With no pre-existing traditions to limit it’s exhibitors, the debut Accra Mens Fashion Week saw both design labels dealing entirely in high concept design and boutique labels offering little more than updated staples, compete side by side. This is a rare opportunity especially in a country like Ghana with a bourgeoning community of menswear buyers and no pre-existing menswear showcases to define a new aesthetic for Ghanaian menswear. Smack dab in the middle of this is emerging menswear label Fenu Styles.
Aesthetic wise, Fenu Styles is a lot like many of the other brands that showed at AMFW, obviously Ghanaian, proud of their heritage and eager to give their clothes an ‘African’ bent, sometimes in less than original ways like heavily employing African inspired print wax and barely unmodified traditional menswear silhouettes.
But where Fenu Styles differs is that, it simplifies the aesthetic, shedding all the extraneous embellishment and frou-frou that other menswear labels employ to distinguish their collections. The result is a super casual collection of traditional style ensembles that work almost as staples. There is an appeal to this understated approach, where good tailoring is the cardinal sell for the collection. So while this Fenu Styles collection is not particularly impressive, it is intriguing. It is like a blank slate on which the wearer can project their personal style.
But it is a gamble that will only work once, the label will have to bring its ace for its next collection. It absolutely has to.
Photo Credit: Qwesie Asephua Photography
