Maki Oh & More African Designers to be Featured in Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s ‘Fashion Cities Africa’ Exhibition

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery has something exciting coming your way this April. They will be setting up a contemporary exhibition titled “Fashion Cities Africa“, between April 2016 and January 2017 with the aim of exploring practices of dress, fashion & styling in 4 African cities – Casablanca (Morocco), Lagos (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya) * Johannesburg (South Africa)

Among the amazing designers to be showcased will be Amaka Osakwe of Maki Oh! Amaka has been added to the impressive list of designers that hold international stakes in the global fashion industry and her pieces have been worn by a number of personalities & public figures including Michelle Obama and Solange Knowles.

The exhibition is said to be the first major UK showcase that celebrates and examines the growing contemporary fashion scene on the continent.

Among the designers to be showcased include Nairobi’s 2Many Siblings, Casablanca-based Zhor Raïs, South Africa’s The Sartists and more.

According to co-curator, Helen Mears – “There’s been a surge of interest in contemporary African art and design in Europe and the US in recent years, but this is the first major UK exhibition dedicated to contemporary African fashion. We want to reveal the diversity that exists across the continent – and within single cities – and show that wax print is only part of the story of African fashion.” “Each of the cities featured has its own fashion scene: in some cases emergent, in others more established. Some African designers are now major players in international fashion, while others are experimenting creatively in the interface between global fashion and local identities.“

The exhibition will be accompanied by a community engagement programme and a vibrant events programme including music, dance, performance, workshops, talks and debates.

Fashion Cities Africa is generously supported by the James Henry Green Charitable Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England (Major Partner Museums Programme) and the Art Fund (Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants Programme).

To find out more, visit BrightonMuseums.org.uk