When we first met…

I think I will never forget this photo. A black and white photo.A dress with a white bustier, a cutout at the waist. A kind of tutu over the dress that went down to below the knees. Below, a fabric with very strange colors. It was probably my first encounter with this kind of creations, I did not know yet that it was dyed fabric and even less that it would become one of my great passions.It was in 2012, I remember because I had just left Yaoundé in Cameroon for Bures-sur-Yvette (France), the city that Google Maps had indicated to me as being the closest to my new university.I was already using Facebook at the time to communicate, share around my artistic explorations but not yet to follow the work of other creators. It was probably the beginnings of this use of social networks by African brands at least.I still remember that this dress intrigued me. That I had come back to the Christie Brown brand page several times to look at it, that I had been happy when the photo of the dress in color had been posted and that I had looked at it and analyzed it even more.At that time, without being able to put words to it, this brand had laid the first elements of what would then constitute my new representation or my new understanding of what African fashion was.You have to understand, without wanting to get into the cliché, that in those years, what I mainly saw of African fashion was summed up in somewhat amateurish fashion shows on national channels, in Miss and Masters competitions where for the “traditional costumes” category, the participants always brought out their eternal raffia bustiers, their refined coconut shell bra or their most beautiful Kabagondos made of wax in the motif of the region they wished to represent.I exaggerate of course and I am quite capable of recognizing the originality and the work behind these pieces. I had also seen on television some of these long and familiar silhouettes that paraded during fashion events in North Africa or in Nigeria.Not that I found this fashion ugly, no. I found it expected, without surprise, known, explored again and again. I had the impression of having always known and seen it like this and somehow I had not realized that it could evolve.Seeing that Christie Brown dress at the time opened up my world of possibilities. And I discovered, over the months and years that followed, dozens, then hundreds of other African brands that came to shake up, expand and solidify, one stone after another, the many paths to the many worlds that represent and will represent African fashion.Christie Brown was therefore my first and, despite the arrival of other brands dear to my heart, it remains after 10 years, the African brand that comes to my mouth first when I have to talk about the best on the African continent.In this article, I take you with me on the journey of my story with the brand. How my look, my understanding and my appreciations have evolved with her. We will analyze together the codes of the Christie Brown house and the identity of the Christie woman.

Watch “An african city” 1000 times and never get tired of it

It’s very funny because as I start this paragraph, the words that come to mind are « representation matters » and « quotas are not such a bad thing ».My opinion of Africa, not as what it was but as what it had the potential to be, began to evolve and come to fruition with this series..

Where does it start with a TV series

“An african city”, is a Ghanaian series, written, directed and produced by Nicole Amarteifio, which started in 2014 and which is very inspired by the structure of the cult series “Sex and the City”. From the start, the series takes a real stand around the idea of a return back to Africa.The series makes for me immediately credible and understandable the decision for a person living in Europe and having a good standard of living to return to settle on the continent. It deals in a very good way with the difficulties that one encounters when returning home. Both in terms of infrastructure, organization or work culture and in terms of philosophy of life and cultures.This will be the first series for which in 2016, I will decide to take out my bank card to pay for access to season 2 broadcast only on the dedicated platform.You may ask, why am I telling you about this TV show in a fashion article on Christie Brown?Because among the choices that the series makes very early on and this one from the start, there is that of highlighting the best of African knowledge: whether in the field of fashion, art, gastronomy or other. The characters are almost always dressed by Ghanaian or African designers. These are characters belonging to the upper class and therefore, of course, the series serves us without complaining about looks that make you dream.You probably guessed it: Christie Brown is one of the most prominent brands in the series. She serves us looks that are both fine, subtle but also whimsical, daring, sexy. I will remember all my life the blue jumpsuit in thin, slightly transparent lace that NanaYaa, the main character of the series, will wear for her birthday in season 2. A pure marvel of delicacy, sensuality and balance.It is also in this series that I see the famous velvety embroidery appear for the first time, which will become over the collections one of the codes at the foundations of the Christie Brown house.This series will therefore represent from 2014 to 2016, an important step in my immersion in the history of Christie Brown fashion house. It evolves from the exceptional bubble capable of inventing designs that broaden my creative field to the brand capable of dressing in the real world the African wealthy social classes.At the end of that time, it crystallizes in my mind an idea that will never come out of it: there is on the African continent a well-to-do and growing social class, demanding this creation and this African expertise, ready to put the price on it and proud to wear it.It seems common but until those years, I had somewhere in my mind the impression that African fashion was more a source of inspiration than a profitable business. Other fashion houses could draw inspiration from it to build collections in the rest of the world. And we, the local populations, on an individual scale, to design or personalize our dresses for ceremonies, weddings or other events. It was very rare, even unimaginable, to buy a piece directly from fashion designers.There, Christie Brown and the series made me see the business or industry dimension – purely business of the sector and its huge potential.

