US-based Nigerian designer and creative director of Tesslo, Tessy Oliseh-Amaize, has launched her latest collection, “Africa to the World,” at the 15th anniversary edition of the Ankara Festival in Los Angeles. The men’s haute couture collection, showcased at the Academy LA on Sunday, September 1, reimagines the Ankara fabric for a global audience.
“My vision is to elevate Ankara into a fabric that transcends cultural borders. I want Ankara outfits to become products that everyone desires to wear, no matter where they are from,” Oliseh-Amaize said in a statement.
“Ankara has become synonymous with Africa, but because of its popularity, it is easy to take the fabric for granted or see it as something you should use as a mere handkerchief, a headwrap, or a muffler. But Ankara is more than that. With this collection, I aim to show the world a side of Ankara they’ve never seen before.”
Oliseh-Amaize, who won Nigeria’s Best Designer Award in 2006, continued, “I want to see someone in Japan confidently wearing Ankara designs, not just because they are stylish, but because they are also functional, comfortable, sophisticated and professionally tailored. Ankara might be seen as just something African, but it can become a global product if it’s embraced by people everywhere. For us at Tesslo, ‘Africa to the World’ isn’t just a tagline, it’s a movement to bring Ankara into every household.”
The new collection blends urban modernity with classic avant-garde styles, drawing inspiration from various African cultural motifs. The designs are influenced by the Guérewol festival of the Wodaabe tribes of Niger and Chad, the regal imagery of the Oba of Benin, the vibrant mmanwu masquerades of southeastern Nigeria, and the rich heritage of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, among others.
Adding to the evening’s glamour was Nigerian-American Hollywood star Folake Olowofoyeku, best known for her role in Bob Hearts Abishola, who co-hosted the event, stunning the audience in a handcrafted Tesslo outfit. The event, produced by Peter Lentini, also welcomed a host of African Hollywood talent, including co-host actor and comedian Seyi Brown, Sierra Leonean actor Duain Richmond, actor and producer Kofi Boakye, and President of the African Artists’ Association Francis Onelum, among others.
Photos: Mark Gunter, Getty Images
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