1st Edition

Cosmopolitanism and Women’s Fashion in Ghana History, Artistry and Nationalist Inspirations

By Christopher L. Richards Copyright 2022
266 Pages 55 Color & 29 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

266 Pages 55 Color & 29 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

266 Pages 55 Color & 29 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews, this book delves into the rich world of Ghanaian fashion, demonstrating how, over time, local dress styles and materials have been fused with global trends to create innovative, high fashion garments that reflect a distinctly Ghanaian cosmopolitanism. Ghana has a complex and diverse fashion culture which was in evidence before independence... Read more

Acknowledgments

List of figures

1 Introduction: the many modes of (African) fashion

2 Accra’s pre- and Independence- era fashion cultures

3 The forerunners of Ghana’s fashion designers: Letitia Obeng and Laura Quartey

4 “Paris- Trained, Osu- Domiciled”: Juliana “Chez Julie” Kweifi o-Okai, Ghana’s first fashion designer

5 “I don’t do nice; it has to be interesting”: the designs of Beatrice “Bee” Arthur

6 “The Spirit of the African Woman”: Aisha Ayensu and her brand, Christie Brown

7 The future of Ghanaian, and African, fashion

Index

Biography

Christopher Richards is an assistant professor in the Art Department at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, USA.