Who is Aïcha Ayensu? Who is behind this fashion house?

For a long time, I thought that the fashion house bore the name of its creator and I always spoke of her by referring to her by the name of « Christie Brown ». It must also be said that in the beginning, the founder was discreet about her identity and that the brand had a reputation which, for me, went far beyond her person. Which is objectively an excellent indicator.So I discovered Aïcha Ayensu much later, in 2019 or 2020, by chance from an interview about her fashion house.Rather than giving here information that you can find on Wikipedia, I will describe everything that in my imagination is associated with her name: first, in bulk, the path of chance that led her to fashion, Christie Brown is the name of her grandmother, this adventure begins in 2008 without any anticipation or vision of what it will become, and it is only for a few years that she has been executing a strategic plan to help mark her take a new step.These bits of information linked together make me think of the notion of heritage, anchoring, duty of memory. Throughout the collections and whatever the universes explored, we always find this solid thread that brings us back to our own heritage.Aïcha Ayensu also has a very complete and in-depth understanding of what the woman she wants to dress wants. This woman solid on her identity and her achievements who wishes to bring the best of what the continent has to offer. And that without compromise. A paragraph will arrive below on the identity of this Christie woman. I am convinced that her degree in psychology and fashion has a lot to do with this accuracy that she naturally knows how to give to the identity and desires of the women she embodies.From the point of view of the personality of the leader, she seems to have a sharp and precise vision of the destination for her company and works there with coherence and without deviating. This is undoubtedly one of the most striking points at the level of this fashion company. The consistency of the proposal, silhouettes, materials, prices, frames and decorations is accomplished.One thing that I also really appreciate about this business leader is how she handles the successes and failures of the business. They don’t seem to particularly disrupt his run. The success of one piece will not make it the flagship piece or the new identity of the brand, just as the failure of another will not mean its death in future collections. The brand seems to be escaping the dictates of customers and continuing its path towards an ultimate « vision ». The consequence of this strategy is that Christie Brown is today a brand whose clientele expects to be surprised and accepts the surprise. By sticking to this vision, she has built a house with solid foundations that will not disappear at the first gust of wind.An indicator of this love for the surprise that its clientele has developed is the speed with which the new proposals of each collection find themselves out of stock. This sometimes happens just hours after launch.Talking about the frequency with which products are out of stock, Aïcha Ayensu, in a recent interview with Afrique Femme, specifies that this is a very worrying subject. According to her, this is not an indicator of the desirability of the pieces but on the contrary of the difficulty she encounters in increasing her production capacity. A subject that I will deepen in a dedicated paragraph below. This current inability to successfully scale is, according to the designer, the main reason behind her reluctance to attack new markets.

The codes of the Christie Brown house

Another excellent indicator for assessing the maturity of a brand is the ease of defining the codes and therefore the identity of the house.In this paragraph, I am going to take part with pleasure in the game on the codes that make up the Christie Brown house. As this analysis is carried out independently and without consulting a member of the company, it will necessarily be partial and subjective. These are essentially elements to which I am sensitive and which have marked me.

