| Peer-Reviewed

Avant-Garde Fashion Projects from Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana

Received: 14 December 2021     Accepted: 4 January 2022     Published: 9 February 2022
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

This study seeks to highlight the concept of avant-garde as a viable and radical approach to instilling creativity in fashion design practices in Sekondi–Takoradi, Ghana through putting together different materials to represent shapes and forms in the ultimate sculpting of silhouettes. This experimental exercise is a sequel to an earlier study that gauge the level of engagement of fashion students and practitioners regarding the avant-garde concept within the study area. Even though the avant-garde concept could be useful in terms of creativity and material exploration, the practice is not common around the study area due to the high cost of fabrics and other materials and the fact that it has not been part of the training of fashion practitioners. There were a series of experimentations and material collaboration in this study that led to a number of garments and accessories. In all, twenty (20) pieces of garments and accessories were made from a selection of low-cost fabrics, feathers, beads, canes, straw, glitter, leather, can spray and other fibrous materials. The garments were showcased at two major fashion runway events namely the Technique Style Fashion Show organised by the Department of Fashion Design and Technology, Takoradi Technical University in Takoradi and the Portrait of Reality Show, organised by Exquisite Modelling Empire in Accra. It is anticipated that this project will serve as a pointer to reinforce the concept of avant-garde as a creative design paradigm in fashion design practices in Sekondi-Takoradi and Ghana as a whole.

Published in American Journal of Art and Design (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12
Page(s) 11-21
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Avant-Garde, Sekondi-Takoradi, Fashion Design, Material Exploration

