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afro style mag | Design School of Africa
said 2009 would be the year that I travel to Kenya. I day dream of Kenya’s lush lands, wildlife and beautifully unique natives. We’ve now embarked upon 2010 and, while I was conservative last year considering our economy, I will not let this year pass without traveling to the Motherland. The Spring 2010 designer collections have gotten me even more inspired and ancient to visit. There is something about the change in climate and flourishing blossoms that always draw the fashion houses to Africa and this year’s collections are no different.
It is no surprise that one of my favorite designers, Dries Van Noten, stands in first place in this class. There is no doubt that Van Noten looked to the African continent while designing this collection. Western African prints covered dresses, short sleeved coats, bottoms, and everything in between. Africa wasn’t alone as Van Noten also drew substantially from Asia as well. The shapes of this collection are beautifully understated but it is the graphic ethnic fabrics that make it stand alone from all the rest.
Los Angeles natives, Rodarte, seem to have traveled to Kenya themselves. If you know anything about the Masai tribe in Kenya and their signature fabric draping then the comparison with Rodarte’s 10 collection is obvious.
The Mulleavy sisters executed one of their most beautiful collections to date with intense draping and a mix of patterned, sheer, crinkled, and fringed materials. What’s more is the rich color palette of maroon and Black with pops of Gold and earth tones. These hues create images of a dark Nairobi horizon with a single Acacia tree in view.
Speaking of color, Gold definitely made its way onto the runways this season. We all know the African continent has a heart of gold and there was something about the Gold pantones referenced that proved that it’s not just the precious metal we’re talking about here.
Roland Mouret’s SS 10 collection featured a Gold/Bronze/metallic striped pattern, which he sprinkled throughout the show that really set a tone, I believe, for the entire season.
Also, the designer adorned models with Gold feather shoulder pieces and necklaces so indigenous looking and yet so modern, it’s like you’ve never seen feathers and Gold metal used in such a way.
One cannot speak on the attire of the diverse native people of Africa without mentioning shape, silhouette, and volume. For a lot of the traditional dress of South Africa, it is the exaggerated volume that sets it apart from the rest; and exaggerated shoulders are a common theme in West African clothing. Some of the designers even took more of “wildlife” approach with silhouettes reminiscent of nature’s inhabitants.
Many designers seized their opportunity in a trying time to exhaust their creativity and allow us to see what they see inside their glorious minds. It has been so enjoyable reviewing each and every collection with a critical eye and the innovation in 2010’s Spring collections is breath taking. But there is one common theme that never seems to go away. Africa is always present on the runways. There’s no getting around it. There’s too much beauty, tapped and untapped, too much radiance, and too much mystique to turn away from her. The truth is there can never be too much of any of these, and for that reason we will always see a piece of our motherland on those runways season after season.
said 2009 would be the year that I travel to Kenya. I day dream of Kenya’s lush lands, wildlife and beautifully unique natives. We’ve now embarked upon 2010 and, while I was conservative last year considering our economy, I will not let this year pass without traveling to the Motherland. The Spring 2010 designer collections have gotten me even more inspired and ancient to visit. There is something about the change in climate and flourishing blossoms that always draw the fashion houses to Africa and this year’s collections are no different. 
