Africa Suits Me

As soon as it gets warmer my love for African prints awakes. Well, actually it wasn’t sleeping during winter, but since there are rarely warm jumpers or coats featuring those strong prints, I had to put them aside and wait till it was finally African Season in Europe again. Let the pattern mania begin!

Just like last summer, I see quite some European/American labels featuring African prints in their collections and this fills me with puzzlement: Most of them just seem to repeat what was done by African designers already, same fabrics, not very different cuts and silhouettes and not much innovation. Why do they bother if they don’t add something different I ask myself and even more so: Why should I not just go for the real thing and support the African designers with my shopping?

This is just what I do in this look with my pencil skirt and jacket made in Nigeria. I believe that cultures enrich each other and it makes me happy that in my everyday life there are little signs of many different influences all mixed up to a beautiful union. This feeling is what I expect from European designers using African Prints: I want them to work with those fabrics because they adore their strong uniqueness and I want them to add something of their culture, to reinterpret them and create something new with love. This is what I’d buy, hang next to my original African designs, my Chinese kimonos, and British tartan skirts and take out to combine it to wild looks that know no boundaries.

My Outfit
Jacket and Skirt: Tufafiii from Hanimanns, Jumper: CeliaB, Shoes: Ego & Greed,
Bag & Sunglasses: Maude Studio, Hat: Lack of Color, Belt: HM x Moschino,
Kneesocks: Retropunk

Pictures: Marco Borromeo. This post contains sponsored products.