Young designer reshaping Africa's traditional kente fashion

DW (English)

Contemporary, minimalist and authentic: Travis Obeng-Casper, a fashion designer from Ghana, is redefining the country's traditional kente fabrics.

Transcript

00:00Okay, it's not entirely new to interpret the traditional kente as fashionable everyday

00:10clothing.

00:11The iconic fabric from Ghana has long since ceased to be used only for ceremonial purposes.

00:18But what makes Travis Kasper Obeng's clothing so different?

00:24The coolest thing about the Heritage in Motion collection is the idea of merging traditional

00:33Ghanaian textiles together to create a form of hybrid fabric.

00:39Kente from the Ashantis, and then we have Kete from the Vota region, and then we have

00:44Fugu from the Northern region.

00:46We don't want to have a separation of name, but we want to have a Ghanaian textile.

00:53Before we learn all about kente, let's take a look at how Travis made it into the top

00:58eight list of designers from Africa.

01:00He founded his own fashion brand while still a student in 2018, and two years later, he

01:06was already one of the 30 under 30 designers in Africa at Arise Fashion Week.

01:12Travis has simply done everything right.

01:15Was it that easy?

01:17Part of the challenges, I personally have faced fabric hunting, dealing with artisans,

01:25especially with the tailors.

01:27But what I have been able to do is that from brainstorming, from sketches, designing, they

01:33are part of it so they can understand where we are headed.

01:36Not just for them to sit down and just making the outfit.

01:39We are also looking at training other weavers as well, and you need a certain mindset to

01:45be able to take them through that process.

01:47So we are looking at master weavers and also people who would have the interest, who would

01:52have the feel, so we can add more value to our local hand-woven fabrics or textiles.

01:59My mom used to dress in a very different way, so she wasn't dressing a very typical Ghanaian

02:05woman style.

02:07So that also kind of gave me that feeling of wanting to be in that space.

02:12I've had an amazing support from family, friends, they've been incredible, and without them

02:19I don't think I would be where I am today.

02:22Now, Ghanaian kente is an intricately woven fabric with roots that can be traced to the

02:2817th century.

02:30Initially, it was worn exclusively for royalty, but has now become a symbol of cultural identity.

02:36It is owned by most Ghanaians and widely used during important ceremonies like weddings,

02:42festivals, or funerals, symbolizing prestige, wealth, and belonging.

02:48But what was Travis' reason for turning this fabric around for everyday use?

02:54The weaving of the kente was more heavier, but for me as a designer, it's how do you

03:00create more product options out of our local fabrics.

03:03I would want to distill and then create a lighter version of the hand-woven fabrics

03:09we have in Ghana.

03:10So the theme of the collection is heritage in motion, and heritage in motion because

03:15moving the traditional technique and then having a modern feel to it.

03:19But how does he incorporate elements of the kente fabric into his designs?

03:24For me, it's very important to celebrate our heritage, it's very important to pay attention

03:29to what we have here.

03:31So that's why I am excited to incorporate our Ghanaian hand-woven textiles in my collection.

03:37My creative process comes in three formats.

03:39Have the research phase, and then I have the reference phase, and then I have the creative

03:43direction phase.

03:45So that's the moment I look for themes to say that if it's Afro-Romance I'm going to

03:51talk about, if it's Ghana Week I'm going to talk about, if it's heritage in motion I'm

03:54going to talk about, and then have a deep meaning to it.

03:59Then I move to the referencing side, in which I have the direct reference and then the indirect

04:05reference.

04:06All my life as a weaver, my dream is to weave something which will be lighter.

04:12Luckily enough, Travis came in and we were able to have something beautiful and I'm very

04:20much happy about it, noticing that my dream has come true.

04:26Merging traditional textiles with modern fashion trends is no small feat.

04:32The balancing act between traditional craftsmanship and fashion innovation is not always successful.

04:39In the summer, the traditionally inspired uniforms of the Kenyan Olympic team were criticized

04:44while at the same time, the Adire fabrics of the Nigerians were repeatedly celebrated.

04:50How does Travis manage to inspire conservative voices with his fashion ideas?

04:56After all, we are talking about royal textiles.

05:00I think fabrics mean so much to me.

05:02They represent me, they are my true identity, they've been throughout history, they've been

05:08very significant.

05:10We need to be able to create more functional pieces, so not just necessarily just creating

05:15the fabric and then making it as just the cloth, but we need to create a whole new product

05:21where we can have it as our daily wear.

05:24But how the Ghanaian audience will truly react to his casual kente clothes, Travis doesn't

05:29know yet.

05:30That's why he plans to introduce his new collection through a pop-up store event.

05:35Friends, family and fashion enthusiasts are invited to be part of this revolutionary fashion

05:41experience.

05:42Will the collection be a disaster or a hit?

05:46Travis has always been creative and you see that in his designs and the way he tells his

05:51stories linking it to the Ghanaian tradition and blending it in the kind of pieces that

05:58he makes.

05:59And so it's fascinating to see that he has actually directed the creation of hand-woven

06:05fabrics that are light and breathable and that has been made into very easy and flowy

06:13everyday pieces.

06:14How I ensure that Aja Ben's designs stays relevant by staying very close to the weavers

06:22as well because the more we are closer to them, the more we can have more innovative

06:26ideas and also to inspire other designers that can also push Aja Ben's design to even

06:34the next level.

06:35So the more other people are coming in, the more we are also thinking further and beyond

06:39us.

06:40The test run went well and Travis' kente collection shows that this royal fabric doesn't

06:45have to be reserved only for special occasions.

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