Due to the pandemic, this year’s fashion show in Accra has been
canceled. But that didn’t stop Mercedes Benz from organizing a photoshoot with five rising stars of Ghanaian fashion.
The German car manufacturer, which has actively supported international fashion seasons for a quarter of a century by providing financial support, has decided to turn to talents from Africa. They chose to work with the photographer Carlos Idun-Tawiah and five fledgling designers from different houses: Chloe Asaam, Larry Jay, Hazza, Steve French and Atto Tetteh. Wishing to highlight the varied styles of the artists, they decided to make a «documentary style» shooting.
The President of Marketing at Mercedes Bettina Fetzer, in an interview, spoke to Harper’s BAZAAR about how “Aspirational design is at the heart of the Mercedes-Benz brand, and our commitment to supporting global talent who push creative conversation forward is more important than ever. The level of talent in Ghana is truly inspiring and we are excited to kick-start planning to re-launch Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Accra, when it is safe to do so.”
The design of the different artists is very varied; Atto Tetteha unveiled leather waistcoats with cricket-striped trousers, and a wonderful white cotton tunic with traditional red patterns posing in front of a classic Mercedes model.
Chloe Asaam chose to involve local women wearing beautiful ragga wigs, a
gorgeous white cotton blouse worn across the body with colorful ruffles with flying sleeves, and earrings with the Mercedes-Benz logo (cover picture of the article). Her inspiration comes from the Ashanti mythology.
For his part, Hassan Alfaziz Iddrisu, from Haza, chose African graphic prints used at
parties’ shirts.
On the other hand, Steve French fell in love with hand-painted graphics.
He decided to produce a series of hand-painted cotton tops dyed in an imperial purple, with ancestral motifs.
To view the full gallery, click here
To conclude, this Mercedes Benz’s shoot has been a magnificent action for
the Ghanaian designers who do not have too much visibility and yet have
an amazing talent.
It also made it able to connect with the media and fashion buyers, influencers,
enthusiasts, and allowed them not only to make themselves known worldwide, but also to show the beauty of Ghanaian fashion, fabrics, and models.
For Attoh Tetteh, it’s a mission to make African patterns appeal to a
younger audience.
One of the talented designers from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Accra, @AttoTetteh, is on a mission to make African patterns appeal to younger audiences.
Head over to Mercedes-Benz Fashion: https://t.co/fYwTqeloPT
📸 @carlosidun#MercedesBenzFashion pic.twitter.com/WWmRiPOqHh
— Mercedes-Benz (@MercedesBenz) November 15, 2020
