Kente Patchwork Dress (2024)
Cultural heritage of Ghana
design Details
Kente Patchwork Dress
Studio 189
2024
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Kente Patchwork Dress
Class: Textiles – Woven
Medium: Raffia palm fiber
Dimensions: W. 31 In. × H. 31 In. (78.7 cm × 78.7 cm)
Description: Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson founded Studio 189 between the United States and Ghana as an “artisan produced brand and social enterprise” that “focuses on empowerment, creating jobs and supporting education and skills training and partners.” They manufacture in Accra, but work with weavers, dyers, goldsmiths, engravers, beaders, tailors, and shoemakers in locations across Ghana and also in Burkina Faso and Mali. This dress features a patchwork textile that Erwiah describes as speaking to divisions but also connectedness. The long patchworking process, placing colors and patterns, requires many hands, embodying the many skilled people Studio 189 brings together.
(Source: The Museum at FIT Website)
About Studio 189
Studio One Eighty Nine (Studio 189) is an African fashion and lifestyle brand and social enterprise founded in 1998 in Accra, Ghana, and co-founded by Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson. The brand is known for its strong commitment to ethical production, sustainability, and artisan craftsmanship, creating contemporary garments that are made in Africa and rooted in African and African-inspired traditions. Studio 189 works closely with local artisan communities, using handwoven, naturally dyed, recycled, and plant-based textiles, including indigo dyeing, hand batik, and kente weaving. Promoting slow fashion, empowerment, and skills development, the brand operates an ecommerce platform and manufacturing facility in Accra while supporting community-led projects in Africa and the United States. Internationally recognized, Studio 189 has partnered with organizations such as the United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and NYU Stern School of Business, collaborated with global brands including Nike, Fendi, EDUN (LVMH), and J.Crew, and received honors such as the CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability and the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Grant.
(Source: Studio 189 website)