Cameroonian fashion designer Imane Ayissi’s designs, worn by celebrities like actress Zendaya and singer-humanitarian Angelique Kidjo, are making their debut in Atlanta.
“Imane Ayissi: From Africa to the World,” is hosted at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film from Sept. 18 through Feb. 23, 2025. The exhibit, Ayissi’s first-ever solo museum exhibition, features 43 designs from his collection, which uses haute couture fashion to honor his African heritage.
The couturier is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his brand, Imane Ayissi Couture. Along with colorful patchwork, Ayissi’s designs are notable for turning sustainable materials from his homeland into chic, luxury clothing inspired by life in Central Africa.
“Each dress has a story behind it, so we picked dresses that could show different periods and moments of history,” he said through translation from Jean-Marc Chauve, president of Ayissi’s fashion house in Paris.
Ayissi told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he hopes to see more African Americans embracing African traditions through fashion.
“It’s not every day that you get to see this,” he said. “I want people in Atlanta to come see the work of their culture. It has its right place in the luxury world.”
Credit: Fabrice Malard
Credit: Fabrice Malard
Chauve said the exhibit’s featured items were selected as examples for SCAD FASH students to learn more about how materials from regions around the world inspire works of fashion.
Rafael Gomes, SCAD FASH creative director and exhibit curator, visited Ayissi’s design studio in France three times before bringing the exhibit to Atlanta. He said the number of students coming to SCAD from Africa to study design and textiles is growing, and he wants the experience of attending the creative college to include reflections of intercontinental culture.
“We want to educate and open minds. He has a unique approach to fashion that gives them so much to learn about African culture, geography, politics and music,” Gomes said.
Percussive African rhythms play as a soundtrack inside the exhibit throughout the showing. A scannable QR code at the entry lays out a self-guided tour, featuring images and descriptions of Ayissi’s dresses.
The exhibit begins with Victorian-style dresses with colorful rectangular patches, typically worn by the Herero people of Namibia, matched with solid-color blouses inspired by military uniforms. A black gown displays sea animals and other figures from African proverbs.
Credit: SCAD
Credit: SCAD
The exhibit also celebrates African textiles traditionally worn by royalty. It includes a variety of vibrant dresses, jackets and pantsuits made with Ghanian Kente cloth, and Faso Dan Fani, a woven fabric made with cotton yarn.
There are blouses, pants and earrings made with dyed obom, a fiber made from tree bark. Traditional Cameroonian and South African beads become embroidered flowers on gowns. There’s also a textured kaftan dress once worn by Emmy-winning actress Zendaya.
Raffia, a material from Madagascar that resembles tassels, is one of Ayissi’s favorite materials. It is turned into short skirts, matched with bright fabrics and made into items like a bright yellow crocheted dress worn by Kidjo.
A former model and professional dancer, Ayissi has lived in Paris for more than 30 years and pays homage in his work to his catwalk days, and high-end fashion muses like Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy.
He also includes his beginnings as a designer in the exhibition. Framed sketches of each dress are displayed, and near the end of the exhibit is a velvet dress with plant-inspired embroidery. It’s the first design Ayissi created for his mother, a history-making model named Julienne Ayissi Eyenga Fouda, who in 1960 became the nation’s first Miss. Cameroon.
Credit: SCAD
Credit: SCAD
Ayissi said the collection acknowledges the unsung heroes in the fashion community.
“This is a way to highlight the African artisans that created the fabrics. It’s important that the world knows that there’s an African textile heritage that exists,” he said.
Sept. 18-Feb. 23, 2025. 1600 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta. 404-253-3132. https://www.scadfash.org/exhibitions/imane-ayissi-africa-world
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