Angolan fashion has long been a way of expressing identity, and Luanda is at the heart of that story.
Dress as identity in Luanda
Historian Marissa J. Moorman has written about late colonial Luanda, where young Angolans developed a cosmopolitan youth culture. They drew on outside influences, such as jacket cuts, skirt lengths and hat shapes, to express what she calls angolanidade, or Angolan-ness. Dress options and their meanings differed for men and women.
A designer to know
Nadir Tati, born in Luanda in 1974, was named best creator in Angola in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Her exhibition Nadir by Luanda, held at the Palácio de Ferro, featured 30 pieces previously shown in Paris, with designs referencing places and moments tied to the city.
Angola Fashion Week
TAAG’s destination guide describes Angola Fashion Week as a showcase of the best work from Angolan designers alongside international guests, held in June at the Paz Flor Cultural Centre.
Sources: Indiana University ScholarWorks, ANGOP, TAAG.
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