Comments on: You can’t make this stuff up #101

By: NewssyLee

NewssyLee — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:32:29 +0000

Thanks to you

By: spells

spells — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:12:40 +0000

[...] Africa with a K). What was Dov Charney thinking? Looks more like the kind of cheap, kitch stuff …http://theleoafricanus.com/2008/08/19/you-cant-make-this-stuff-up-101/Glenn Loovens spells out reasons for choosing Celtic ahead of Rangers – Telegraph.co.ukDutch [...]

By: samboerou

samboerou — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:13:22 +0000

Yes Afrika with a K,long before they came over the C!,Africa is not a county,but a ragged colonial quilt!

By: reader

reader — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:21:30 +0000

@ Sean, no prob!
@ Frederic – I don’t know what it is, but something about your argument makes me uncomfortable – maybe it’s because, like the American Apparel line, you make way too many generalizations (arguably the basis of stereotyping and subsequent racism/exoticism). I am “African” AND happened to know about this AND was offended by it. What is offensive about this line (and your response to some extent) is that it assumes some conflated African identity (the countless cultures are neatly packaged into one marketable commodity), miscommunicates it to its audience and completely excludes “Africans” from the dialogue (if we are to consider fashion a form of dialogue through which cultural ideas are exchanged).

I could be wrong – you probably had the best of intentions and I am missing out on some part of it. Please feel free to correct me if this is the case.

Also, as for the idea of “African designers” – I know as a sometimes writer, I get incredibly upset when people relegate my writing to African writing. I know that my ethnicity influences my perspective sometimes, but I don’t think it is a characteristic that is any more prominent than any one of my other influences. By making a spectacle of “Africanness,” we are essentially setting it apart from a normative identity, othering it. I bet there are African designers out there, making “undeniably hot designs,” but I also believe that they are drawing from influences from all aspects of their experiences, and refuse to be marked solely by their ethnicity.

Maybe I am thinking way too much about this, it’s a slow week at work

By: Frederic Tape

Frederic Tape — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:55:27 +0000

Will be interesting to see how they perform, sale wise. If this is the Africa that is prevalent in the psyche of their targeted customers,then it has the chances of becoming a Hit.
“backpacker lodges in Southern Africa, whether in Maputo or the top end of Cape Town’s Long Street It’s the kind of fabric tourists grab on Greenmarket Square” that is exactly the point Why go to Africa when you can get it at American Apparel.
Moreover Zebra=Safari=Kenya=Obama=Democratic party=Election

These tourists probably see the nice contemporary fashion on sale in Johannesburg or Maputo, they do not want that, they want the ” real Africa” you do not see them check for Burkas when going to Dubai. When are we going to accept the facts about western society view of Africa and move on.

it is certainly not the African American population that it is going to be offended;
Most Afrocentric African American are stuck up on that Koumbaya ish, that Afrika bambataa Ish, That 70′s Black Power Ishh, that I listen to African drum Music or Afrobeat[ Fela and the likes] Ish. Things that are not as relevant in 2008 Africa at least if you live in the thriving parts of the continent and is under 35 years of age which is about 70 % of the continent population.

It is certainly not the African population that it is going to be offended, They do not even know that American apparel exists, if the African designers are that mad, get your hustle on, come up with indeniably hot design, get yourself some marketers or business lawyers and get a deal with American Apparel,as to offer that market some descent African inspired designs.