Sitting with the Guild Team at NYFW S/S 2020: Studio 189

New York City – Studio One Eighty Nine, the recipient of the CFDA Lexus Fashion Award, is a brand co-founded by actress Rosario Dawson and luxury executive Abrima Erwiah. During this New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2019, the brand (recognized for its dedication to sustainability) presented its newest collection, ‘Heritage.’

Traditional patterns, symbols, and techniques of manufacturing inspire this Spring/Summer 2020 collection. The team behind the brand aims to communicate values and history to future generations, by tracing the journey between past, present, and future. An example of the use of traditional symbolism in this collection includes the use of West African Adinkra symbols. Each symbol, pattern, and color tells different stories, highlighting cultural values such as the power of collaboration or the strength of women. “We celebrate all of the characteristics that make us different and all our similarities through mixing prints and patterns and by encouraging the uniqueness of all the people that wear the brand,” Erwiah says. “The brand should be a source of strength for customers and help them achieve their best selves, but in the end, the clothes are meant as a backdrop to highlight the beauty of each individual.”

The collection was manufactured with sustainability in mind. Not only did Studio One Eighty Nine work with their artisans and manufacturing facility in Ghana this season, but also partnered with the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The creators used recycled products, fabrics, and materials and implemented manufacturing techniques that produce zero waste. To provide community support, materials and fabrics were bought in the local Ghanaian markets. The organic cotton used in this collection is grown in Burkina Faso and then transported to Accra for patchworking and creation of the garments.

Silhouettes in this collection include a double-breasted suit for women, flowing shirt dresses, and an off the shoulder caftan and a fringe wrap skirt. The color palette is composed of vibrant hues and pastels, which include indigo, white, green, red, yellow, and black. The color palette was chosen not only to reflect the colors found all around us in nature but also the colors of the American and Ghanaian flags. – GM