{"id":431240,"date":"2017-10-23T00:57:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-23T00:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/"},"modified":"2017-10-23T00:57:44","modified_gmt":"2017-10-23T00:57:44","slug":"how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/","title":{"rendered":"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"medsection1\">\n<!-- End of html generated by this->header() --><\/p>\n<p class=\"floatLeft\">Entertainment of Sunday, 22 October 2017<\/p>\n<p class=\"floatRight\"><strong>Source: <\/strong>vogue.com<\/p>\n<p>2017-10-22<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-left\">\n<p class=\"article-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/53939704.295.jpg\" alt=\"EL VOGUE KENTE\" title=\"EL VOGUE KENTE\" width=\"295\" height=\"369\" \/><span class=\"image_caption\"><span>E.L wears Studio One Eighty Nine<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"noPrint\">\n<div id=\"537626303\" style=\"width:300;height:250;margin:0;padding:0\">\n\t\t  <noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"b2ad7fa7fd\" name=\"b2ad7fa7fd\" src=\"http:\/\/ghanaweb-d.openx.net\/w\/1.0\/afr?auid=537626303&amp;cb=149916385179598\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\"><a href=\"\/\/ghanaweb-d.openx.net\/w\/1.0\/rc?cs=b2ad7fa7fd&amp;cb=149916385179598\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/1508720264_790_ai\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"clear:right\"> E.L, the Afrobeats singer and rapper, is picky about his Kente. A fabric of the Ashanti people, one of Ghana\u2019s largest ethnic groups, it has been handmade from silk and cotton on looms with painstaking precision for centuries.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, because of its global popularity, the local market has been flooded with poor imitations of the original. \u201cIt\u2019s tradition in Ghana\u2014buying fabrics, gifting fabrics,\u201d he says. We\u2019re driving (or should I say pacing\u2014the traffic in Accra is infamous) in E.L\u2019s SUV to the Arts Center, a deceptively large market in the heart of the city where he knows he can get high-quality goods.<\/p>\n<p>When we arrive, a crowd of merchants surround us, hoping to sell us their wares, but the singer, thin and tall and in big black sunglasses, beelines for a booth where an older gentleman is sitting at a loom, methodically (and surprisingly zippily) weaving fabric.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis guy has the good stuff,\u201d says E.L, picking up some neatly folded examples in his hands. He settles on a red, yellow, and green pattern\u2014the same as Ghana\u2019s flag and the prototypical kKnte colors.<\/p>\n<p>E.L first came to prominence as a producer and artist during the flamboyant Azonto dance craze which swept western Africa around 2012. Now, as Afrobeats\u2014the polyrhythmic mix of rap and singing, largely from Nigeria and Ghana, that blasts from just about every car in Accra\u2014is ascendant, he\u2019s kept time with tracks like \u201cAbaa,\u201d and his success means he needs a solid touring wardrobe.<\/p>\n<p>And when the singer (who won Artiste of the Year at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards) needs something special for a show or red carpet event , he turns to his tailor, Chocolate, who runs a studio in the Dome neighborhood of the capital.<\/p>\n<p>Chocolate has a knack for using traditional motifs, including kente, in unlikely ways, such as piping on suits. \u201cIt should always be with a twist.<\/p>\n<p>Culture is dynamic. It\u2019s always changing. Our fathers wore cloth, but we want to create a contemporary look,\u201d says E.L. Chocolate has had an eye for clothes since childhood. \u201cMy mom sewed,\u201d he says. \u201cWe make our own prints here, and one day we will start our own factory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amid buzzing sewing machines, he and E.L decide they want to use the newly bought fabric to make a button-down shirt. He wraps a strip of the kente around the singer\u2019s throat to take a measurement. \u201cIt all starts from the neck,\u201d he says, referring to the importance of a perfect collar.<\/p>\n<p>If E.L needs something ready-made, he goes over to Studio One Eighty Nine, the boutique and clothing line operated between New York and Accra by designer Abrima Erwiah and actress Rosario Dawson.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a sunny shop on a quiet corner, and he\u2019s basically family here: Erwiah and Dawson often dress him in their clothes, which are sourced and created locally in ethical ways to benefit education and revive regional artisanal practices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis swaggalicious guy? I mean, come on,\u201d says Dawson when asked why she loves to see E.L wear their clothes. Erwiah is a veteran of the fashion industry, who previously worked at Bottega Veneta in Milan before she decided to reconnect with her roots in Ghana. Now she splits her time between Accra and New York. She and Dawson are old friends, both having grown up in New York, and the two started Studio One Eighty Nine because they were passionate about supporting African causes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you buy our clothes, it creates work, and people can buy farmland, feed their kids, send their kids to school,\u201d says Erwiah. \u201cI have been on that hamster wheel of constant fundraising, but we want to foster sustainable methods that aren\u2019t going to depend on people\u2019s generosity,\u201d Dawson continues.