Ellie Saunders Watson
afro-cuban weave
‘Afro-Cuban Weave’ explores Cuban history, where West Africans were transported to Cuba to work as slaves on the plantations. Cuba today reflects the mix of Cuban and West African heritage. The concept stems from the juxtaposition of these two cultures.
Researching the garments and accessories worn by the West African tribes based in Nigeria, Mali and Ghana highlighted lots of similarities between them, whilst at the same time each has displayed their individual unique stamp. Beading and layering of fabrics was evident and their attention to detail was shown though this. This was the inspiration for the weaving that is seen throughout the collection. In contrast Cuba features bright and bold colours, which is seen in the colour palette as well as exploring the rumba dress which is evident in the ruffles in this collection.
The mesh fabric, used as the base of the weave, is a technical sports lux fabric that introduced a sporting feel to the colourful collection.
The collection features oversize sleeves, flared trousers, ruffles, rib and weaving through power mesh fabric. The bold colours are; coral, teal, electric blue, powder blue, purple and canary yellow.
‘Afro-Cuban weave’ is aimed at the high-end market level paying particular attention to details such as weaving, fabrication and highlighting hand-made techniques. It is for occasional daywear for Pre Fall 2018. The customer profile is female, aged 20-35. The muse for this collection is Zoe Kravitz, a fun and strong young woman, who will capture the boldness of this collection.