Contemporary, minimalist and authentic: Travis Obeng-Casper, a fashion designer from Ghana, is redefining the country's traditional kente fabrics.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Okay, it's not entirely new to interpret the traditional kente as fashionable everyday
00:10clothing.
00:11The iconic fabric from Ghana has long since ceased to be used only for ceremonial purposes.
00:18But what makes Travis Kasper Obeng's clothing so different?
00:24The coolest thing about the Heritage in Motion collection is the idea of merging traditional
00:33Ghanaian textiles together to create a form of hybrid fabric.
00:39Kente from the Ashantis, and then we have Kete from the Vota region, and then we have
00:44Fugu from the Northern region.
00:46We don't want to have a separation of name, but we want to have a Ghanaian textile.
00:53Before we learn all about kente, let's take a look at how Travis made it into the top
00:58eight list of designers from Africa.
01:00He founded his own fashion brand while still a student in 2018, and two years later, he
01:06was already one of the 30 under 30 designers in Africa at Arise Fashion Week.
01:12Travis has simply done everything right.
01:15Was it that easy?
01:17Part of the challenges, I personally have faced fabric hunting, dealing with artisans,
01:25especially with the tailors.
01:27But what I have been able to do is that from brainstorming, from sketches, designing, they
01:33are part of it so they can understand where we are headed.
01:36Not just for them to sit down and just making the outfit.
01:39We are also looking at training other weavers as well, and you need a certain mindset to
01:45be able to take them through that process.
01:47So we are looking at master weavers and also people who would have the interest, who would
01:52have the feel, so we can add more value to our local hand-woven fabrics or textiles.
01:59My mom used to dress in a very different way, so she wasn't dressing a very typical Ghanaian
02:05woman style.
02:07So that also kind of gave me that feeling of wanting to be in that space.
02:12I've had an amazing support from family, friends, they've been incredible, and without them
02:19I don't think I would be where I am today.
02:22Now, Ghanaian kente is an intricately woven fabric with roots that can be traced to the
02:2817th century.
02:30Initially, it was worn exclusively for royalty, but has now become a symbol of cultural identity.
02:36It is owned by most Ghanaians and widely used during important ceremonies like weddings,
02:42festivals, or funerals, symbolizing prestige, wealth, and belonging.
02:48But what was Travis' reason for turning this fabric around for everyday use?
02:54The weaving of the kente was more heavier, but for me as a designer, it's how do you
03:00create more product options out of our local fabrics.
03:03I would want to distill and then create a lighter version of the hand-woven fabrics
03:09we have in Ghana.
03:10So the theme of the collection is heritage in motion, and heritage in motion because
03:15moving the traditional technique and then having a modern feel to it.
03:19But how does he incorporate elements of the kente fabric into his designs?
03:24For me, it's very important to celebrate our heritage, it's very important to pay attention
03:29to what we have here.
03:31So that's why I am excited to incorporate our Ghanaian hand-woven textiles in my collection.
03:37My creative process comes in three formats.
03:39Have the research phase, and then I have the reference phase, and then I have the creative
03:43direction phase.
03:45So that's the moment I look for themes to say that if it's Afro-Romance I'm going to
03:51talk about, if it's Ghana Week I'm going to talk about, if it's heritage in motion I'm
03:54going to talk about, and then have a deep meaning to it.
03:59Then I move to the referencing side, in which I have the direct reference and then the indirect
04:05reference.
04:06All my life as a weaver, my dream is to weave something which will be lighter.
04:12Luckily enough, Travis came in and we were able to have something beautiful and I'm very
04:20much happy about it, noticing that my dream has come true.
04:26Merging traditional textiles with modern fashion trends is no small feat.
04:32The balancing act between traditional craftsmanship and fashion innovation is not always successful.
04:39In the summer, the traditionally inspired uniforms of the Kenyan Olympic team were criticized
04:44while at the same time, the Adire fabrics of the Nigerians were repeatedly celebrated.
04:50How does Travis manage to inspire conservative voices with his fashion ideas?
04:56After all, we are talking about royal textiles.
05:00I think fabrics mean so much to me.
05:02They represent me, they are my true identity, they've been throughout history, they've been
05:08very significant.
05:10We need to be able to create more functional pieces, so not just necessarily just creating
05:15the fabric and then making it as just the cloth, but we need to create a whole new product
05:21where we can have it as our daily wear.
05:24But how the Ghanaian audience will truly react to his casual kente clothes, Travis doesn't
05:29know yet.
05:30That's why he plans to introduce his new collection through a pop-up store event.
05:35Friends, family and fashion enthusiasts are invited to be part of this revolutionary fashion
05:41experience.
05:42Will the collection be a disaster or a hit?
05:46Travis has always been creative and you see that in his designs and the way he tells his
05:51stories linking it to the Ghanaian tradition and blending it in the kind of pieces that
05:58he makes.
05:59And so it's fascinating to see that he has actually directed the creation of hand-woven
06:05fabrics that are light and breathable and that has been made into very easy and flowy
06:13everyday pieces.
06:14How I ensure that Aja Ben's designs stays relevant by staying very close to the weavers
06:22as well because the more we are closer to them, the more we can have more innovative
06:26ideas and also to inspire other designers that can also push Aja Ben's design to even
06:34the next level.
06:35So the more other people are coming in, the more we are also thinking further and beyond
06:39us.
06:40The test run went well and Travis' kente collection shows that this royal fabric doesn't
06:45have to be reserved only for special occasions.