Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 21, 1993 TAG: 9303180260
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LORETTA GRANTHAM COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
ETHNIC ELEGANCE
YOU'RE no doubt familiar with trickle-down trends - fashion styles that take years to infiltrate the mainstream.Afrocentric apparel - such as vibrant cotton kente-cloth designs and matching pillbox-shaped hats - existed centuries ago. Their heyday in this country is just beginning, however.
A growing number of black Americans are wearing ethnic garb, especially to the workplace, transforming what used to be a cottage industry into big business.
"I call it a sleeping giant," said Harriette Cole, fashion editor of Essence magazine. "It's a new kind of phenomenon. There has been a small, almost underground, community [that has been wearing African styles] for 20 years.
"But now, there's a melding, a synthesis of what culture is becoming - truly global."
There are two segments to the evolving trend:
Authentic African garments, such as toga-like dashikis.
African-inspired designs, which are Western-style pieces made from fabrics such as kente or ashoke. This is where the "melding" is most apparent.
"Fashion Influences," a JCPenney catalog first published in January, covers both bases. You'll find a traditional kufi hat on page 8 and a more Americanized peplum dress (derived from the longer African version) on page 10.
The 14-page catalog targets the "tastes, moods and heritage" of the black American consumer. The second edition appeared in stores March 20.
"It's fairly new for us," said JCPenney's Barbara Bierman, publicity director for women's apparel. "It's part of a whole corporate special segment program. All the details haven't been put into place, but we've been overwhelmed by the response."
JCPenney isn't the only major retailer launching an Afrocentric catalog. Spiegel, which has joined forces with Ebony magazine for the 64-page project, will publish E Style this fall.
"A lot of it is very much African-inspired," said Spiegel spokeswoman Ann Morris. "You're going to see a lot of the colors, patterns and accessories. Even in the general Spiegel catalog, we're seeing ethnic influences more and more."
Mass marketing aside, the trend's greatest purveyor is the grapevine.
"What I've learned is that it's basically word of mouth," said Terry Thomas, founder of the African-American Cultural Arts Organization. "Usually people that wear the style are promoting culture, and their paths cross."
Thomas, an Atlanta native, said African clothing was popular in that area "as a way to promote black consciousness and black thought," especially when he was in college.
"But I got down here in 1983 and saw nothing, so I threw my stuff in the closet until 1988."
Now, five years later, Thomas often wears a dashiki and kufi (also called a "crown") - a pillbox-type hat inspired by African headwear - to the Belle Glade, Fla., middle school where he teaches art.
School teacher Margaret Chukuma wears ethnic designs in the classroom as well.
"They're Western styles, but using fabrics from a variety of African countries," said Chukuma. "I have jackets, skirts, pant outfits and jump suits."
Like Thomas, Chukuma says the clothes often stimulate discussion. And what better way to get youngsters interested in history and geography?
Meanwhile, in the corporate arena, The National Council of Compensation Insurance in Boca Raton, Fla., added an African dress day to its Black History Month events in February.
"Interest in the clothes was stimulated by community events," said NCCI clerk Sherry Valle. "We thought, `Why not bring it to the professional level?' "
"If we could afford it, we'd wear it every day," said her colleague, Brenda Ashe. Garments often start at around $100, which can add up for those trying to build an Afrocentric wardrobe.
The items are more expensive than comparable American styles for two reasons, said fashion editor Cole. "They're imported, and also they're handmade by the cottage industry, not mass produced."
It was around 1500 when African craftsmen began unraveling European fabrics and reweaving them into styles they considered appropriate.
Now - some 500 years later - Westerners are embracing African styles. Indeed, "what goes around comes around" in fashion. But sometimes, the trip takes a lot longer than you might expect.
Memo: Correction