References
[1] Kaiser, S. B. (2019). Fashion and Cultural Studies. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.
[2] Square, M. J. (2020). How Enslaved People Helped Shape Fashion History. Available at https://www.guernicamag.com/ how-enslaved-people-helped-shape-fashion-history/ [Accessed November 2021].
[3] Coco C. (2012). Coco Chanel: A legend on and off the Street. Available at https://chanelcollections.wordpress.com [Accessed April 2019].
[4] Wells, J. C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Third Edition, Harlow: Longman.
[5] Bürger, P. (1984). Theorie der Avantgarde. Frankfurt a. M.: Suhrkamp, 1974. —. Theory of the Avant-Garde. Translated by Michael Shaw. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
[6] Gongini, B. (2017). How to Dress Avant-Garde. Available at https://barbaraigongini.com/universe/blog/how-to-dress-avant-garde-what-goes-into-an-outfit/
[7] Gongini, B. (2019). Avant-Garde Fashion A Modern Definition. Available at: https://barbaraigongini.com/universe/blog/avant-garde-fashion-a-modern-definition/ [Accessed November 2019].
[8] Matsangou, E. (2015). Why do designers bother with haute couture? Available at: https://www.europeanceo.com/lifestyle/ why-do-designers-bother-with-haute-couture/ [Accessed November 2019].
[9] Ghana Statistical Service. (2012). Ghana 2021 Population and Housing Census (Volume 1). Accra: Ghana Statistical Service.
[10] Lewis, R. (2019). Diego Rivera, Mexican Painter. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.brita nnica.com/biography/Diego-Rivera [Accessed April 2019].
[11] “High Modernism”: The Avant-Garde in the Early 20th Century. Available at: https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/ files/Media08--Early_20_cent_A-G.pdf [Accessed April 2019].
[12] Scott, J. (2011). Fashion as Avant-Garde: Available at: http://cgi.sfu.ca/~scahome/sites/default/files/Nicole%20Kunkel%20Fashion%20as%20Avant-Garde.pdf [Accessed April 2019].
[13] Hogan, E. (2019). Fashion as the Avatar of an Avant-garde [Blog post]. Available at: https://ivypanda.com/essays/ fashion-as-the-avatar-of-an-avant-garde/ [Accessed April 2019].
[14] Wainwright, L. S. (2018). Available at: Conceptual Art. https://www.britannica.com/art/conceptual-art. [Accessed April 2019].
[15] Sather, P. (2021). Peacock. A-Z Animals. Available at https://a-z-animals.com/blog/what-do-turkeys-eat/ [Accessed November 2021].
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Genevieve Adjei-Appoh, Richard Acquaye, Joseph Ampadu. (2022). Avant-Garde Fashion Projects from Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana. American Journal of Art and Design, 7(1), 11-21. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Genevieve Adjei-Appoh; Richard Acquaye; Joseph Ampadu. Avant-Garde Fashion Projects from Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana. Am. J. Art Des. 2022, 7(1), 11-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Genevieve Adjei-Appoh, Richard Acquaye, Joseph Ampadu. Avant-Garde Fashion Projects from Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana. Am J Art Des. 2022;7(1):11-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12,
      author = {Genevieve Adjei-Appoh and Richard Acquaye and Joseph Ampadu},
      title = {Avant-Garde Fashion Projects from Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana},
      journal = {American Journal of Art and Design},
      volume = {7},
      number = {1},
      pages = {11-21},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajad.20220701.12},
      abstract = {This study seeks to highlight the concept of avant-garde as a viable and radical approach to instilling creativity in fashion design practices in Sekondi–Takoradi, Ghana through putting together different materials to represent shapes and forms in the ultimate sculpting of silhouettes. This experimental exercise is a sequel to an earlier study that gauge the level of engagement of fashion students and practitioners regarding the avant-garde concept within the study area. Even though the avant-garde concept could be useful in terms of creativity and material exploration, the practice is not common around the study area due to the high cost of fabrics and other materials and the fact that it has not been part of the training of fashion practitioners. There were a series of experimentations and material collaboration in this study that led to a number of garments and accessories. In all, twenty (20) pieces of garments and accessories were made from a selection of low-cost fabrics, feathers, beads, canes, straw, glitter, leather, can spray and other fibrous materials. The garments were showcased at two major fashion runway events namely the Technique Style Fashion Show organised by the Department of Fashion Design and Technology, Takoradi Technical University in Takoradi and the Portrait of Reality Show, organised by Exquisite Modelling Empire in Accra. It is anticipated that this project will serve as a pointer to reinforce the concept of avant-garde as a creative design paradigm in fashion design practices in Sekondi-Takoradi and Ghana as a whole.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Avant-Garde Fashion Projects from Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana
    AU  - Genevieve Adjei-Appoh
    AU  - Richard Acquaye
    AU  - Joseph Ampadu
    Y1  - 2022/02/09
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12
    T2  - American Journal of Art and Design
    JF  - American Journal of Art and Design
    JO  - American Journal of Art and Design
    SP  - 11
    EP  - 21
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-7802
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajad.20220701.12
    AB  - This study seeks to highlight the concept of avant-garde as a viable and radical approach to instilling creativity in fashion design practices in Sekondi–Takoradi, Ghana through putting together different materials to represent shapes and forms in the ultimate sculpting of silhouettes. This experimental exercise is a sequel to an earlier study that gauge the level of engagement of fashion students and practitioners regarding the avant-garde concept within the study area. Even though the avant-garde concept could be useful in terms of creativity and material exploration, the practice is not common around the study area due to the high cost of fabrics and other materials and the fact that it has not been part of the training of fashion practitioners. There were a series of experimentations and material collaboration in this study that led to a number of garments and accessories. In all, twenty (20) pieces of garments and accessories were made from a selection of low-cost fabrics, feathers, beads, canes, straw, glitter, leather, can spray and other fibrous materials. The garments were showcased at two major fashion runway events namely the Technique Style Fashion Show organised by the Department of Fashion Design and Technology, Takoradi Technical University in Takoradi and the Portrait of Reality Show, organised by Exquisite Modelling Empire in Accra. It is anticipated that this project will serve as a pointer to reinforce the concept of avant-garde as a creative design paradigm in fashion design practices in Sekondi-Takoradi and Ghana as a whole.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Fashion Design and Technology, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi, Ghana

  • Department of Textile Design and Technology, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi, Ghana

  • Department of Fashion Design and Textile Studies, Cape Coast Technical University, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • Sections