Ethiopian American Fashion Designer Yodit Eklund: Tapping Into Africa’s Expertise – The New York Times Who: Yodit Eklund What: One-piece bathing suits ($118) and bikinis ($145) designed on West Africas Ivory Coast and manufactured in Ethiopia Background: Raised in Kenya, Sudan, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Egypt before studying environmental science and economics at UC Berkeley Inspiration: The bright prints of French-colonized West Africa. French West African countries tend to have more entertainment and nightlife, so their prints are more vibrant. English-colonized countries, such as Ghana, tend to produce more structured, Liberty-style prints. Where to buy: Barneys New York; Anthropologie; Fred Segal goal: I want to give people in Africa the power to help themselves. In July, the fashion entrepreneur Yodit Eklund did the unusual. She decided to restructure her four-year-old surfwear brand Bantu Wax, with the aim of reflecting and serving the African surf culture she grew up with. Collaborating with local artists is a major part of Ms. Eklund’s new brand vision for the Ethiopian-made clothing line. “I work with young African designers, because they reflect what’s going on,” she explained at an interview during Paris Fashion Week in October. “It’s not about safari or masks.” The fabrics are designed by a team in Ivory Coast, while an in-house team in Dakar, Senegal, creates the styles. She also decided to open a store this winter on Dakar’s beachfront, located between two surf breaks.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:01:56 +0000
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