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Fashionfuturism: the Afrofuturistic Approach to Cultural Identity in Contemporary Black Fashion

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Fashionfuturism: the Afrofuturistic Approach to Cultural Identity in Contemporary Black Fashion FASHIONFUTURISM: THE AFROFUTURISTIC APPROACH TO CULTURAL IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY BLACK FASHION A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts at Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fashion Industry Studies by Maame Amoah August 2020 Thesis written by Maame Amoah B.F.A., Kent State University, 2017 M.F.I.S, Kent State University, 2020 Approved by Tameka N. Ellington, Ph.D., Advisor Linda Ohrn-McDaniel, M.F.A., Co-Advisor Louise Valentine, Ph.D., Director, School of Fashion John R. Crawford-Spinelli, Ed.D., Dean, College of the Arts iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………..….1 Purpose of Study .............................................................................................................................. 4 Significance of Study ...................................................................................................................... 5 Operational Definitions ................................................................................................................ 5 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 8 The African Diaspora ..................................................................................................................... 8 Afrofuturism in the African Diaspora .................................................................................. 10 Fashion and Identity in the African Diaspora ................................................................... 17 The Complexities of Cultural Identity .................................................................................. 25 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 29 III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 34 Recruitment of Participants ..................................................................................................... 35 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................... 36 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 40 IV. RESULTS .............................................................................................................................................. 44 Participants ..................................................................................................................................... 44 Theme Overview ........................................................................................................................... 44 Results for the Online Collage Exercise ............................................................................... 63 V. COLLECTION ....................................................................................................................................... 65 Development of Collection ........................................................................................................ 65 Results/Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 67 VI. DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................................... 77 Black Peoples’ Perceptions of Afrofuturism ..................................................................... 77 Fashion Expressions of Afrofuturism .................................................................................. 82 Differences in Nationality and Cultural Upbringing ...................................................... 85 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................ 91 APPENDIXES A. IRB Approval Sheet ................................................................................................................. 98 B. Informed Consent .................................................................................................................... 99 iv C. Recruitment Email ............................................................................................................... 102 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 103 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. APBD diagram ............................................................................................................................ 33 2. Online creative exercise administered through mural ............................................. 39 3. African American master collage ....................................................................................... 63 4. Diasporic African master collage ....................................................................................... 63 5. African master collage ............................................................................................................ 63 6. Baule cloth ................................................................................................................................... 66 7. A Selly Raby Kane design from her 2019 collection. .......................................................... 68 8. A MaXhosa by Laduma Ngxokolo. Designs from 2018 collection ........................ 68 9. Side, front, and back views of the African look .................................................................... 70 10. Close-up image of the African look ................................................................................... 70 11. Side, front, and back views of the Diasporic African look ................................................. 72 12. Close-up image of the Diasporic African look............................................................... 72 13. Side, front, and back views of the African American look ....................................... 75 14. Close-up images of the African American look ............................................................ 75 15. APBD – African American ...................................................................................................... 89 16. APBD – Diasporic African ...................................................................................................... 89 17. APBD – African ........................................................................................................................... 89 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Interview Questions and Guidelines ................................................................................ 38 2. Participant Demographics ......................................................................................................... 44 3. Themes and Subthemes ......................................................................................................... 45 4. Summary of Results ................................................................................................................. 65 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank my family for their unwavering support and cheer throughout the entire duration of my education. I want to also thank all my friends for having my back and especially my roommate for keeping me fed while I buckled down on my writing. Thank you to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Ellington for staying with me throughout this long and stressful period. Your mentorship means so much to me!! Thank you to Linda for trying to keep me sane and well equipped despite the campus shutdowns and no access to the knitting machine. I wouldn’t have been able to realize the vision for the collection without you! Finally, a big BIG thank you to the rest of my committee members, Dr. Kumah-Abiwu and Professor Kendra Lapolla for sticking it out with me even through the summer. I am truly grateful for your continued support. AMOAH, MAAME, M.F.I.S., AUGUST 2020 FASHION FASHIONFUTURISM: THE AFROFUTURISTIC APPROACH TO CULTURAL IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY BLACK FASHION (112PP.) Director of Thesis: Dr. Tameka Ellington, Professor Linda Ohrn-McDaniel Afrofuturism is a cultural and aesthetic movement within the African Diaspora that draws on the present and historical experiences of Black people and reimagines a future filtered through a Black cultural lens. There has been a growing number of fashion creatives and enthusiasts throughout the African Diaspora who are adopting this aesthetic in order to celebrate Black culture and identity. However, the role of Africa in Afrofuturism continues to be debated as many believe the term to be inherently centered on Black American experiences and cultures and not necessarily on the African experience. The purpose of this research is to explore the connection between Afrofuturism,
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