Paper short abstract:

What is an Afropolitan identity? How does a hybridized identity provide the subject the tools to merge a mix of influences in a "third space"; a "newness that enters the world"? This paper will look at particular conversations on the representation of the African identity through fashion.

Paper long abstract:

Afrocentric fashion is a predominant feature amongst Afropolitans and signifies that being fashionable and cosmopolitan in the African context is not about mimicking or desiring Western styles but about representing the multiple ties and spaces that they represent. Since clothing has always been a signifier and a medium to negotiate the differences and similarities between cultures, this paper puts to the fore an Afropolitan fashion that is heavily employed to promote African-inspired fashion in relation to the politics of identity that they are confronted with as transnational citizens.

Afropolitan fashion represents "authentic creativity that comes from the motherland" but that which is situated in a diasporic context. I put in conversation a historical overview of Parisian fashion and German fashion mode, and the reciprocal perspectives these geographical locations have on global fashion. The European fashion houses have experienced a movement that borrows heavily from the African continent and materials for inspiration for their works. I discuss the importance of the African wax print in relation to a general Afrocentric fashion ideology. I then narrow it down to the impact that the versatility of the wax print has on the new definition of an Afrocentric fashion. I also explore the innovations, the changing roles, and the meaning of historical yet contemporary dress with reference to the representation of the Afropolitan identity. This paper highlights the trope of cultural hybridity, cohesion of designs, and the reimagination of identities while speaking of a diasporic identity.