Anna Getaneh thinks as long as African fashion has beautiful products, good position and market, it could be global. That is why she created the brand African Mosaique in order to put African fashion on spotlights. She is from Ethiopia and lives in South Africa. Since 15 years, she loves fashion. So, she transformed her passion into work. She participated in fashion shows in Africa, Paris and New-York. In Oman, she explains her concept. Interview.
Anna Getaneh, Creative Director of African Mosaique, a fashion house brand.
Sébastien Badibanga: What’s your fashion concept?
Anna Getaneh: Pan-African fashion. I defend fashion and system in tradition. I seek to commercialize my business in African countries that have no clue about fashion.
Why did you choose ethnic fashion?
I don’t want to call it ethnic fashion, because it is reducing it to something to ethnical and exotic. In Africa, It’s not considered like ethnic. I choosed African fashion because it’s something that I always loved and wore. In contemporary Africa, traditional clothing is much codified. That’s why I wanted to think about it like a designer. Pan-African fashion becomes an extension of my creativity; it is the prolongation of my background. I was looking for ways to develop the economy in Africa, notably create jobs, and for ways to expose Africa to the rest of the world. We can also do this in Africa because there are many talents in design. The challenge is not the creativity, but to find the demand and the industry.
Do you want your fashion to become a mirror of African culture?
I have one style. Every designer has his own style and inspiration. My concept has always been Pan-Africanism. I feel comfortable in Nigeria to Kenya, and in Zanzibar etc. What I want is to find the way to promote it, position it in the right platform in order to create something really unique for the outside world. Fashion is not necessarily coming to the west. It’s not a manufactory or a big factory. However, at the end of the day, fashion is fashion. So, if it’s beautiful, and affordable, people will buy everything. At the end of the day, we’ll make clothes. We want to be contemporary, competitive, and to expand in the global market.
Any goal?
We want to be successful (laugh) by working with African designers, talents, also manufactories. We’re looking for an African circle. Besides, African people are more global now and mobile. I’m not only looking for national clothes. We have more access now. We can live in others countries. We love wearing colors. So, fashion business can really work there.
During the conference, you said, fashion is not only french or italian brands. Do you think, African designers could create famous clothes as Japanese did?
Absolutely. I mean it could be African Mosaique or it could be another designer. I think design house from Africa could be global. In the 80’s, design was monopolized by the french and european industry. Moreover, Japanese came and they did a market. They’ve been there for 30 years. As long as you have beautiful products, you position it well, and market it well, there are a lot of things you can do. But, of course, it’s more difficult for us because at every new level we reach, more challenges await us. Design activity is not coming up with ideas. We need to have the right machines, means, and development. I think we don’t have to mind for that. We need to have more and more designers who are coming from Africa.
That’s why you sale – now – your clothes. To promote African fashion?
Yes. I always believed in it. I hope to be a fantastic platform to talk about others things which are also very important for me: the cover children in Africa, Job creation, the development. They’re also very important to me. But, at the end of the day, we also have beautiful products and our products are made by african artisans, by African textile companies. We are able to create contemporary clothes and exist in the international market.
Sébastien Badibanga
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