Afrofuturism and African Futurism Fabric Design

Choosing a design direction that successfully merges fabric design with Afrofuturism or African Futurism requires profound thought and research. Personal reflection, and a lucid vision of both that which is current and the future you wish to explore abets yield fruitful results. Afrofuturism, is fundamentally a cultural aesthetic and philosophy. It blends elements of science fiction and fantasy with Black history and culture. It addresses a variety of issues that traditionally, but not exclusively concern the African diaspora such as race, identity, and empowerment. This should not be confused with African Futurism which though still rooted fiction that is speculative in nature, is specifically embedded in the African continent’s cultures, mythologies, and histories, without the African diasporic community lens.

As a beginning, understand the Philosophy of Afrofuturism and African Futurism, which have mainly been introduced to us as an aesthetic through the media arts and film. This is not where it ends. It is a movement that seeks to salvage, reclaim and re-imagine the narrative of the African on the continent and at large, through technology, space, and a non-Western future perspective.

Next, explore core themes. Preferably, select themes that you resonate with and have an understanding of. They will form the expressive component of your fabric design and provide the storyline for it. You can choose to merge technology and tradition of African American aesthetics, using patterns, masks, or ceremonial attire. You can be inspired specifically by mythological figures, taking from distinct ancient African or diasporic civilizations such as the Dogon, Zulu, or Ancient Egypt or the Gullah/Geechee community, who were once concentrated along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and reinterpreting them into futuristic motifs. Water and alienation can form an independent or partial theme. As concerns Afrofuturism, think of exploring the great abyss that is the Atlantic Ocean. It was once a vast, unmarked graveyard where numerous lives were lost due to the forced dislocation for those who were conscripted into slavery against their will. Here, with African Futurism, one may consider the incorporation of aquatic deities and mythological beings, such as merfolk or siren-like figures like the East African figure ‘Nguva’ or the West African ‘Mami Wata’. Conversely, coming forwards into the 20th century, the works of artists such as Wangechi Mutu of Kenya rightfully present inspiration under this theme. She often chooses to focus on unsettling, dreamlike, and sometimes bewildering images that are imbued with mystical meaning, and are juxtaposing with the mundane and the fantastical.