How Fashion Brand Iamisigo Preserves and Promotes African Heritage Through Handcrafted Wearable Art Pieces

IAMISIGO is a fashion label based in Lagos, Nairobi, and Accra, founded in 2009 by Bubu Ogisi to preserve and promote African fashion. The brand has become known for aesthetically stimulating handcrafted items that experiment with textures, color, and various methods of changing locally sourced sustainable African materials.

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Through in-depth study with remote African communities in various parts of the African continent, IAMISIGO creates wearable pieces of art using unconventional materials and traditional heritage textiles. It uses space design, visuals, and film to communicate lost historical narrative, transform found data, and apply it to clothing and fibers as a silent protest against post- and neo-colonialism.

One of the brand’s main focuses is to decolonize the mind by questioning and engaging a variety of views regarding socio-political concerns such as religion, gender, traditions, symbols and scripts, tribes and magic, as well as future challenges such as the environment. IAMISIGO enjoys using African crafts and traditions to edify fashion in distinct ways, displaying richness in the African culture.

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Having realized various collections, its most recent, titled “White Gold” is inspired by one of the most precious elements on earth, Salt. Shows how exceptionally intuned to African culture and heritage the brand is. The collection features striking pieces made with recycled materials and through highly sustainable practices including a recycled salt jute sack used to make a patchwork coat, a handmade mini bag made with calfskin, and another mini bag made with banana and palm raffia. Natural dyes were also made use of for production; natural salt, hibiscus, charcoal, and walnut.

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Recently, IAMISIGO has diversified into household products including art, furniture, and functional design. The clothing brand presently has a showroom in Lagos, Nigeria, and pieces are available at its retail outlets in Accra, Lusaka, London, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Paris.

Source: Prazzle Magazine

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