berlin), introduced a special curation of African talents to the always-curious Japanese market with a catwalk show, art exhibition and auction at Terrada Art Complex.

I acted as the fashion curator for Afromatic by inviting Bubu Ogisi of IAMISIGO, Olubiyi Thomas and Foday Dumbuya of Labrum London to participate. All three of these designers are committed to authentic storytelling and sustainability and together offered the invited guests a glimpse of the breadth and beauty of the global African fashion scene.

Ogisi roams between Lagos, Accra and Nairobi to collaborate with artists and craftspeople to create unique textiles. By fusing age-old weaving techniques with organic plant fibres and upcycled materials, the results shape into wearable and highly textured art pieces. At Afromatic, her current collection, Green Water, Blue Forest, saw models wear blue wigs over their faces and blue bags wrapped around their feet, transforming them into peaceful futuristic creatures.

“With the body being the ultimate canvas, we imagine the only way to save ourselves and the future is through synchronising the worlds of the synthetic and the natural,” she explains. “Handwoven hemp pieces are interwoven with cotton and silk and complimented with hand crocheted and patch-worked recycled plastic pieces. Here you will find fashion, permanence and fluidity.”

Nigerian-Scottish designer Olubiyi Thomas is a rising star of London Fashion Week thanks to his intelligent and avant garde approach to tailoring. His signature has become elongated and raw-edged silhouettes constructed from heritage cloths. In Tokyo his SS23 collection, Phoenix Rising, comprised layered looks ranging from deep black to blood red, indigo blue and soft grey, all topped off with bewitching millinery.

“My initial inspiration came from the mythological creature/bird, which in many cultures represents or symbolises the idea of rebirth, transformation, reincarnation and resurrection,” he says. “Touching on initiation ceremonies from West African tribes, specifically the 'Ase' concept through which the Yoruba people of Nigeria conceived the power to make things happen and produce change, the collection explores ideas around mental health and overcoming oneself in the realm of the unknown/spiritual.”

Dumbuya was born in Freetown and grew up in London, where he is currently a New Gen designer at London Fashion Week. His brand focusses on pared back tailoring in beautifully crafted textiles inspired by his upbringing and surroundings. For SS23, entitled, Freedom of Movement, we’re reminded of his divining concept – Designed By An Immigrant – via a line-up of relaxed suits with athletic undertones complimented by a sprinkling of delicately tiered women’s looks.

“Derived from the idea of a borderless society, this collection seeks to celebrate different cultures under one roof, living side by side. Inspired by my heritage, the merging of these communities has always been a source of joy,” he says. “My team also brought together family photos that represented their diverse backgrounds across Europe, South Asia and West Africa. Taking Mark Rothko’s colour palette of blues, greens and browns, and a repeat Labrum monogram, these are clothes that mean you are free to move and to grow.”

Meanwhile the art exhibition, displayed on the raw-surfaced walls of the space, surrounded the catwalk like a warm glow. Curator Grace Osime selected a broad range of West African painters, both emerging and established, with an engaging focus on portraiture. Highlights came from Odinakachi Okoroafor, Kingsley Obasi, Uthman Wahab, Kwaku Owusu Achim and Fidel Oyiogu.

Just a taste of the riches coming out of the continent, and with favourable reviews from Vogue Japan and WWD, we can look forward to Afromatic Tokyo becoming an essential annual feature on Japan’s cultural calendar.

Visit Afromatic Tokyo

Published on 05/09/2022