SPRING 2013

about the coverModeled by Ashley Moore. Designed by Sabrena Sesay.

The Fab Hair Find for the season is Nubian Heritage, a natural solution to the ne-cessity for more natural hair products. Natural hair blog-ger Nichique goes into detail about this product. Continued on page 15 ►

NUBIANHERITAGE

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a fab hair find

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African kimonos that are the brainchild of Odasho, a

well-regarded kimono maker with a 150-year history,

and Cameroonian concept car

designer Serge Mouangue

By Lena Schnabl

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hen Omotesando Hills held a market for innova-tive kimono designs last month, one particular corner stood out. Indigo-blue cotton with vivid splashes of orange, un-dulating patterned fabric ornamented with shiny turquoise cubes next to earthy ochre and brown textiles: the second collection by Wafrica certainly puts a distinc-tive twist on traditional Japanese clothing.

These African kimonos are the brainchild of Odasho, a well-regarded kimono maker with a 150-year history, and Cameroonian concept car designer Serge Mouangue. “In the begin-ning, it was just a game,” says Mouangue, who now lives in Tokyo. “I was like a kid that was inter-ested in creating a new thing by putting things together to find answers to questions that I was asking myself. It was the reaction of the Japanese that encouraged me to provide more.”

Aby, a Senegalese hair-stylist, also played an im-portant role: “It was when I saw her that I thought, ‘Wafrica is possible now.’”

However, merging two very different approaches to beauty hasn’t been an easy task. “The African aesthetic is about pulse, rhythm and strength,” says Mouangue, while “the Japanese one is

based more on absence, detachment and with-drawal to create pres-ence.” By combining these, he wants to create a third aesthetic, a con-versation between two ancient and strong identi-ties: Japan and Africa.

Wafrica clothes are more than just beauti-ful items: the patterns tell stories and African fairytales, which Odasho has to be careful not to alter when sewing the garments. The kimono maker is currently work-ing on dyeing fabrics with Mouangue’s graphics, which would also allow

the designer to make the stories easier to understand. He shows us one of his recent drafts, depicting a West African tale about a beautiful woman crossing the desert together with magical animals.

Mouangue has been interested in aspects of Japanese culture, like calligraphy and cinema, since his youth. He took courses in Japanese lan-guage and culture while studying art and design at l’ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris, meaning that he wasn’t completely unprepared when au-

tomaker Nissan offered him a job as a concept car designer three years ago.

When he arrived in Japan, Mouangue was instantly drawn to the kimono and the attitude it creates when worn. Though it was once considered everyday clothing, the garment is now usually reserved for formal occasions, and he aims to design a more casual version that is appealing to younger generations. “I want to create an urban and more wearable type of kimono, just like jeans

were the urban version of leather pants tradition-ally worn by cowboys,” he says, sitting on a light wooden bench that he also designed. “The use of cotton already gives the kimono a new vibration and a more relaxed feel.”

As he talks, Mouangue sketches a kimono that pursues this idea even further, with a zipper on one side, a hood, an obi that functions as a laptop holder, and a shorter hem that lets women show their legs.

Though reactions to Wafrica have generally been very positive, the designer has also faced a bit of criticism. “I had one very aggressive email, maybe a year and a half ago,” he recalls. “It was a bit shocking, and at the same time it makes you think that you really have to be careful when you use this kind of icon: you don’t want to break them. I understand that some people can have that kind of reac-tion, because they feel you are taking something out of their culture and messing with it. But that is not the objective. It’s more about harmony, ambiguity, complexity, [a] new story, new aesthetics.”

And the “African kimono” is only the first step. Mouangue says he’s working on a variety of designs, including lac-quer masks shaped like the ones found in West African villages, but manufactured by Japa-nese craftsmen using traditional techniques. He is also preparing to show his designs outside Japan, with an exhibition at the New York Mu-seum of Arts and Design this November, followed by a display at the World Festival of Black Arts in Senegal.

For more information, see www.wafrica.jp and www.odasho.co.jp. ▲

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“Wafrica clothes are more than just beautiful items: the

patterns tell stories and African fairytales.”

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iDentity Magazine // Fall

o as always i’m traveling down the hair care isles of my lo-cal or far away Target and by a far I see a jar with a new color. Yes my product junk-ism is so bad that I can spot a new shade of a jar and think hmmmm that doesn’t look familiar. So I take my cart and get up close and my mind goes “when did Shea Moisture come out with a new line?” Then I pick it up and I see that it says Nubian Heritage. Now i’m really confused because the label’s and packaging mimic Shea Moisture but it’s not their products. Not only that but they have a bigger line than the Shea Moisture. I found out that Nubian Heritage is a sister company to Shea Moisture. Basically meaning the same company just made a new

product line and that’s that. So what’s the huge difference? I think the Nubian Heritage line seems to cater towards all hair types where Shea Moisture maybe catered to Natural Hair more. Of course this is just me throwing out ideas but with a name like Nubian. I don’t know, But I do notice on two jars it mentions extending the life of a perm. So maybe?

The other thing I’ve noticed is the price (dun dun dun). $14.99 for the jars and it seems the bottle based products are $11.99. I hope they continue to keep Shea Moisture at their standard 9.99 because I am comfortable with that. I know you’re wondering what did I pick up right. Don’t kill me but nothing. I wanted to go home

and do more research on the product and ingredients before I purchase anything in particu-lar. They have a huge line of stuff and one of the things I kept looking at was the heat protectant product, which is perfect for flat ironing hair.

Overall. It seems like a great product and I can’t wait to take it for a spin!

