Kent State University features first North African fashion exhibit in the world

CLEVELAND — More than 40 clothing pieces and accessories from 24 artists and designers across the world are now on display at Kent State University, and all of them share similar roots.

Sara Hume is a professor and curator at Kent State University’s museum. The building also houses Kent State’s School of Fashion, which is among the top 25 fashion schools in the world and ranks fifth nationwide. The exhibit, “A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa,” showcases the work of contemporary designers who are from Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt.

Hume said, it’s the 30th exhibition she’s worked on campus, but the first of its kind the world.

“North Africa is full of centers of fashion. When you think about Paris, London, New York, it’s big fashion centers, but really, Casablanca is [an] amazing place and Cairo has wonderful fashions that are coming out of it,” she said. “I really want to open eyes of of people in America, in Ohio, to this richness and diversity.”

The exhibition opened in September after several years of planning. Hume said. The exhibit is part of her larger, ongoing project to spotlight fashion from different African regions and address a common misconception in an industry where Black and African designers have historically faced underrepresentation.

“Back in 2016, I organized an exhibition, ‘Fashions of Southern Africa.’ And that exhibition looked at fashion of South Africa and Namibia and the idea, in doing sort of smaller regions of Africa, is the message that Africa is not a monolith,” Hume said.

The space is divided into three section: our land, disruptors and threads. Altogether, highlighting the community’s diversity and contemporary concerns in the industry.

Hisham Oumlil is the only U.S.-based designer in the exhibit and is from Casablanca, Morocco.

“We have the native atmosphere that we refer to as Berbers … we have the Black Africans, we have the Arab influence, we have the Byzantine, the Phoenicians and then we have the modern European influences. So it’s so very rich … It’s worth, representing, at the world stage.

Oumlil, his fashion journey began in 1995 while studying and working in fashion retail in San Francisco.

Now, Oumlil is helping spread awareness of Moroccan culture through his clothing brand Oumlil.

“North Africans … we have always been a point of inspiration for European designers, for example. And so, to be celebrated, I think it’s really wonderful,” Oumlil said. “And it’s important, in continuing this, important dialog about the beauty of cultural intersections all throughout the world.”

While fashion history is often told through a western lens, Oumlil said, he’s noticing the beginning of a broader shift toward equity.

“It’s all an evolution, and it requires a collective sort of work and also an understanding from all the parties involved … by including more voices. into the fashion global, conversation,” Oumlil said. “… We have had very, very successful fashion designers who are originally from North Africa that have made very important contribution to the world of fashion.”