Photos By Gail
Designer Grace Wales Bonner states, “the aim with Wales Bonner is to bring Afro-Atlantic Spirit to the idea of European luxury and elevate Black representation within fashion.” This white wool Tuxedo (2017) is inspired by the Pan-Africanist leader Haile Selassie’s crowning as emperor of Ethiopia in 1930.
The design melds British tailoring, Ethiopian history, the Akan people’s Adrinka symbology – the Duafe (comb) motifs embroidered and beaded in pearls represent idealized femininity in the menswear ensemble – and also points to Wales Bonner’s Jamaican roots. Selassie is a central figure in Jamaican Rastafarianism.
Photographed in the Museum at FIT as Part of the Exhibit, Africa’s Fashion Diaspora.