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hen you are looking for new ways to get decorative and creative while trying some-thing new, why not turn to drift wood? Sounds weird right? But etsy entrepenuer Jessica Turnbow has taken this unconventional artistic endeavor and turned it into

something fun and function-al that any creative spirit can do. The instructions are sim-ple; grab some sticks, grab some paint, and get creative! Turnbows fun, colorful, tribal patterns make her creations unique and great decorative additions to any artists work

space. Whether you want to turn your sticks into a cen-ter piece, a wall ornament, or even jewelry, there is no way to go wrong. The art of drift wood is one worth mastering.

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artsy

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Driftwood

the art of

STUDS

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Your official guide to studding it up this season.

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SPIKES

Studs can be uber edgy, slightly sweet, casual, or dressy, depending on how you play them.

identitymag.com

+Up until recently I was slightly scared of the stud-ded clothing trend. I veered away from anything that had studs and spikes, because I was afraid I would acciden-tally injure myself. I can be a little klutzy, and so naturally I don’t really like the idea of wearing a weapon. But once the stud trend started to take off, I quickly realized

it’s much more glamorous than it is dangerous (and that most of those spikes have rounded tips, so I can’t really hurt myself too badly).

Metal hardware is all over the runways, typically in the form of studs, spikes, and grommets. Celebs with an edgy fashion sense have been embracing the trend for a while now, but even girls with a softer style are getting on board.

And the coolest part about this trend: you don’t have to be a tough girl covered in piercings and tattoos to

wear studs and spikes. Studs can be uber-edgy, slightly sweet, casual, or dressy, depending on how you try to play them.

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Grab your studs! Make sure each of your pronged studs are in the upright position. If not it’ll be a bitch to unclasp them.

Position your stud wherever you want it on the outside of the fabric and stick it in there.

Push down on the prongs until the stud is secure. You’re done!

o for denim. Leather is the clas-sic tough-girl material, but if you are vegan or don’t like the leather look, denim is just as fabulous when studded.

Mix your metallics. There’s a myth out there that you can’t mix metallics, but it’s untrue. Mix silver and gold studs for a cool effect.

Toughen up a girly outfit. Studs add an edgy appeal to girly pieces like hair bows, pink pumps, or a chiffon skirt.▲

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The natural hair craze has been taking the world of Black hair care by storm. Over the past couples years I’ve seen the dialogue and topics surround-ing this movement range from: ‘celebrating women who’ve gone natural’, ‘how awesome it is to be natural’, to ‘more sisters need to be natural’, and most recently,

I am tired of hearing about women who’ve gone natural.’ The growing number of sis-ters transitioning from relaxed to au naturale, has inspired a strong sisterhood of within the haircare community, yet it has also spawned slight divisions between those who opt not to stick with intense chemically-treated hair.25

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ithin the mix of all this, I think there is something being overlooked. Instead of debating about relaxed vs. natural hair, we should discuss how this movement is bring-ing about an important cultural change in attitudes towards our own hair.

For starters, my hair is natu-ral. But not in the commonly held sense of what that means. I usually wear it straight, although it’s not with the aid of chemi-cals. My Sunday afternoons are

often spent washing, section-ing, blow drying and flat ironing. And through my adolescents and college years I had every

hairstyle you can imagine from braids, sew-ins, highlights, to a mohawk–some styles inspired by convenience, others impulsive experiments of self-expression. Yet, I never thought of this as a big deal because I’ve worn my hair natural most of my life–be-fore it was trendy. If anything it was a challenge.

Growing up my mother never permed my hair–much to the dismay of aunts, cousins, and hairdressers. Yet she cared for

my hair. Weekends were spent over the sink or tub, washing hair that curled up into tight coils, sometimes blown out into a soft

“Family members and others made it seem like my mother was breaking some holy covenant that mandated all Black girls

must be primed and permed or suffer the kinky consequences.”

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cotton like fro, followed by braids, berets or every once in a while a hot comb pressed it straight.

And although my hair was healthy and maintained, at times, family members and others made it seem like my mother was breaking some holy covenant that mandated all Black girls must be primed and permed or suffer the kinky consequences. Sometimes my peers added to this as well. I’ll never forget, going to school on picture day in fourth grade with a fresh press, only for it to become a frizzy coif by the time the bell rang due to the humid weather that day (common natural hair dilemma). Other girls in my class,

hair in bouncing bobs or slicked down ponytails, didn’t get why my hair had changed so quickly. Upon explanation, they wondered how my mother could be so cruel. No perm, at age nine? Blasphemy. That was then.

Now, with so many sisters sporting naturals hairstyles, I can’t help but wish it was like that when I was growing up. With natural hair options becoming more socially accepted and popular, it’s offering young girls and women a vari-ety of examples, inspirations, and resources on how to take care of their hair. They don’t have to feel pressure to wear their hair relaxed, straight, or weaved in order to fit

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a certain ideal. They’re blessed to grow up in an era where we as women can simply view a you-tube channel on styling natural hair and choosing the right products. This is quite a change from grow-ing up in the 90s. Of course there were women with natural hair, but it wasn’t as widely accepted. Most Black salons expected clientele to relax their hair, and it was hard to find services if you didn’t fit the bill.

This change within our culture and attitudes about hair is what I believe is missing from the con-versation surrounding the natu-ral hair movement taking place. It’s not about condemning one hairstyle choice or pigeonholing

another. Our choice of hairstyle isn’t always political. Whether you wear your hair kinky, curly, or straight, or even if you choose to pop in a few tracks here and there, it doesn’t automatically make you more self-loving or self-loathing. We all have different ways to feel beautiful and I don’t advocate for either hair care choice. I believe healthy hair that makes you feel great is what’s most important. Instead of debating on what’s bet-ter, let’s applaud the fact that we now have options in hair care that will inspire the next generations of Black girls to embrace their hair in ways that suit their preferences, and not imposed social ideals.▲

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