Mbeuk Idourrou
Ensemble
2019 (designed and made)
2019 (designed and made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Imane Ayissi founded his eponymous label in Paris in 2004. He is known for his glamourous collections which mix beautiful textiles from the continent with classic French couture techniques and silhouettes. Ayissi was born in Cameroon in 1969 to champion boxer Jean-Baptiste Ayissi Ntsama and Julienne Honorine Eyenga Ayissi, the first Miss Cameroon.
This ensemble is part of Ayissi’s Mbeuk Idourrou collection, designed for Autumn/Winter 2019. Mbeuk Idourrou translates to ‘He or she who wears a garment that is impressive’. The saying references the idea that clothes reflect not only the social status of the wearer, but also the sucess of their community. With this collection Ayissi explored the role of volume in creating presence, taking as inspiration the Sengalese grand boubou and Japanese kimono. The ensemble being acquired for the V&A comprises palazzo trousers and cape in fuschia satin, the cape and top are fringed with dyed pink raffia from Madagascar. The bold colour and large volume of the cape speak to the theme of the collection.
This ensemble is part of Ayissi’s Mbeuk Idourrou collection, designed for Autumn/Winter 2019. Mbeuk Idourrou translates to ‘He or she who wears a garment that is impressive’. The saying references the idea that clothes reflect not only the social status of the wearer, but also the sucess of their community. With this collection Ayissi explored the role of volume in creating presence, taking as inspiration the Sengalese grand boubou and Japanese kimono. The ensemble being acquired for the V&A comprises palazzo trousers and cape in fuschia satin, the cape and top are fringed with dyed pink raffia from Madagascar. The bold colour and large volume of the cape speak to the theme of the collection.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Title | Mbeuk Idourrou (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Cape/top: dyed silk, linen (from Italian supplier) and raffia from Cameroon, metal fastenings
Trousers: dyed silk (from French supplier) and metal fastenings |
| Brief description | Ensemble, cape top and trouser, silk, linen, raffia, Imane Ayissi, Paris, France, Autumn/Winter 2019 |
| Physical description | Ensemble of cape top and trouser designed by Imane Ayissi. Look 16 from the 'Mbeuk Idourrou' collection, Autumn/Winter 2019. Pink silk, linen and raffia cape and trousers, Paris, France. |
| Production type | small batch |
| Gallery label | ‘Showcasing, under the golden crown moulding of a Parisian building during Haute Couture Week, luxurious contemporary garments made of textiles woven by artisans in Cameroon, Ghana or Nigeria is for me the best way of showing that African know-how is just as sophisticated and as valuable as artisanship in the rest of the world.’
— Imane Ayissi, 2021
African fashions have for too long been ignored or put into a stereotypical box. Couturier Imane Ayissi’s designs sit at the crossroads of fashion systems, connecting Africa and its global diaspora alongside artisanal craft-making and haute couture. His work illustrates that African fashions are beyond definition and that creatives can and do choose their own paths. V&A, Room 40, Africa Fashion (02/07/2022 - 16/04/2023) |
| Credit line | Purchase funded by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Diana Quasha |
| Summary | Imane Ayissi founded his eponymous label in Paris in 2004. He is known for his glamourous collections which mix beautiful textiles from the continent with classic French couture techniques and silhouettes. Ayissi was born in Cameroon in 1969 to champion boxer Jean-Baptiste Ayissi Ntsama and Julienne Honorine Eyenga Ayissi, the first Miss Cameroon. This ensemble is part of Ayissi’s Mbeuk Idourrou collection, designed for Autumn/Winter 2019. Mbeuk Idourrou translates to ‘He or she who wears a garment that is impressive’. The saying references the idea that clothes reflect not only the social status of the wearer, but also the sucess of their community. With this collection Ayissi explored the role of volume in creating presence, taking as inspiration the Sengalese grand boubou and Japanese kimono. The ensemble being acquired for the V&A comprises palazzo trousers and cape in fuschia satin, the cape and top are fringed with dyed pink raffia from Madagascar. The bold colour and large volume of the cape speak to the theme of the collection. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.2435:1,2-2021 |
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| Record created | May 9, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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