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Wafrica’s Kimonos Are A Fusion Of Japanese and West African Culture

By Yvonne Ejiofor
05 October 2017   |   8:00 pm
Japan and Africa might be worlds apart geographically, but aesthetics from the two cultures are artfully united in Wafrica's kimono collections. This cultural cocktail is the brainchild of Serge Mouangue (a Cameroonian native), and Kururi, (a Japanese kimono designer). The kimonos mostly utilise bold, beautiful African patterns and motifs- fabrics are sourced from Senegal and…

Japan and Africa might be worlds apart geographically, but aesthetics from the two cultures are artfully united in Wafrica’s kimono collections.

This cultural cocktail is the brainchild of Serge Mouangue (a Cameroonian native), and Kururi, (a Japanese kimono designer). The kimonos mostly utilise bold, beautiful African patterns and motifs- fabrics are sourced from Senegal and Nigeria- on traditional Japanese kimono silhouettes.

For Mouangue, Wafrica is neither a fashion statement or a commercial venture. Though once common, the popularity of cultural dress has slowly been shoved out of fashion because of the increased exposure to Western fashions. Today in Japan, the kimono industry has shrunk dramatically, with fewer than one in 10 Japanese women wearing a kimono rather than Western-style clothes in their day to day.

 

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