Ghana shines brightest at the Smithsonian Pan-African Fashion Showcase
A Ghanaian flag flew high as it moved down the runway of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in the United States on Saturday, September 26, it was one of nine African flags that opened the inaugural Pan-African Fabric & Fashion showcase.
But for the crowd gathered in Washington, D.C., a Ghanaian designer and her talented models ensured the Black Star shone brightest. Ghanaian designer Afua Sam, and Andromeda Osama-Peters, Miss Universe Ghana, turned the Smithsonian into a celebration of Ghanaian craftsmanship, and national pride.
“I picked these amazing and talented models, Karyn Berisie, Aziya Greves, and Miss Universe Ghana Andromeda Osam Peters, to represent with me at the Pan-African Fabric & Fashion showcase because I believe representation matters. Also, I wanted to communicate to the young generation behind us that they can be anything they want to be when they put their mind to it, work hard, and believe in themselves,” said Afua Sam.
The showcase brought together nine designers representing nine African countries, each interpreting The Pan-African Fabric, a contemporary textile created by Cameroonian visual artist and creative director Shiri Achu.
Achu told TheAfricanDream.net that she “created a color palette in 2023 with 12 colors and later developed it into a textile incorporating cultural symbols from different regions of Africa.” She distributed the fabric to representatives of African Embassies in Washington, D.C., encouraging them to create designs connected to their countries.
Ghana captured the emotional core of the afternoon with the intricate and yet simplified apparels that were created by Afua Sam. Sam who over the decades has been known for her sustainable approach to fashion, presented a collection titled “Threads of the Invisible Hands.”
Sam used jute fabric, a durable, sustainable natural textile made from the jute plant, to honor farmers and market women, the often-unseen backbone of African economies. She paired the material with intricate braiding which she said referenced the idea of a crown.
“I want to show people that African fabrics can be worn in different ways, and indeed created from all sorts of materials if one is willing to stretch their imagination,” said Sam to TheAfricanDream.net after the show.
She’s a U.S.-based Ghanaian creative who has built her brand around reimagining indigenous African textiles for global runways. Her work consistently centers the labor of women in markets and on farms, a theme that resonated strongly with the Smithsonian audience.
Representing Ghana on the runway was Andromeda Osama-Peters, Miss Universe Ghana 2024, a native of Cape Coast in the Central Region. The Smithsonian appearance took an unexpected personal turn when she discovered backstage that she and Afua Sam are related through their grandfathers.
“It felt special, because I felt like I was walking not only for Ghana,” said Osama-Peters. “Being Miss Universe Ghana is like I carry Ghana with me in every space I go into.” She described seeing the nine flags emerge one by one as “peak inspiration.”
“You don’t see representation everywhere,” she said. “But to be in a place that’s not just celebrating Ghana, but so many other African countries, it’s one Africa,” added Osama-Peters.
The connection between Sam and Osama-Peters became one of the most talked-about moments of the showcase, two Ghanaian women from different creative industries, united by family and by flag on one of America’s most prestigious cultural stages.
Achu, the curator of the project, said the power of the initiative was in its diversity of interpretation. Though all designers started with the same Pan-African textile, each transformed it through their own cultural lens.
“It just so happened that it was nine,” Achu said of the number of countries involved. “It’s just how it landed. Everybody had their own interpretation, which was beautiful to see,” she added, after watching all designers and models walk out together at the finale.
While other designs like Dr. Mncube-Barnes’ “Classy Funky” used shweshwe fabric to showcase the Basotho people of Lesotho, Ghana’s presentation stood out for its intentional elevation of everyday Ghanaian life, including the farmer, the market woman, and the queen.
The afternoon showcase continued into an evening cultural reception hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon where Afua Sam was honored with a citation. The Embassy event brought designers, cultural representatives and diplomats together.
“When you leave the flags behind and you come together as a whole collective, that’s what this is,” Achu said. On Saturday, Ghana led that collective forward.
Source: TheAfricanDream.net
