Mythmaking Towards New Worlds: Jollof

Our latest collection is finally here, titled Jollof.

We are so glad to present what we have been working on for the past few months. For this collection, we worked on an approach in which we call empathic design. It is a way to give everyone that was involved in the process of making this collection (From creative to production) creative equity. 

 

Portrait of model in Post-Imperial Fall 2020 Collection


So, what is Jollof? 

Jollof is a rice dish that is prepared by most West African countries in some form. Each country has its own way of making it from the sauce to the choice of rice.

Pot of Jollof RiceJollof has become a bridge- a symbolic ice-breaker of sorts for when these different communities come together. It is a perfect example of how food can be a powerful way for humans to communicate with each other. It fosters positive engagement from friendly banter (Who makes the best Jollof?!?), to the way families eat (The Senegalese gather together as a family to eat Jollof from one big dish).

The fabric choices from this collection highlight the color and texture of Jollof, as well as capture and emote the sense of intimacy, warmth, and comfort you feel when you are in community. 

All the fabrics are treated in "Adire" - A hand dyeing process developed by the Yorubas in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Prior to dyeing, the artist hand paints patterns using a wax or cassava starch paste that acts as the resist dye.

Artisan creating the Post-Imperial Jollof collection

The production of the collection in our factory in Kenya.

Additionally, we used British artist and curator Lubaina Himid’s work as a source of inspiration through her use of color, The way she depicts the humanity of Black people in her paintings doing work, as well as her use of working on found objects. Her work resonates very much with the essence of what Post-Imperial is about. 

Our first drop includes new styles and updated ones. 


We hope that you all enjoy the mythology we have created as a community.