We do not usually associate the Field Museum of Natural History with trending fashion. We think of science, discovery, education, and a commitment to actions to save our planet. However, the Field Museum of Natural History has always committed to celebrating history, culture, and evolution. This stunning Africa Fashion and its companion exhibition, Connecting Threads: Africa Fashion in Chicago, does just that by showcasing African fashion‘s global renaissance and cultural diversity.
Dr. Christine Checinska, Senior Curator of Africa Fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, has graciously brought Africa Fashion an exhilarating exhibition to Chicago during our Celebration of Black History Month. This original exhibit and Connecting Threads spotlights one hundred eighty garments. The clothing is fresh, imaginative, luxurious, unique, and stylish fashions from over twenty African countries and from two of our own Chicago fashion leaders. Melody Boykin, creator of Black Fashion Week/ USA, and Jennifer Akese-Burney, a Ghana-born designer from Illinois, contributed newly created pieces inspired by the Field Museum collections.
Dr. Checinska states, “The exhibition presents African fashions as a self-defining art form that reveals the richness and diversity of African histories and cultures. Africa Fashion celebrates the vitality and innovation of a selection of fashion creatives, exploring the work of the vanguard in the twentieth century and the creatives at the heart of this cosmopolitan scene today.”
Angelica London, Exhibition Projects Manager for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, refers to herself as a mixed-media artist. She is primarily interested in creating images highlighting the beauty of the Black Diaspora, with a heavy emphasis on Black women and jewelry pieces. She expressed, “Africa Fashion paints a beautiful picture of how fashion in Africa is not one-dimensional. “The exhibition does a wonderful job of moving from traditional fashion to contemporary.”
This exhibit displays African videos, photography, music, silver and gold adornments, and mixed organic materials such as sisal, straw, cowrie shells, and textiles. It educates us on the changes after Africa broke free of colonization. In the 1960s, when seventeen African countries broke free of colonial rule, fashion became a point of pride, courage, and independence. Reverting to cultural traditions of handmade weaving and hand-printed textiles was a political act asserting a country’s legacy and identity.
My limited perspective of African fashion was dashikis in brilliant color and kaftan shifts with unmatched patterns. My ignorance was challenged by the richness of artistic creativity and pride displayed in this exhibit. The declaration of independence in much of Africa was a reflection of the historical movement shown in a melding of traditional dress with Western style. I loved this exhibition. It was beautifully curated and showed off the diversity of African fashion, dyes, and textile use. There were dresses of raffia, hemp mixed with silk, a tuxedo jacket of velvet, and lion gold medallions. It made me cognizant of how we represent our identities and personalities in the clothing we choose to wear. There were spectacular gowns that rivaled anything I had ever seen on any red carpet. Non-binary fashions, male new creations, futuristic fashions, and minimalistic ready-to-wear fashions that I coveted were all impressive. It is estimated that currently, African fashion represents only 1.2% of the global fashion market. After viewing this collection, I believe it should, with its forward diverse styling, represent much more.
Africa Fashion is a ticketed exhibition that is open for a limited time. Connecting Threads is included with general admission and will be open through March 2026. The Field Museum and Allstate are major sponsors of Africa Fashion and Connecting Threads. Africa Fashion is created by the V&A and Tours the world.
All photos provided by the Field Museum
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