In colours representative of their country’s flag, the Liberian Olympic team proudly sported one-shouldered tanks, panelled track pants, and floor-length jerseys at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was a breath of fresh air to see Liberian athletes in uniforms created by a Liberian designer. It was a moment in history for African fashion, and the man responsible for their standout looks was the celebrated designer Telfar Clemens, who proudly marched alongside them.
Born in 1985 to Liberian parents in Brooklyn, New York, the fashion designer founded his eponymous label in 2005. He started designing clothes at the age of 15, drawing inspiration from the colorful pedestrians around New York City. From the very onset, Clemens aimed to set his designs apart from the rest by taking a genuine approach to inclusivity across the board.
This design ethos has allowed him to carve out his own space in the fashion world, and has led to unique opportunities like designing the uniform for Team Liberia. Discussing the partnership in an interview with the BBC, Clemens said, “I was on my way to Liberia when I got an email from Kuti of the Liberian team, and they were like, ‘Oh, we’re working on the Olympics and we were wondering if you were interested in collaborating with us on the gear?’, and immediately I like wrote back, ‘Yes!’” The renowned fashion designer also spoke about being inspired by his surroundings when sketching the Olympic team’s designs during his first visit to Liberia in 30 years.
"The garments tell the story of a journey of recognition — in which Telfar saw the roots of his design DNA all around him in the streets of a country with a history deeply entwined with America's own,” Clemens told Dezeen, “The Liberian National Team manifests a profound narrative of repatriation. Telfar, like the athletes who make up the team, is asked to represent something much deeper than a nation."
Inspired by the African Lappa
One of the standout items from Telfar’s 42-piece Team Liberia range is the wrap short. Inspired by the African lappa, Telfar’s version is a tie-up that can be worn by both men and women. "The traditional African lappa, which Telfar has produced since 2009 without knowing its origin, is rendered in navy jersey and engineered with graphics and pockets," Clemens told Dezeen about the design.
Lappa is a ‘Pidgin’ term meaning 'lap’ or a piece of cloth that covers the lap, and the item of clothing has specific meaning within Liberian culture. Lappas, also known as "wrappas" are worn around the waist and hips. There are formal and informal versions available, which is determined by the quality and design of the material. Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, a Liberian poet, writer and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Penn State University, shares a little bit about the story behind the ‘Liberian Lappa’. Like Clemens, she too immigrated to the United States with her family to flee from Liberia’s civil war. “The word ‘lappa woman’ meant that the woman who dressed like this was illiterate, uneducated, ‘country’ or uncivilized, backward, and was of little significance to the society,” Wesley explains, “but the days when wearing a ‘lappa suit’ meant that you were a ‘Lappa woman’ are gone.” Dance scholar and choreographer, Dr. Kariamu Welsh uses the lappa to add flair to the 40-year-old Umfundalai African contemporary dance technique. Her students experiment with different ways of designing and wearing it, with Welsh explaining that “It’s symbolic of modesty.”
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The Shopping Bag everyone wants to get their hands on
The Telfar brand has become well-known for its vegan leather and genderless “Shopping Bag” which was launched in 2014. The bag has been dubbed the ‘Bushwick Birkin’—a combination of a district in Brooklyn where the brand is based and a reference to the expensive and highly sought after Hermes Birkin bag. The two brands share a similar status amongst their fanbase—with Telfar bags being offered at a much more accessible cost.
The Shopping Bag comes in a variety of colours, three different sizes and prices ranging from $150 to $257. A hit amongst stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Solange Knowles, and Cardi B, to name a few, the logo-stamped tote has become widely recognized and celebrated. It’s become so popular that every restock sells out within minutes, to the disappointment of many customers hoping to get their hands on one. In response to this, Telfar wrote a statement on Instagram, assuring customers of his dedication to making the bags as accessible as possible. “We are not about hype and scarcity. We didn’t set out to make an impossible-to-get product. The whole point of our bag is accessibility and community.”
To help shoppers secure bags more easily, the brand launched its Bag Security Program. Through the program, shoppers get a 24 to 36 hour window, in which they can shop for as many bags as they like. The bags are then made to order and delivered after a few months.
Queerness still ruled a criminal act in Liberia
Telfar’s founder has become a fashion trailblazer. He is, arguably, the designer of the moment. Clemen’s background— Black, African, American, New York, queer — is connected to his brand identity and its core community of consumers that has rapidly expanded.
The Liberian Olympic Team’s revelation of Telfar-designed uniforms was a symbolic occasion that took place just days before Liberian Independence Day on July 26. Yet, policies pertaining to homosexuality in Liberia are in direct opposition with Telfar’s message of inclusivity. Under Liberian law, “voluntary sodomy” is a crime punishable by up to a year in prison. Since criminalisation in 2012, queer people live infear of imprisonment and violence from anti-gay community members. According to the State-Sponsored Homophobia report from ILGA World (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) that was released at the end of 2020, a total of 69 countries across the globe continue to impose laws that ban homosexuality — half of that sum are countries from Africa.
The civil war plummeted Liberia’s economy and took a toll on citizens. It was at the beginning of this war that Clemens, who was five at the time, and his family fled the country. “[Returning to Liberia] completed a lot of questions that you had. And also, my memory was so distorted of what my life was like, what it looked like, what my house looked like,” Clemens shares with the BBC, “It was like through five-year-old eyes, so I got to see it through 36-year-old eyes. I remember leaving in one day, and luckily. Not many people got to get out of the war.” Touching slightly on queerness in Liberia, Clemens says, “There’s a fear of just like anything. You know, I’m a gay man, [and]....so many different things... I’m all of those things and I’m proud of it.”
Telfar transcends fashion. The brand is anything but conforming— and it is through that same rebellion and representation that it indicates to a light at the end of the tunnel for queer people in Liberia and across the diaspora. Clemens’ heroic moves denote hope, and that giving up on who you truly are is never an option.
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Telfar TV and a New Bag Design
While Liberian laws remains exclusionary of same sex relationships, Telfar continues to expand and Clemens flys his motherland’s flag high through grace, style and inclusivity.
Even with all it has accomplished, there is much more on the horizon for the buzzing brand. In a recent press conference, Telfar announced it will be launching two TV channels: Telfar TV and FTV. These will be downloadable from app stores and will feature content submitted by its fans. The platforms will also host the upcoming Spring 2022 collection and debut the brands’ new partnerships with Ugg. New releases of the popular totes will launch on Telfar TV as QR codes at any given time, giving those who are watching the opportunity to purchase on the spot. As a surprise, Clemens revealed a new bag design and a duffel bag that comes in three different sizes, creating more anticipation for people to get their hands on Telfar bags.
As the Telfar tagline goes; not for you — for everyone.