How Thando Hopa’s Africa Fashion Legacy Project Explores Africa’s rich Cultural History Through fabrics

International model, lawyer and activist, Thando Hopa launched African Fashion Legacy (AFL), a concept that explores the history of the transcontinental African fabrics that have been part of the lives of African people.

Hopa sat down with Glamour South Africa earlier this year to talk about the project and we’ve gathered some excerpts from the interview as seen below:

“AFL was launched after a seed planted by my mother. One afternoon she told me about the power of working-class communities and their significant contribution to fashion and culture. Her example was how rural communities in Lesotho created parallel ownership over Sishweshwe, a heritage that was once only considered to be Swiss German.”

“I then spoke to ma’am Angelique Kidjo when I was at the World Economic Forum, and she told me how Ankara, in West Africa, had a similar historical trajectory. I realised that if you follow the story of African fabric, it becomes a historical document that tells you several stories about many nations,” says Hopa.

To bring the AFL idea to life, Hopa collaborated with Miss Wheelchair World First Princess title-holder and model Lebohang Monyatsi as the face of the project. Fashion designer Palesa Mokubung, the founder of Mantsho, came on board as the lead designer for the garments that depicted the history of the transcontinental fabrics from ideation, drawing of the sketches to final garments encapsulating the origin of the fabrics.

“With this project, I am hoping that African youth will build cultural literacy and awareness on the fashion garments that have molded our heritage and still resonate with us in contemporary Africa,” says Hopa.

The collection aims to highlight how traditional African textiles, including Sishweshwe and Ankara, function as historical documents, carrying a collection of cultural experiences, diverse forms of humanity, and a shared sense of heritage.

In partnership with the fellowship programme for @worldeconomicforum
Editor: @nontando58
Producer, Contributing Editor and Writer: @thandohopa
Line Producer:@bongip
Model and Cultural Figure: @lebohangmonyatsi
Fashion Designer: @palesamokubung
Contributing Advisor: @angeliquekidjo
Photographer: @blackmilk_za
Creative Director:@envy.tv
Make up: @suzy_perini_makeup
Decorative head gear: @urban_mimz
Production Assistant:@vuyomaboe_sa
Jewelry @ditsaladesigns

Read the full article in Glamour’s 2022 Entertainment Issue, now available in-stores or online, here.

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