Studio 189 was founded in 2013 by Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson. At the heart of the brand is the desire to use fashion as a tool for social change. The brand has a split headquarters in Accra, Ghana and New York City. It uses local Ghananian talent to craft their clothing using traditional weaving and dye techniques.
Each of their lines from the beginning are a celebration of color, joy, and community. Spring/Summer 23 was a love letter to family. Erwiah included a heartfelt message to late father to start From their first presentation in 2013, showings have used diverse groups of models, highlighted African music, and focused on community. The title of the collection was Mélange, an apt name for a line that was full of mixed prints carried by models who were diverse in complexion, size, age, and ability.
The brand has had multiple collaborations. 2021 saw the brand collaborate with exclusive sunglasses colors with Warby Parker. A capsule a collection with Dali Gaga was released in connection to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It included hoodies and t-shirts with Adinkra symbolism that was inspired by traditional African clothes and culture. A collaboration with Scotch and Soda allowed them to create a line of bags, with proceeds supporting The Hunger Project. The spirit of collaboration extended to the 2020 presidential campaign, when the brand launched Fashion our Future, a voter registration campaign in collaboration with Vote Latino. The goal was to encourage more people to take action to shape the world they wanted.
The brand was awarded in 2018 with the CFDA+ Lexus Fashion Initiative, a prize that supports efforts to become more sustainable as a fashion brand. While often the sustainability in fashion conversation centers on environmental impact, the founders saw the need to focus on the human impact of their brand. Speaking to CFDA, Erwiah says, “It was not our role to tell people what they should do, but it was our role to listen and to amplify and to support the development of local communities.” Their focus, then, was on what they could do to make the lives of their employees better. That meant considering the impacts of poverty, violence, and disease on the local employees as they committed themselves to manufacturing their products in line with environmental standards.
Sources:
CFDA. (2021). Studio189. CFDA Runway369. https://runway360.cfda.com/designers/studio-189Criales-Unzueta, J. (September 11, 2022). Studio 189: Spring 2023 ready-to-wear. Vogue Runway. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2023-ready-to-wear/studio-189
Doud, T. (June 14, 2018). Studio 189 designs fashion for social change. CFDA.com https://cfda.com/news/studio-189-designs-fashion-for-social-change
Emmanuel, G. (December 8, 2021). Rosario Dawson and Warby Parker want you to say yes to sunglasses in the winter with their latest release. Essence. https://www.essence.com/fashion/rosario-dawson-warby-parker-studio-189-release/
Palmieri, J. (April 4, 2022). Scotch & Soda partners with Studio 189 on bags. WWD. https://wwd.com/accessories-news/handbags/scotch-soda-partners-with-studio-189-on-bags-1235145646/
Vaughns, V. Q. (November 28,2022). Snag Abrima Erwiah of Studio One Eighty Nine’s limited-edition black panther collection at a Footlocker near you. Ebony. https://www.ebony.com/snag-abrima-erwiah-of-studio-one-eighty-nines-limited-edition-marvel-black-panther-collection-at-a-footlocker-near-you/
Image credit: Studio 189
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