Japan and Africa might be worlds apart geographically, but aesthetics from the two cultures are artfully united in Wafrica's kimono collections.
This cultural cocktail is the brainchild of Serge Mouangue (a Cameroonian native), and Kururi, (a Japanese kimono designer). The kimonos mostly utilise bold, beautiful African patterns and motifs- fabrics are sourced from Senegal and Nigeria- on traditional Japanese kimono silhouettes.
For Mouangue, Wafrica is neither a fashion statement or a commercial venture. Though once common, the popularity of cultural dress has slowly been shoved out of fashion because of the increased exposure to Western fashions. Today in Japan, the kimono industry has shrunk dramatically, with fewer than one in 10 Japanese women wearing a kimono rather than Western-style clothes in their day to day.
Mouangue says on their website that:
"In response to the argument that globalization may rob us of our cultural identity, a conversation between two ancient, strong and sophisticated identities: Japan and Africa. The conversation is about the beauty of weaving strands of our stories together.
Wafrica is about hope and embracing the possibilities made available when the unique treasures brought by each of us are juxtaposed to form a new and enlightened international consciousness."
For more information on this brilliant collection, watch here:
