Curated by designer Chinedu Ukabam, Water Carry Me Go is an upcoming exhibition that seeks to bridge the gaps between fashion and art by examining the works of African and Afro-Diasporic designers and artists.
Water Carry Me Go is a fashion-art exhibition featuring seven African and Afro-diasporic designers from Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, UK and of course, Canada. Each designer is creating an avant-garde garment. The unique exhibit will centre on the theme of water, an element that connects Africa and its Diasporas in a multitude of ways—as a passage, a cause of displacement and the origin of mythology. The show aims to dismantle artificial distinctions between fashion and art. We could not have done this without the support of TD Bank and Seven Continents, and Honour Carpentry. “Water Carry Me Go” will first debut as a performance art piece with “live” mannequins during the Royal Ontario Museum’s Friday Night Live, before being permanently installed at the Harbourfront Centre’s Architectural Gallery from February 6-12 for their Kuumba festival.
Check out the featured designers,
Carol Baretto
Carol Barreto is a noted black feminist, professor, PhD candidate, and fashion designer who hails from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. She has been showing her works on various runways since 2001. In 2013, Baretto was invited to represent Brazil at Dakar Fashion Week. In 2015 she became the first black Brazilian designer to show at Paris Fashion Week.
Sindiso Khumalo
Sindiso Khumalo is a South African textile designer who lives and works in Hackney, London. She founded her line, which centers on sustainable textiles, in 2013.
Ashley Alexis McFarlane
Ashley Alexis McFarlane is the founder of Asikere Afana, an African-inspired line that pays homage to her Caribbean roots.
Nkwo Onwuka
Nkwo Onwuka is a London-based designer and the founder of Afromania by Nkwo. Her line became the first African print collection to be featured on ASOS.com. Onwuka was even billed as the “African Commes des Garcon” by the fashion editor of Vanity Fair Italia.
Chinedu Ukabam
Curator Chinedu Ukabam is a London-born, Toronto-based fashion designer of Nigerian descent. He launched his line Chine Design in 2003.
Gloria Wavamunno
Gloria Wavamunno is a London-born designer who was raised in Uganda and London. Her namesake brand mixes African fabrics and avant-garde, eccentric design.
Robert Young
Robert Young is a Trinidadian born and based designer whose line The Cloth, been a staple of the country’s diverse and expansive fashion scene since 1986.