<\/p>\n<p>Again, E.L has settled on a Kente item, a blue suit with white stripes so contemporary and cool you\u2019d never know it was made with an ancient technique unless you\u2019re up close and feeling how soft and special it is to the touch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKente is something you use for ceremonies and weddings. When the president was sworn in, everyone was wearing Kente. But we like the idea of using special fabrics and making it approachable, so that it\u2019s more modern,\u201d says Erwiah.<\/p>\n<p>Which is precisely why E.L is such a good fit for Studio One Eighty Nine\u2019s progressive mission. \u201cHe raps in Ga,\u201d says Erwiah, referring to one of the more than 250 languages spoken in Ghana, \u201cwhich is a big deal. He embodies what we\u2019re trying to do. He represents this future of creativity. He\u2019s rapping in his local language; he embraces his culture. He just knows what he likes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The singer agrees, and seeing him in his slim Kente suit with no shirt on underneath, it\u2019s clear that he\u2019s relentlessly forward-thinking in his fashion choices, even when he\u2019s wearing a fabric as old as this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to reflect an African kid who has had the opportunity to travel far and wide but hasn\u2019t forgotten where he\u2019s from,\u201d he says, a day of shopping for new clothes behind him. \u201cWe don\u2019t lose sight of who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- uploaded by: -1 updated by: 45 --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Start of html generated by this->footer() -->\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style=\"display:none\" rel=\"follow\" href=\"http:\/\/megatheme.ir\/\" title=\"\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633\">\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Entertainment of Sunday, 22 October 2017 Source: vogue.com 2017-10-22 E.L wears Studio One Eighty Nine &#13; E.L, the Afrobeats singer and rapper, is picky about his Kente. A fabric of the Ashanti people, one of Ghana\u2019s largest ethnic groups, it has been handmade from silk and cotton on looms with painstaking precision for centuries. And [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":431146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-431240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Entertainment of Sunday, 22 October 2017 Source: vogue.com 2017-10-22 E.L wears Studio One Eighty Nine &#013; E.L, the Afrobeats singer and rapper, is picky about his Kente. A fabric of the Ashanti people, one of Ghana\u2019s largest ethnic groups, it has been handmade from silk and cotton on looms with painstaking precision for centuries. And [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-23T00:57:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":914,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/\",\"name\":\"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure - Ghanamma.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-23T00:57:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/23\\\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ghanamma.com\",\"description\":\"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2017\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure - Ghanamma.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure - Ghanamma.com","twitter_description":"Entertainment of Sunday, 22 October 2017 Source: vogue.com 2017-10-22 E.L wears Studio One Eighty Nine &#13; E.L, the Afrobeats singer and rapper, is picky about his Kente. A fabric of the Ashanti people, one of Ghana\u2019s largest ethnic groups, it has been handmade from silk and cotton on looms with painstaking precision for centuries. And [&hellip;]","twitter_creator":"@ghanamma","twitter_site":"@ghanamma","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure","datePublished":"2017-10-23T00:57:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/"},"wordCount":914,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","articleSection":["Entertainment"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/","name":"How one Afrobeat Superstar is reinventing Ghana\u2019s most prized fashion treasure - Ghanamma.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2017-10-23T00:57:44+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/10\/23\/how-one-afrobeat-superstar-is-reinventing-ghanas-most-prized-fashion-treasure\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/","name":"Ghanamma.com","description":"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}