Alia Bare, A Niger Fashion Designer, Wants To Use Her Collection To Lift Her Country’s Image
The Joburg Fashion Week this year has been the celebration of pan-African couture and fashion in their full glory. Fashion designers and creatives from all parts of the continent took part in this fashion extravaganza.
However, the highlight of the show was Niger designer Alia Bare and her collection. She wanted to use her collection to improve the image of her country.
Her country went through a military coup back in July. As a result, the government is still struggling with economic problems and a lack of stability in different sectors.
Alia Bare has spent her days so far in Senegal and India. Both countries have left a remarkable impact on her regarding fashion, culture, and aesthetics.
The collection she presented at the Joburg Fashion Week on Thursday was an extension of her eclectic ideas and inspiration.
About the collection, Alia Bare says,
“It is a very important collection for me because it represents what I am in terms of my culture, my background. I’m from Niger and I’m from different ethnic groups, and I wanted to show that in this collection.
Nowadays this is the most important thing. We are a melting pot. We are a different blend of things and this is what makes us unique and what we should embrace totally.”
The designer further added that she had faced a lot of political struggles in her country. However, these political conflicts do not project the ideal picture of her country.
Also, she went on to say that people across the world associate Niger with poverty, death, and frictions. These negative things perceived about the country damage its image to a great extent.
Bare said that most people see fashion as something “superficial.” However, it is possible to use fashion to express a country’s culture and heritage. She wanted to take that path to establish a positive image of her country.
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