Accra based fashion label Samarra has carved much of it’s reputation in Ghanaian fashion from its very fashionable accessory line. It has put out several shoe collections and gained a loyal following across it’s home city and the wider country. So when they were announced as surprise exhibitors at the Accra Mens Fashion Week 2016, no one was quite sure what what to expect of the label. The showcase had daily exhibitions and accessories work better as exhibition than fleeting runway shows. What Samarra did was show up as the underdog and school the competition.
The label built it’s entire collection around the oft ignored traditional dyeing technique tie-dye, reclaiming it from secondary school craft classes and arts villages around the city.
Embracing the abstraction of the tie-dye technique and dyeing several times to achieve a true kaleidoscopic effect, Samarra proceeds to craft the perfect wardrobe for a sun filled getaway. Using jersey, the label crafts skin-tight dyed shirts, draping the torso to create a ripple effect on the torso and a risque neckline. Havana style shorts and flat front pants complete that summer look.
But where the label truly impresses is in its array of outerwear. The tie-dye technique melds best with it’s puffy bomber jackets, its sleeveless evening jackets and its belted midi-trench coats straddle the line between edgy and playful. It is a tight rope, but Samarra walks it well.
An unexpectedly solid collection from the least contended label of the showcase, proves that experience and workmanship trumps snazzy ideas in the end.
Photo Credit: Qwesie Asephua Photography.