• It’s probably obvious; The first code of the Brown house is the black velvet piece dotted with cutouts in the shape of drops of water or geometric shapes and embroidered on the edges with a thick black thread. I discovered this CB signature for the first time in 2014 on large collars, or large bands running the length of dresses. This code will then return over the collections in different forms: in belts, in bands to maintain folds, in the form of corsets, in tracksuits,… It is undoubtedly for me one of the most anchored codes and the most brand identifiable. This piece of velvet gives Christie Brown silhouettes and looks a depth, a strength that makes it impossible to see them without understanding the authenticity, the identity of the woman who wears them. In this perfectly executed little piece, we find a rather incredible summary of the house’s know-how: the cutting and embroidery work is meticulous and irreproachable.
• The second code is often constructed from the first but without overlapping it or eclipsing it: these are corset-style belts that are found in abundance at CB. Probably one of the main reasons why I fell in love with this house of creations. I have always loved silhouettes embellished with a corset. The association between the volumes at the top and bottom of a garment and this element that cinches the waist and hips is incredibly elegant. Aïcha Ayensu explores it and offers it in her collections in different forms. From the high corset belt which only dresses the waist, to the longer belt which after the waist forms a sort of crinoline around the hips, passing by the low belt which only dresses the hips. The collections each bring a small element of novelty around this central piece of the house.
• Loyalty to wax but in subtly measured quantities is the third identified code. In all the collections of the fashion brand, there are pieces made with cotton wax prints. It will be here in a skirt, there in a corset, or even a jacket, and even sometimes in a belt. These prints that have gradually established themselves in the identity of African fashion are part of CB. In the case of Aïcha, the choice to work with wax is not motivated by any intellectual laziness but represents a desire to embrace the history of the continent and show her pride in being part of it. The wax is worked there in the most luxurious of ways. It’s subtle, it’s refined, it’s the exception extracted from the banal.
• In the fourth position of the Christie Brown codes, we find the superposition of layers and volumes. If there is one thing that makes up the Christie silhouettes, it is this contrast between looks that look very refined and balanced and yet very loaded. It almost looks like we’ve piled up a sizable mass of fabrics and painstakingly carved into the mass until we reach the point of balance. It is fitted at the waist and goes down on slits that reveal other volumes and other colors. The brand has become a master in the art of combining textures, colors and know-how. Just by using this principle of superimposing layers, materials and alternating volumes, you should be able to recognize a silhouette drawn by Aïcha Ayensu. In the following paragraph, I will explain the allure that this choice gives to the Christie women and why this choice is perfectly consistent with the identity and desires of the women that the brand wants to dress.
• Finally, we end this paragraph with a last code that appeared more recently in the 2019 collections and which seems to be taking up residence in the house. Calligraphic embroidery directly carried out on the whole of a piece. It is often found in black, white or brown colors; on jackets – blazers, skirts or dresses. The concept was first born timidly in one of the 2019 collections before returning in a more accomplished and more constant way in the following collections. A code that I love and that I hope to see last.

The Identity of the Christie Brown Woman

Disclaimer : As this analysis is carried out completely independently and without consulting a member of the company, it is necessarily partial and subjective.I think it is difficult to begin this description of the Christie Brown woman without mentioning the fact that she is firmly anchored on her foundations. She is clearly a woman who knows without a doubt who she is, who has solidly built the foundations of her identity and who walks the world with confidence and far from any uncertainties relating to her nature. The Christie woman is solid, deeply rooted in an identity known, mastered and embraced. She has already defused and deconstructed all the inconsistencies linked to her mixed ex-colonized identity and knows how to embrace the good of both worlds without bipolarity.To develop such an understanding and acceptance of oneself, I am convinced that one must have lived, incubated and integrated many things. It is therefore necessary to have had the time / the years to complete this process. Because of this maturity, the Christie woman was probably past her thirties. In the heart of his target, I would say that she is a woman who is between 30 and 50 years old with a peak in her late 30s and early 40s.She is an ambitious and determined woman who knows exactly where she is going and what she wants to accomplish. We see in the selection of pieces that make up the Christie Brown collections a dress-code rather oriented towards the premium professional environment. The blazers, the cuts and lengths of the skirts, the colors, a majority of pieces are worked to give a specific look to a woman who is making a career.The Christie woman is also cultured, knowledgeable and discreet. The brand offers in each of its collections exceptional African know-how but always with remarkable finesse and discretion. The house takes up a bit of the codes of discreet and refined luxury that can be found in the Chanel house but by bringing its touch, its identity. And his target knows how to appreciate it. Christie’s reputation as an African luxury brand is no longer up for debate.Alongside these main features, we can note two secondary features that will conclude this paragraph :

