Evonne: “We grew up around African textiles so they bring forth a lot of emotion. Our mother’s side of the family is from the Fante tribe, based in Cape Coast, Ghana, and our father is from the Ashanti tribe which is located in Central Ghana.
These textiles make us feel proud, it’s great to have access to tangible artifacts growing up in the diaspora. But at the same time, exploitation is on my mind because our fabrics have become a hot commodity. You often see companies copying traditional African fabric designs and mass-producing them outside of Africa.
And so, while I am happy and proud when I see people representing and wearing African fabrics, I also wonder how we can better protect our intellectual property and make sure that Africans benefit from their art and culture."
Erika: “‘Conscious consumption’ means knowing the origin of the African fabric that we buy — not only where they are made, but also who designed them.
Who's profiting from this purchase? Who is building generational wealth from this purchase?
Being conscious when you're a consumer means asking those questions. It means purposefully seeking out and buying art that is going to benefit the community.”
