When you keep your ear to the ground and your eyes open, there are many unexpected revelations that come your way. And so it was with the inaugural Arise Africa Fashion Week and Awards that concluded in Johannesburg this past weekend.

Right from the day it was announced, through until the final clap for international R&B singer R.Kelly at the close of the Arise Africa Fashion Awards on Saturday night, there have been naysayers and groupies, criticism and fawning.

But who has given it a fair shake and provided a balanced analysis of this African showcase of fashion? Well, that would be I, right here, right now.

'Absolutely the right thing to do'

I remember hearing someone quote UK comic, Catherine Tate, when they heard about Africa Fashion Week. They said publically and to many nods of agreement, "what a (beep) liberty".

There was a feeling that it was somehow a cheek to assume to showcase Africa fashion from here in South Africa. That this was, in some strange way, a privilege that we were not entitled to.

And I remember thinking that these people had got it totally wrong. The idea of gaining a critical mass to attract the attention of the rest of the world was, for me, absolutely the right thing to do.

Why would any international media, buyers or commentators travel to several different countries across the continent, to separate shows at varying times of the year, when one collective show could provide the absolute best of the best, in the manner of Australia, which has recently seen its fashion week rise up the ranks of the international stage?

Diversity and vision

However the idea of African fashion as a cohesive voice seemed extraordinarily unlikely, considering all the cultural and ethnic diversity across this vast continent. So, I felt that while it was the right thing to do for the business of fashion, I was concerned about the execution in the interests of the designers' vision and positioning of African fashion.

Would there be an overwhelming costume-effect in the point of view? Would the absence of a western aesthetic hinder its broader acceptance? And would the disparity between what this continent produces and what you see on the ramps of Milan, New York, London and Paris be too wide to ever find our place?

Certainly there were curatorship issues during the week of shows. There was also a slightly jarring overemphasis on designers from Nigeria and South Africa. There were some cultural and business clashes with who sat in the front row and what the media room's purpose was. And there were a few logistical issues that would have been unacceptable in the tents across the equator. However, on balance, there was a very profound and cohesive voice of African fashion that was communicated in all its incarnations.

Shattering perceptions

From the very first show on the very first day, my preconceived notions of African fashion were forever changed.

This seems a dramatic statement, but it is still sincere. Ituen Basi, who showed first, managed to produce a collection of fresh, fashion-forward silhouettes entirely comprised of Africa print fabrics. These fabrics were in turn utilised in such a way as to re-appropriate western fashion details and render them an expression of this designer, this continent, this time in our collective history.

There were very few moments in the course of the week that made me uncomfortable from a 'taste' perspective — and yes, I do accept that this has an inherent western arrogance to it.

I accept that something so subjective and culturally-biased has no place in a celebration of this continent's unity. However, from a realistic perspective, if African fashion is to be evaluated and compared to fashion from all the other continents, well it is simply a pragmatic angle to take on the analysis. And, most excitingly, we did not fail.

There were designers that inspired, that thrilled, that challenged, that spoke. Not all, but many. There were models that grew and shone and took the most intense pride in what they were undertaking. Like the fashion army of Africa, these girls stood up for our continent and represented us in a most accomplished way. That was the girls. The boys, not so much.

A voice for the 21st century

The concept of a voice of 21st century African fashion was loud and clear and only a little bit contentious. And so, over the next 12 months, we need to work out what constitutes African fashion. We need to establish whether a designer who is white, but can trace his ancestors on the continent back to the 1600s, is African enough to represent us internationally. Or a designer who has trained in Paris or London retains enough of an African aesthetic to do the same.

We need to know if decades of experience render a designer too accomplished and polished to speak for us or if an emerging voice is almost too likely to emerge from Nigeria or South Africa as a result of the infrastructure and fashion investment in these nations.

In other words, we must all contribute to the debate and engage in the process to ensure that Arise Africa Fashion Week and Awards in 2010 is an even bigger and better success than it was this year.

Of course it wasn't perfect. It was the first one and a massive undertaking. But in terms of achieving the goal of unifying our continent's fashion voice — that was achieved in spades.

In terms of proving that one continental showcase can work and blend and communicate our unique aesthetic — that was a hand's down win. In terms of taking African fashion to the world — well there is still some work to do in terms of attracting the world to us, but we have an unprecedented opportunity next year with the FIFA Wold Cup here in South Africa to improve and get this one right too.

I am hopeful and delighted and exhausted after a week of African fashion. But what I am not is jaded and cynical. This fashion showcase lighted a spark in me that is only likely to burn brighter as time goes on. African fashion can be everything fashion is around the world. But this time it is ours.

For more information on Robyn and photos from Arise Africa Fashion week, go to: http://styleguidecapetown.blogspot.com

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