After being immersed in the vast, wondrous exhibition that is Africa Fashion at the Brooklyn Museum, visitors exit through the gift-shop\u2013an experience not unlike many major exhibitions at museums around the world. But this is a gift shop unlike any other. It is a pop-up version of Reni Folawiyo\u2019s Lagos concept store, Al\u00e1ra, and it\u2019s bursting with the work of a hundred or so African designers and artists.<\/p>\n
When Folawiyo founded Al\u00e1ra nearly a decade ago, she wanted to create a space to \u201ccelebrate, elevate, and educate the world about African design.\u201d That aim is taken to another level with the retail experience that\u2019s staged at Africa Fashion. Debuting in Brooklyn, the pop-up store offers merchandise from many of the designers on view in the exhibition itself.<\/p>\n
Collaborating with the Brooklyn Museum\u2019s Entrepreneur in Residence, Rachel Shechtman and the museum\u2019s Retail Director Kate Foley, Folawiyo worked to bring the concept to American audiences for the first time. From dresses to furniture, design objects, home accessories and kids\u2019 toys, the space reflects Folawiyo\u2019s dedication to showcasing the range of talent an exhibition like Africa Fashion encompasses. From dresses by Christie Brown and Tongoro to beaded accessories by Lafalaise Dion, visitors are able to peruse so many popular names in African fashion all in one place. And the store will rotate its offerings\u2013there will be merchandise drops throughout the show and new introductions for New York Fashion Week in September.<\/p>\n
OkayAfrica spoke to Folawiyo to find out about her vision for the retail experience and whether there are plans for Al\u00e1ra to find a U.S. home.<\/p>\n
The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
Coming to an exhibition like this and ending your experience through the store, it almost gives you a way to be part of it, to take what you\u2019ve seen home with you. Is that part of the thinking for bringing Al\u00e1ra here to Brooklyn?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a lived version of the exhibition. It\u2019s an experience where you feel that energy from learning, you feel the reality of it, when you come into this space.<\/p>\n
How many designers\u2019 work do you feature and how did you decide who to include?<\/p>\n
At the moment it is 70 but it\u2019s also 100 because we will be having different drops at different times, but it\u2019s around 100. Since we have the store in Nigeria, historically we\u2019ve worked with most of the designers that we feature in one way or another\u2013apart from some of the Brooklyn-based designers that we\u2019re carrying for the first time, like Brandon Blackwood and Luar. Largely, we\u2019ve worked with most of the brands here before. We might have discovered a new name here or there.<\/p>\n
For example, [glass sculptor] Hugh Findletar is one of them. He\u2019s Haitian, raised in Italy. This is the first time we have his work. We\u2019ve always wanted to have an exhibition around his work in Lagos, but we never made that happen. When I spoke to him about this, he said, \u2018Oh, I want to be there!\u2019 He made that happen. So it\u2019s nice to have his pieces here.<\/p>\n
What do you feel when you walk through Africa Fashion?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a beautiful exhibition. I like the breadth of it. Apart from situating the pieces in a way that celebrates them, it also situates it within our culture\u2013in terms of music, in terms of art, in terms of process. I think the depth of it is very, very interesting. And it\u2019s all-encompassing, including the diaspora brands. The celebration and elevation of it. It looks a bit different from London, because of the space and there\u2019s a bit of drama around it; it seems to be more prominent and you feel the impact a little bit more. And I think the work deserves that, deserves that impact. Of course, I know most of the designers so I knew what to expect. But this was sensational. Thoroughly enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
The exhibition comes at a time when African fashion is really taking its place in the global conversation around fashion. What do you hope it will do for those who want to know more about the continent\u2019s designers and creators?<\/p>\n
I think the variety is interesting. It is about time that Africa is in the global conversation about creativity. We have the depth to do that. We\u2019ve always had it. I think this will show that depth and that breadth. Going forward, the global conversation around fashion is not able to exclude Africa anymore, with this kind of exhibition\u2013understanding that, actually, there\u2019s a lot from Africa that needs to be seen that hasn\u2019t been seen before. And should be included in the fashion consciousness, on a higher level than previously.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I think of this exhibition as a point of reference; it elevates and exposes the beauty, and the fact that it\u2019s quite advanced. I think it\u2019s time, it\u2019s a good representation, with which, from now on, we can be respected on the global fashion scene in a way that\u2019s not forced on you, but you can see that it\u2019s inevitable, because it\u2019s there. A platform that we have created as Africans is the best way to consume it. It\u2019s authentic. It\u2019s believable, and should be consumed as such. The quality of it should literally automatically let people know that we should be part of that global community in fashion.<\/p>\n
Are there plans to give Al\u00e1ra a permanent space in the U.S.?<\/p>\n
This is a test, so watch this space. Let\u2019s see how it goes!<\/p>\n
What are some of your favorite pieces in the retail experience?<\/p>\n
I like many pieces, that\u2019s why they\u2019re here [chuckles]. It\u2019s great to have Hugh, as I mentioned before, since I\u2019ve never had him here before. It\u2019s also great to see young designers. Like Thebe Magugu, he is a wonderful storyteller, you can tell from the dresses he makes. He made some of them especially for this particular occasion. Each dress has meaning, so it\u2019s good to have him here.<\/p>\n
Dye Lab, from Lagos, made shorts especially for us for this occasion. They are, of course, the designer [label] of the moment. People love them and they sell out fast, so we\u2019re glad to have them here, too. It\u2019s great to have Atang Tshikare, the sculptor. And of course, the likes of Orange Culture, who always does the drama, and [Sarah] Diouf [\u2018s Tongoro] is here. \u00c9ki K\u00e9r\u00e9 is fun, she works almost exclusively with raffia. We have artists and creatives from all over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The much-loved concept store has set up its first U.S. pop-up for the duration of the exhibition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":30351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[7,37,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-30354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"category-lifestyle","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-fashion","11":"tag-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n