• The Christie woman is constant, faithful and even a little traditional. From one collection to another, the brand will take relatively few risks. Even if the proposed silhouettes are magnificent, they remain familiar in the universe of the brand. The client does not expect the huge surprise or the revolutionary silhouette. His expectations are more focused on a flawless, refreshed, updated, enhanced look. It is a safe bet. It may seem contradictory because in the previous paragraph, I pointed out that the brand was not betting everything on a single bestseller but allowed itself to explore different silhouettes. This remains true, but this exploration is made in all coherence and in all fidelity with the identity of the Christie Brown woman and therefore although it brings novelty, it does not bring the shock of surprise.
• Finally, the Christie woman feels good in her body. It may seem trivial, but the brand was really designed for a woman who loves her body and who wants to assume all her elegance. It’s not sultry or sexy; that’s flattering. The blazers are made to give a nice square look to the shoulders, the belts caress the waist and firm the silhouette, the dresses, the pants, the sleeves, add elegance here, presence there. And, sometimes even fantasy altogether. You must love your body and want to enhance it to adopt this brand.

At the end of this paragraph, if we had to remember three words to define the CB woman, I would say that she is solid, ambitious and faithful.

A designer brand Made In Africa

From the introduction of this article, I explain the major role that Christie Brown will play in my representation of what African fashion is. My focus in this introduction is on the impact it will have on creativity, looks, techniques and skills.But it is important to point out that one of the foundations of my admiration for this brand comes from the fact that all of its production is made in Ghana. In a recent interview that designer Aïcha Ayensu granted to France24 (https://youtu.be/q5y0INNibaU), we discover in particular the brand’s workshops on two floors in a disadvantaged neighborhood and she proudly underlines the fact that each of their embroidery (house code) is done by his company and locally.This dimension « made in Africa » has an enormous weight when you know, like me, the difficulties of producing in a qualitative, constant and sustained way on the African continent. Kroskel having two workshops in Cameroon for several years, I know how difficult it is to succeed in scaling up. Not from a demand point of view but from a production point of view. Finding, training and retaining a qualified workforce are crucial issues for all fashion players operating on the African continent.Many brands make the choice to grow and succeed in their scaling up to partially or entirely relocate their production. This is the choice made by the NanaWax brand, created by Maureen Ayité, who is a big name in premium African ready-to-wear.There is therefore a particular respect for this brand for which the challenge is not only to grow, but to grow with and on the African continent. When you wear Christie Brown pieces, take the time to realize that it is luxury ready-to-wear made on the African continent and that the finesse of the details that you see is the result of a treasure of know-how that is still little known. known.This brand is from this point of view, for me, the proof that by annihilating precariousness, we leave room for creativity and excellence to unfold.This fight is the one I have chosen and that I lead with Kroskel and I am happy and honored to have pioneering brands like Christie to follow in my quest.

Some iconic pieces from Christie Brown

Impossible to go further in this article without going through a concrete exercise and analyzing some of the iconic pieces of the Christie Brown brand.What do they have in common? They all bear clearly identifiable markers of the house: layering, use of embroidery on geometric or floral cutouts, corset or belt on velvety fabric, use of wax print.

Look 1 : 2017 Fall Winter Collection – F[MEN]IST F/W ’17 – Print and hand embroidered lazer cut skirt suit paired

Faultless if you ask me. The volume on the sleeves; the bow tie jewellery; the jacket which seems to be inspired by an Asian aesthetic on the upper part by playing on the codes of the kimono. And which, in the lower part, takes up the cinched cutouts at the waist which were at the heart of Western fashion in the 1940s. The combination of materials also says a lot about the identity of the brand: on the lower part, wax and in the upper part a fabric with windowpane checks, in gray tones and embroidered with gold threads. The effect is luxurious and quite breathtakingly delicate.The set is completed by a pencil skirt that has nothing to envy to the rest: we find the same windowpane check fabric of the jacket, worked with the same golden embroidery but this time on a laser cut in the shape of a water drops. An exceptional work that reveals in transparency the rich colors of the wax in the lining of the piece.In this logic of layers and to refine the piece, the skirt offers on the side, over its entire length, a straight cut which allows the wax print to be seen more widely. This master piece is completed by a small short train that starts from the shirt and comes out under the jacket to gently caress the hip. It’s subtle, it’s delicate, it’s avant-garde, it’s moving and it’s balanced.From my point of view, this silhouette, this collection in general, is going to be the one that will solidify the image of Christie Brown as an African luxury brand. The brand already had very deep roots but this collection will come to complete the foundations.

