artworxLA Hosts Spring 2017 Fashion Residencies with Otis College and the Fowler Museum
artworxLA students in our Spring Fashion Residency have been exploring 5-weeks of fashion design with Otis College of Art and Design Instructor and fashion designer Amy Bond. Inspired by their tour of the Fowler Museum's exhibition AFRICAN-PRINT FASHION NOW! A STORY OF TASTE, GLOBALIZATION, AND STYLE, students in this course have been exploring centuries of design and textiles that originate from Africa. Students in the residency received an in-class visit from two artists whose works are being exhibited in Fowler's exhibit. Fashion designers Alexis Temomanin and Tit Ademola met with artworxLA students and shared how they translate textile patterns into their own Dashiki designs.
Titi Ademola
In 2002, Titi Ademola created the KIKI Clothing brand in Accra, Ghana. This stylish ready-to-wear line targets urban professionals. Ademola, who is of Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage, studied at the London College of Fashion and the American Intercontinental University in Atlanta. She interned in New York City before returning to Ghana to launch her line. Drawing inspiration from “everyday life…as well as different cultures,” she designs elegant gowns and other clothing for women, shirts for men, and children’s wear.
KIKI Clothing continuously appears in international fashion weeks. Ademola participated in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg and Africa Fashion Week in London (both in 2012), and in the Ethical Fashion Initiative’s AltaRoma AltaModa fashion show (2013). She showcased styles whose shimmering gold layers bore trim reminiscent of kente designs.
Alexis Temomanin
The London-based Dent de Man brand, established by Ivorian Alexis Temomanin in 2012, produces contemporary, tailored, and cutting-edge menswear made with prints that reflect “a bold personality and avant-garde lifestyle for the citizen of the world.” The brand was named after the Dent de Man Mountain near the city of Man, Côte d’Ivoire, which is known for its colorful flora and fauna. Temomanin handpicks each print design for its resonance with personal meaning and memory. He notes, “My passion for traditional textiles and the creation of Dent de Man came from my past.… The prints have always been an escape to a better world.… For this reason, each print has its own story and deep significance.”
In the coming weeks, the students in this workshop will design and create their own textile patterns, drawing on personal inspirations and meaningful symbols. Students will also venture to Otis College of Art of Design for the annual Jury Fashion Show. When this workshop concludes, students in the residency program will exhibit their final works to the public at the Fowler Museum.
