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GOLDMAN PROJECT - GHANA
MADE IN AFRICA: CONNECTING AFRICAN RESOURCES WITH AMERICAN SNEAKER CULTURE
THIS IS AN ONGOING PROJECT, CHECK-IN FOR UPDATES FROM TIME TO TIME!
IN SPRING 2018 I BECAME THE RECIPIENT OF THE JOANNA JACKSON GOLDMAN PRIZE, AN $11,000 GRANT TO COMPLETE A LONG-TERM CREATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT OF MY OWN DESIGN. THE PROJECT BECAME, "MADE IN AFRICA: CONNECTING AFRICAN RESOURCES WITH AMERICAN SNEAKER CULTURE,"
PROJECT BRIEF
DECONSTRUCT SHOES FROM MULTIPLE BRANDS WITH THE INTENT OF RECONSTRUCTING THEM USING MATERIALS SOURCED FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, TO ILLUSTRATE THE CULTURAL CONNECTIONS WITHIN AMERICAN SNEAKER CULTURE AND VARIOUS AFRICAN RESOURCES, DESIGNS, AND CULTURES.
PROJECT PURPOSE
TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ON VARIOUS AFRICAN CULTURES AND THE INFLUENCE AND INSPIRATION THEY SEARCH AS FOR SNEAKERS
TO DISPEL THE RACIST AMERICAN MYTH THAT "AFRICA IS A RESOURCE-LESS CONTINENT" ​
TWO WEEKS OF RESEARCH
AFTER COMPLETING A 6-WEEK DESIGN/BUILD ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM WITH MIAMI UNIVERSITY IN GHANA, WEST AFRICA, I STAYED FOR BEHIND FOR AN ADDITIONAL 2 WEEKS TO DO RESEARCH IN HANDMADE FOOTWEAR CONSTRUCTION, AND WEST AFRICAN TEXTILES & FASHION.
WHILE THERE I WANDERED THROUGH THE KUMASI CENTRAL MARKET, THE LARGEST OPEN-AIR MARKET IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT TEXTILES FOR MY FOOTWEAR DESIGNS.
I BOUGHT HAND-TANNED & DYED GOAT LEATHER FROM A MERCHANT IN THE NORTHERN CITY OF BOLGATANGA.
I LEARNED THE BASICS OF WEAVING KENTE CLOTH FROM ARTISANS IN THE TOWN OF BONWIRE.
THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP WAS GETTING THE PRIVILEGE TO WORK UNDER MR. BOAKYI ANSEH, A VERY SUCCESSFUL SHOE COBBLER WHO TAUGHT ME HIS SKILLS RELATED TO USING UPCYCLED MATERIALS TO MAKE LUXURY DRESS SHOES.
WORKING WITH BOAKYI
BOAKYI IS WELL KNOWN IN GHANA FOR HIS UPCYCLED COBBLING.
BOAKYI IMPORTS USED WOMEN'S BOOTS FROM THE US & EUROPE, CUTS OFF THEIR SOLES, AND LAYS THE UPPERS FLAT.
HE THEN PROCEEDS TO CUT THEM INTO THE PATTERN PIECES HE USES FOR HIS SHOES, DISREGARDING THE SEAMS AND DESIGNS ALREADY THERE.
THE OUTCOME IS AN UNIQUE PAIR OF MEN'S OR WOMENS' DRESS SHOES WITH UNEXPECTED, ORIGINAL DESIGNS - NO TWO PAIRS ARE EXACTLY ALIKE.
THE HEEL OF AN UPCYCLED WOMENS' BOOT WAS PLACED ON THE MEDIAL SIDE OF THE SHOE FOR MORE PROTECTION.
PREPARING TO LASTS MY PAIR OF SHOES.
DESIGN MOCK-UPS
AS OF RIGHT NOW I HAVE SELECTED WHICH SHOES I WANT TO RECREATE AND THE WEST AFRICAN TEXTILES THAT COINCIDE WITH EACH INSPIRED COLORWAY. I HAVE ALSO COME UP WITH MOCK-UPS FOR SEVERAL PAIRS. A FEW OF THE COMPLETED PAIRS AND MATCHING APPAREL ARE ALSO SHOWN BELOW.
JORDAN 1 HIGH "MARKETPLACE"
INSPIRED BY THE COLORS AND TEXTURES FOUND ON HOMEMADE GOODS IN THE KUMASI CENTRAL MARKET.
WORKING PROTOTYPE. EXPERIMENTING WITH THE BEST WAY TO CREATE A WORN, HAND-STITCHED LOOK.
THE SHOES AND SHIRT WORN TOGETHER DURING A FASHION SHOW AS PART OF MIAMI UNIVERSITY'S 13TH ANNUAL AFRICAN STUDENTS' UNION GALA.
(LEFT) A MOCK-UP OF PACKAGING PAPER FOR THIS DESIGN. THE COLLAGE FEATURES PICTURES I TOOK WHILE IN GHANA OF STOREFRONTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. MOST STOREFRONTS IN MARKETPLACES COME UP WITH NAMES OF RELIGIOUS ORIGINS - SPEAKING TO HOW INTERTWINED FAITH, BUSINESS, AND DAILY LIFE IS IN GHANAIAN CULTURE.
ADIDAS SUPERSTAR "TWI STRIPES"
NAMED AFTER THE DOMINANT NATIVE LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN GHANA (PRONOUNED "CHREE").
FITTED WITH INTERCHANGEABLE VELCRO STRIPES FEATURING VARIOUS TEXTILE DESIGNS FOR CUSTOMIZATION​​
AN UPCYCLED ADIDAS SHIRT I CUSTOMIZED TO MATCH POSSIBLE VELCRO STRIPE PATTERNS ON THE SHOES. ​​​
THE MATCHING SHOES & SHIRT WON DURING MIAMI UNIVERSITY'S 13TH ANNUAL AFRICAN STUDENTS' UNION GALA.​​​​
PHARELL WILLIAMS X ADIDAS NMD HU "MADE IN AFRICA"
A MORE CULTURALLY AUTHENTIC, TRADITIONAL TWIST ON AN ALREADY AFRICAN INSPIRED SHOE.
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FITTED WITH INTERCHANGEABLE VELCRO STRIPES FEATURING VARIOUS TEXTILE DESIGNS FOR CUSTOMIZATION​​
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THE SHOES & MATCHING PANTS WORN BY ME DURING MIAMI UNIVERSITY'S 13TH ANNUAL AFRICAN STUDENTS' UNION GALA.​​​
ADIDAS NMD C2 "ELDERS"
A COLORWAY INSPIRED BY THE TRADITIONAL DRESS OF MANY HIGH RANKING LOCAL ELDERS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS GHANA.
NEW BALANCE 997S
"CULTURE CLASH"
INSPIRED BY THE MULTICULTURAL BACKGROUND OF NBA BASKETBALL PLAYER, RUI HACHIMURA, WHOSE PARENTS ARE FROM JAPAN AND BENIN. THIS SHOE UTILIZES BOTH JAPANESE AND WEST AFRICAN TEXTILES IN THE DESIGN.
JORDAN 11 "BLACK COBRA"
JORDAN 5 "GHANAIAN GRAPE"
LEBRON 8 "CAPE COAST"
AIR MAX 1 "AFRICAN OG"
APPAREL
INSPIRED BY VINTAGE 90S WINDBREAKERS, THESE PIECES COMBINE ELEMENTS FROM MODERN WEST AFRICAN FASHION AND CURRENT STREETWEAR CULTURE.
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