Thank you so much to everyone who commented so wonderfully on the last couple of posts (and bonus points to anyone old enough to recognize the Bee Gees song in yesterday's title).
It seems I have new viewers who find this blog through the posts on African fabric and design. I don't know who you all are, but thank you for visiting! It's not too surprising, since beautiful African art and design is everywhere these days and people are looking for information and links.
The African aesthetic can be both ancient and tribal, and bold and contemporary, and has inspired some extraordinary textile art, like that of Yvonne Morton. And of course, it fits perfectly in the cultural groove, given our new president's African roots and renewed appreciation for the gifts of African culture.
I went looking for something for a follow-up post, and got lost in the very bookmark-worthy Style Court blog, with many pages of posts on textiles and art, and great ideas about how to frame and use art. Here's her post on African style.
SUNO is a new company using vintage African printed fabrics; designer Max Osterweis collected fabrics from Kenya over the course of a decade. "The prospect that Kenya's recent post-election turmoil might keep foreigners from visiting or investing in a country overflowing with natural resources, talent, and good will became the catalyst to actually do something with these collected fabrics," the site says. "Building a successful and visible company that employs local Kenyan talent, treats workers fairly, and showcases some of Kenya's artistry, could potentially effect positive and lasting social and economic change."
That sounds slow, sustainable and beautiful. This spring collection has 1,000 individually made and numbered pieces, and the company employs sample- and patternmakers in New York as well as stitchers in Kenya. The fabrics are vintage kangas, printed cloth rectangles with a rich history and expressive language all their own, like so many traditional garments.
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