At the mention of African fashion, one is inclined to think of vibrant wax prints, maximalist patterns, and striking motifs. What may not be such an immediate association though, are clean lines, gentle hues, and the pared-back elegance of minimalism. Over the years, wax prints have been a mainstay of African fashion, while the laid-back design lexicon has been attributed to caucasian style. 

In recent years, this assumption has been challenged by the advent of up-and-coming and established African labels that are carving out a new place for all things simple and understated. These homegrown designers are introducing a new category into the minimalist aesthetic. Ghanaian designer, Travis Obeng-Casper, calls it Afro-Minimalism – a fuss-free and easy-going sartorial expression that is heavily influenced by “the sights and sounds of everyday Africa”. This speaks to a stark departure from the overused minimalism trope of brushed metal, bland tones, and Nordic pine woods.

Through diversity, sustainability, and subverting the usual, African minimalist designers are celebrating the “less is more” mantra. They do this while championing traditional design techniques and Africa’s rich history – making sure that minimalist fashion lovers are not short of options that feel very close to home.

AMAKA spoke to the new-guard African designers that are behind three labels rethinking minimalist fashion and subverting the Western gaze of African style through their designs.

UNI FORM

Luke Radloff’s UNI FORM label was launched in 2019 to transcend preconceived notions of what Africa has to offer when it comes to fashion. Working primarily with local weavers, Radloff combines his traditional training and experience in luxury European retail and fashion communication, to update the rulebook of minimalist fashion by creating elevated classics filtered through the South African lens. 

What does Minimalism mean to you?

Minimalism is something that is not just about simplicity. A lot of people think that minimalism is just about simple or plain things. For me, minimalism is actually quite the opposite - it is very intricate. But the intricacy is very understated and very humble. This sophistication comes from a different place than say maximalism. It’s in details that are not often seen – it's inside. It’s also about quality and finishes, the type of intricacy that is not loud.

What drew you to this aesthetic as the basis of your brand? And where do you source inspiration from?

It is something that has always been instinctual for me. Architectural and clean surfaces have always been something that I have been interested in. Right from fashion school, I have always been interested in uniforms, which is why my brand is called UNI FORM.

When I look into the streets of South Africa, uniforms are so prevalent everywhere, it’s our real streetwear. And the way people incorporate and integrate their day-to-day wardrobe with uniforms is just inspiring.

You talk a lot about emotional tailoring, why is this concept so important to UNI FORM?

One of the core focuses of the UNI FORM brand is people’s emotional connection to clothing. For us, traditional European and classic tailoring, as beautiful as it is, is not something we do. 

We always want to look at contemporary tailoring that is relevant to the rest of Africa. We are not in Italy, and this is not European tailoring. This is our tailoring, it is something that is emotionally relevant to us first, before the rest of the world.

From the Western gaze, everything about African fashion is loud and vibrant. How are you reimagining this idea?

The African style is often looked at as one aesthetic. To be honest, I love African prints, but we have to accept that it is only one aspect of our culture. There is more to our fashion than just wax-print clichés. To rethink this idea, UNI FORM constantly finds common ground with our people in each of the projects we work on, right from ideation to production. 

The latest one ‘Project 6’ for instance, focuses on wearability within the African city – with Johannesburg as our starting point. We are pushing that cosmopolitan identity of the city and spotlighting that African person who loves that kind of easy-going stripped-back look.

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AJABENG

In 2020, Travis Obeng-Casper decided to launch his label, Ajabeng, with the motivation of portraying African fashion in a new light. He settled for a laid-back interpretation of the African style. Residing at the nexus of minimalism and modern African art and culture, his brand offers a new class of minimalist fashion that places cultural heritage front and centre with well-tailored pieces.

What does Minimalism mean to you?

To me, minimalism involves paying attention to the things you have around you and continuing to focus on what truly matters. I enjoy paying attention to the small yet important details, as well as clean lines and the bold geometry of art-deco architecture.

The Ajabeng kind of minimalism is distinctive. Could you speak to the influences behind this aesthetic?

Despite being a minimalist designer, I am inspired by ornateness and brio. I’m talking about things like the flamboyance of traditional art and culture. It inspires me a lot. The do-it-yourself style of Accra’s streetwear scene and the bold geometry of traditional art-deco architecture are the four design elements that influence me in my design process. 

From the Western gaze, everything about African fashion is loud and vibrant. How are you rethinking this idea?

Everyone has the ability to explore as long as creativity is concerned. My design process for Ajabeng is unique to me. It’s all about storytelling – telling the Ghanaian and African story through the most simple yet detailed viewpoint possible.

I research first, reference and then provide creative direction because I am more interested in storytelling than just designing pieces. As a result, there is always a connection between the cultural references and the pieces that I design, which is making people buy into the idea that fashion can still be minimal looking yet very much African to the core. 

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SELFI

Celeste Arendse established Selfi in 2009 to provide ethical and comfortable apparel for the Pan-African woman. Simple and contemporary sculptural silhouettes that are inspired by Arendse’s upbringing in the fashion industry and her love of nature define the Selfi aesthetic. These components come to life in streamlined collections of wardrobe staples that are all embellished with culture.

What does Minimalism mean to you?

Minimalism is about making clothes that kind of resemble nature and nature, for me, is beautiful, but it's also something so simplistic. It's more about creating comfort and ease.

Minimalism isn’t not trying too hard – rather, form follows function. The item really has a sort of function, but it's also not taking away from the person wearing it. Because it means resembling nature for me, all the fabrics we use are very natural, and the style lines that I mainly design, naturally move well with the body.

What drew you to this aesthetic as the basis of your label? And where do you source inspiration from?

I like timelessness, and I like to create something that exists longer over time. I have this belief where it's like, at least we can still wear an item for more than one year. So you have that one item that you can wear your way across seasons because it's not really interfering too much with the current trends. Likewise, I love the idea of creating that one shirt that you can wear to work, dinner, church or a wedding. And the minimalist design helps me do this easily. It is also in line with my buying-less and sustainability principles. 

For inspiration, I like watching people wear clothes in the streets, it makes me see a new way of how I can put a new design together. For my colour palettes, I also draw inspiration from simple and everyday things like our indigenous herbs and spices.

What is the concept behind your latest collection?

With Selfi, I also try to focus on the cultural narrative. The latest collection, Return to Womanhood, was inspired by the woman that has conquered despite her hardships. 

From the Western gaze, everything about African fashion is loud and vibrant. How are you rethinking this idea?

The person I aspire to be is the client I am making the clothes for. I always pay attention to that global African woman and I make the clothing relatable. The Selfi women should be able to connect easily through the stories we tell and how we make the clothing. This is how Selfi stands out and subverts the idea that African fashion is monolith.