The V&A’s Latest Exhibition Is An Unbridled Celebration Of African Culture
Christine Checinska’s excitement is palpable when we speak on the first day of the Africa Fashion installation, which marks the culmination of two years of research for the Victoria & Albert Museum curator. Since Checinska joined the museum as the curator of African and African Diaspora Fashion in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, the esteemed art historian and former womenswear designer (who began working on the exhibition just days into her role) has worked tirelessly on Africa Fashion.
The visionary behind the highly anticipated exhibition which pays homage to decades of African pioneers and features 45 designers from over 20 countries – including an accompanying book filled with contributions from notable figures such as Orange Culture’s Adebayo Oke-Lawal and art historian Gus Casely-Hayford – has a newfound excitement for the richly diverse and innovative talent coming out of the continent. ‘The incredible creatives coming out of Africa can’t be denied. If you look at what's happening in fashion – music and the arts, too – I think that African creators lead the way when it comes to contemporary cutting-edge trends – and I that’s what makes this exhibition so timely,’ says Checinska.
After months of analysing garments from her computer screen, the lead curator explains there’s nothing quite like examining the exquisite pieces up close. ‘One of the standout moments during this experience happened when an incredible hand-embroidered piece by Moroccan designer, Artsi Ifrach arrived,’ says Checinska, while recalling the memorable moment she first unpacked the coat made by the founder of Maison ARTC. ‘It was a real Jack-in-the-box moment as the garment sprang to life. It’s adorned in small sequins and has a crinoline skirt underneath that holds it up.’
Split across two floors, Africa Fashion focuses on several sections: Cultural Renaissance, Politics and Poetics of Cloth, The Vanguard, Capturing Change, Minimalist, Mixologist, Afrotopia, Adornment, Artisanal, Co-creation and Through the Photographer’s Lens.
The exhibition explores the many facets of African style from the mid-1950s to the present day, to show that across the African diaspora, fashion is undefinable and not monolithic.
Cultural Renaissance kicks off the exhibition because ‘the independence era is so inspirational across the continent, even today,’ Christine explains. Politics and Poetics of Cloth, for example, taps into the importance of cloth across many countries; Afrotopia features a stellar look from LVMH prize recipient Thebe Magugu’s autumn/winter 2021 Alchemy collection, and elsewhere there are intimate family portraits from members of the public immortalised within the exhibition (one of Checinska’s favourite sections, she cites).
‘We invited members of the public to send post-independence fashions, whether that was garments, fabrics, or photographs. We have 10 families represented and the stories surrounding them, and it just melts your heart, as we can all relate and have images of family that we treasure from decades ago.’
Africa Fashion opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 2 July and runs until April 2023
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