Imane Ayissi champions authentic African textiles

Imane Ayissi, the trailblazing Cameroonian couturier, unveiled a mesmerizing haute couture show at Paris Fashion Week, showcasing traditional African textiles that have long been overshadowed on the global fashion stage.

Ayissi, who made history in 2020 as the first sub-Saharan African designer at haute couture week, is determined to revive indigenous fabrics like Obom tree bark, Ghanaian kente cloth, and Burkina Faso’s kapok fibers, challenging the dominance of imported materials that flooded Africa during the colonial era.

Speaking from his workshop ahead of the show, Ayissi emphasized the need to redefine perceptions of African fashion, stating, “When we talk about African fashion, we think of colorful fabrics that Africans started wearing relatively recently.”

His mission extends beyond the runway, seeking to resurrect traditional fabrics like rafia, sourced from local trees and plants, that played a vital role before the influx of foreign textiles.

Ayissi’s creations, showcased before a diverse audience that included footballer Mamadou Sakho, demonstrated the transformative power of these traditional textiles.

The UNESCO report coinciding with the show emphasized the immense potential of the African fashion sector, which already hosts fashion weeks in 32 countries, with the sub-Saharan clothing market surpassing $30 billion in 2020.

Despite being celebrated in exhibitions at prestigious institutions like London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and New York’s Brooklyn Museum, Ayissi acknowledges the challenges of surviving as an independent designer, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Without a financial backer, he navigates the competitive landscape of Paris Fashion Week, standing alongside fashion giants like Chanel and Dior, relying solely on his expertise.

One of Ayissi’s primary hurdles is the sourcing of quality materials from Africa.

He laments the industry’s failure to meet international standards, leading him to import cotton from other regions. The UNESCO report echoes his concerns, revealing that a significant 81% of cotton exported from Africa is in raw form, processed elsewhere, and sold back to the continent at inflated prices.

Ayissi’s call for awareness extends to the protection of African intellectual property, as highlighted in the UNESCO report. The failure to safeguard designs like Ghana’s kente fabric or Kenya’s Maasai patterns has resulted in diminished sales after being copied in foreign markets.

In his plea, Ayissi urges Africans to awaken to the potential within the fashion industry. While working to elevate standards through collaborations with embroiderers in Ghana and beyond, he emphasizes the necessity for African investors to believe in the artistic and intellectual value of fashion.

“Africans must wake up,” Ayissi declares, underscoring the importance of recognizing fashion as a noble profession and a significant economic force rooted in pride and identity.