Look 2 : The Mormons interlude – Capsule collection 2018 – CONSCIENCE SS18

Without a doubt my favorite era from the Christie Brown house. You have to understand me, I don’t know where this comes from, but I have a total inability to resist the successful silhouettes of the following two periods: the 1600s and the end of the 1800s. were not afraid of volumes and the second when women were reluctant to get rid of the corset and therefore wore it with more fantasy.Particularly in the late 1800s, the silhouettes became more refined, lighter, but the dictates of chic associated with lace, embroidery and beading are still relevant.

Look 3 : « Like Naomi Campbell » – 2016 Fall Winter Collection 2016

This iconic dress from the Christie brand appeared for the first time in 2016. A year when Aïcha Ayensu was still building her identity and understanding the codes that would become those of her brand. It will be the ancestor of many more refined dresses which will arrive from 2019 and will meet with great success.The silhouette is dense, bold, impertinent. We find there on the round neck top worn inside the dress, the weakness that Aïcha has for lace and fanciful sleeves. The pinafore dress has a fairly simple cut at the top, a large rounded collar and is fitted on the chest. The chosen fabric is a vertical striped fabric which immediately takes us back to the royal courts of Louis XIV. This fabric can also be reminiscent of the magnificent Kanvô (fabric woven in the traditional way in Benin). The dress is fitted a little above the waist with embroidery work on the belt which reminds us that it is a specialty of the house. The dress goes down to above the knees in beautiful volumes and with alternating large strips of striped fabric and gathered wax fabric. On the sides, covering the entire length of the skirt, a detail not to be missed: two triangular-shaped ornaments and completely made in the famous embroidered velvet complete the work.Very strangely, due to the associated colors, the whole is quite cold and remains very balanced.It is an intelligent composition, we find there the fantasy, the audacity, the elegance of a Christie woman.

Look 4 : OUR WOMAN – A modern Sophistication – 2019 Spring Summer Collection

If I’m honest, it was extremely difficult for me to choose which looks from this collection deserved an analysis.This is one of the Christie Brown collections where I would wear all the silhouettes offered. We arrive in 2019 and now the identity of the woman of the house is complete. The brand feels ready to present this woman without shyness. The entire collection bears her name “our woman – modern sophistication” and fulfills its mission..The models chosen, the hairstyle, the sets, remind me of the universe and certain characters of the series « An African City » which, as mentioned above, was the first to personify the Christie Brown woman. Looking at the collection, it almost seems that Aïcha Ayensu has given herself the challenge of representing these women 5 years later: modern, accomplished and sophisticated in African style.The collection is a delight of know-how, impressive details, combinations of materials and techniques that please the eyes. The paces are impeccable, to the millimeter.In the choice made for this article, we find the passion for lace, the piece of velvet embroidered and adapted in a belt itself iconic in the house, the layers in this beautiful low-cut jacket which opens on a large fuchsia collar , tightens at the chest and caresses the long skirt of the dress. For me, another house faultless.

Look 5 : The batik turn and the new paths – capsule December 2021 and January 2022

An end to the year full of risks for the company. As the 2021 end-of-year celebrations are fast approaching and the month of December is well under way, Christie Brown offers us a capsule collection in which we see silhouettes appear to which the house had not accustomed us.The brand is coming up with a much sexier proposal than usual. We see the arrival of largely bare shoulders, sometimes deep necklines and even very short and tight dresses and skirts.Even if on the whole, we find the know-how, the techniques and certain codes of the brand, we feel a real distance from the usual risk-taking zone on the part of the CB.For a fragment of a second, the Christie woman becomes a queen of the night, she discovers and embraces her sensuality and other aspects of her femininity. A face that until now she had kept secret.In this same collection, Christie Brown unearths her interest in hand-dyed fabrics. We see the appearance of magnificent and unique hand-made patterns that will give a particular power to this collection.The proposal remains significant in the history of what it represents in terms of explorations but will not be for me the most complete work of the brand. However, he will be the precursor of a new collection that will know how to get the best out of it and abandon the less good.Since this collection, Christie has no longer offered us very short or very sensual outfits, but we now know that it is capable of creating surprises.

