Event 3- African Print Fashion Now!
For our 3rd event, I visited the Fowler Museum on campus, and specifically went to the "African Print Fashion Now" exhibit. I found this exhibit to be super interesting and I was not even aware this existed on our campus. I have never learned about African fashion, so it was a new topic I got to explore.
African dress is characterized with bright colors, bold images, and complex patterns. This is mainly worn in the countries of west and central Africa, and although the trends vary from country to country, the overall theme remains the same. This exhibit covered all aspects of African fashion from runway, to youth trends, to local seamstresses.
African fashion began to bloom in the twentieth century, and was seen all over the globe as it gained popularity. The designs are used to depict issues such as identity, displacement, and hybridity, while combining art and fashion. The cloth worn by the women are seen as her measure of wealth and taste, so a lot of time and effort is put into each design. These prints are produced through a mechanical process that uses a mixture of wax to print on both sides of the cloth, where it is then immersed in dye baths.
African fashion is different from the rest of the world because the customer is able to pick their choice of print and help customize their piece to their individuality. It is a balance of creation between the seamstress and client. It is completely different from shopping in other countries of the world as it is a much more hands on experience for the buyer, resulting in total satisfaction. It has also been seen on the runway as it it able to combine its characteristics with other fabrics. This creates a look that different continents can all enjoy and which creates a connection through the art of fashion.
I found this exhibit to have a connection with areas we have learned throughout the weeks of Desma 9. Specifically, I saw the similarity between the robotics and art unit, as well as the two cultures unit. There is clearly a connection between the robotics and art because there are machines being used to produce these fashions. Without the help of the machines and robotics, the fashion and art would not be made possible. This blend of robotics and art is able to create beautiful designs that allow the African people to express their individuality, along with providing a creation of beauty for the rest of the world. I also see the connection between the two cultures unit as high fashion runway is combined with the african fashions. These are two things that originally do not have anything in common, but by blending together, they create something wonderful. Not only is it an opportunity to introduce the art these indigenous people love to the high fashion world, but it is also able to form a connection between multiple countries. Runway is a way that the whole world can appreciate the fashion beauty created in African countries.
I would definitely recommend this exhibit to a fellow classmate. First, it is directly on campus, so easy to access, as well as having free admission. Second, it was also my favorite event I have been to so far because I truly learned something new about an area that interests me: fashion. There was so much to look at in this exhibit that it was impossible to get bored. I would recommend checking this out before we leave for the summer!
African dress is characterized with bright colors, bold images, and complex patterns. This is mainly worn in the countries of west and central Africa, and although the trends vary from country to country, the overall theme remains the same. This exhibit covered all aspects of African fashion from runway, to youth trends, to local seamstresses.
African fashion began to bloom in the twentieth century, and was seen all over the globe as it gained popularity. The designs are used to depict issues such as identity, displacement, and hybridity, while combining art and fashion. The cloth worn by the women are seen as her measure of wealth and taste, so a lot of time and effort is put into each design. These prints are produced through a mechanical process that uses a mixture of wax to print on both sides of the cloth, where it is then immersed in dye baths. 
African fashion is different from the rest of the world because the customer is able to pick their choice of print and help customize their piece to their individuality. It is a balance of creation between the seamstress and client. It is completely different from shopping in other countries of the world as it is a much more hands on experience for the buyer, resulting in total satisfaction. It has also been seen on the runway as it it able to combine its characteristics with other fabrics. This creates a look that different continents can all enjoy and which creates a connection through the art of fashion. 
I found this exhibit to have a connection with areas we have learned throughout the weeks of Desma 9. Specifically, I saw the similarity between the robotics and art unit, as well as the two cultures unit. There is clearly a connection between the robotics and art because there are machines being used to produce these fashions. Without the help of the machines and robotics, the fashion and art would not be made possible. This blend of robotics and art is able to create beautiful designs that allow the African people to express their individuality, along with providing a creation of beauty for the rest of the world. I also see the connection between the two cultures unit as high fashion runway is combined with the african fashions. These are two things that originally do not have anything in common, but by blending together, they create something wonderful. Not only is it an opportunity to introduce the art these indigenous people love to the high fashion world, but it is also able to form a connection between multiple countries. Runway is a way that the whole world can appreciate the fashion beauty created in African countries.
I would definitely recommend this exhibit to a fellow classmate. First, it is directly on campus, so easy to access, as well as having free admission. Second, it was also my favorite event I have been to so far because I truly learned something new about an area that interests me: fashion. There was so much to look at in this exhibit that it was impossible to get bored. I would recommend checking this out before we leave for the summer!
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