Becoming Christie Brown

To write this article, I had to go through all the collections offered by the brand since the beginning of its history. A very inspiring and very liberating return to the past because the identity and the signature of the brand has really been built over the years and collections.We can find there: the strategic choices, the orientation, the attempts to break into different markets, the redefinition of the target, the focus and the growth.I will try in this paragraph, relying on condensed moodboards, to analyze this journey and follow the road that gave birth to “the” Christie Brown that we know today.Small note before starting: it is very reassuring to follow this journey and to understand how searching and finding your identity is a long and crucial quest for a brand. It is the years, the experiments and the tests which will make it possible to gradually tend towards this identity. In this paragraph, one may have the impression that I am addressing you, my readers, but I am mainly addressing myself because my year 2022 has been absorbed by this search for identity and I feel that this year 2023 will be also dedicated to strengthening this identity. Reviewing Christie’s journey normalizes this passage.

Step 1: The first trial and error (2008 – 2011)

This first era will last from 2008 to 2011. The designer already has a desire to rely on African heritage but has not yet found “her” way of doing it. This can be felt in his frequent use of Wax. The proposals are numerous and difficult to differentiate. Some ideas are already very popular, such as the button necklace covered with Wax and matched with feathers. In the silhouettes none of the codes of the house exist even if we already see a dawning interest in the superposition of layers and volumes.

Step 2: Premise of cohesive Western-style collections (2011 – 2012)

From 2011 and until 2012, the brand began to work on the notion of consistency of the collections offered. For a collection: a palette of colors, precise guiding threads declined on different silhouettes, the number of silhouettes reduced and the elements that had worked well in previous collections are reintegrated. We find in this period, the necklaces in boxed wax buttons matched with feathers from the previous period, and we see the appearance of the fine wax cords which come to dress the body like a jewel. Christie Brown looks seem to be westernizing to appeal to a white audience. In the colors, a lot of beige or blue and very few of the more flashy colors that she dared in the first years. This period will be the premise of another period in 2014 where the brand will try to break through abroad.

Stage 3: The birth of Christie Brown (2012 – 2013)

In 2012, something subtle but impressive is happening for the brand. It offers for the first time a collection which seems to draw its source directly from the bosom of the designer. Consistency is present throughout. The materials are part of the African luxury heritage and the brand takes the risk of presenting collections with its first dyed fabrics. It is this collection that will catch my attention and that will launch the beginning of my love story with the brand, 4 years after its creation. We talk about finesse, know-how, luxury, attention to detail, consistency and elegance. Even if the codes are not there yet. The Christie Brown brand becomes recognizable. His offer and his proposal are now unique to him. This period will be spread over two years, from 2012 to 2013. It is therefore in July 2013 that we will see for the first time appear the iconic code of the house: black velvet with laser cutouts and embroidery. Christie Brown was born and we can now witness its evolution as its own brand.

Step 4: An attempt to enter the Western market (2014)

It’s a strange time for the brand. A lot of very striking things happen that shake up its strategy or its identity line. She dresses Beyoncé’s dancers for a concert, Alicia Keys for a shoot and finds herself in the spotlight with worldwide exposure.Anecdote, it took me years to understand that Alicia Keys wore a Christie Brown piece, so the idea had never occurred to me that an African stylist could dress such a famous American artist. It was beyond my imagination at the time.She then abandoned the time of a season her pursuit of her own identity to retry an international breakthrough. In 2014, the brand is again offering a collection which, although incorporating certain codes that are now anchored, such as the embroidered velvet piece, will dilute the colours, lighten the silhouettes and rethink the materials to tend towards a more Western sensibility. The materials are smooth, fluid, silky. The colors are more pastel. This period is clearly not the most interesting for the brand because it loses some of the clear identity that was beginning to be its own. Attention, I think that it will be a period marked by a good economic growth for the company but from a creative point of view and by focusing on the artistic contribution, the proposal is not extraordinary.

Step 5: Return to his identity and his target: the appearance of the profile of the Christie Brown woman (2015 – 2017)

The brand is refocusing on its identity and on its core target and is looking for the Christie Brown woman. From 2015 to early 2017, Aïcha Ayensu offers 3 collections each centered around a part of the personality of the Christie Brown woman. The universe is refined, the solid, anchored and heir woman asserts herself. As the face of the Christie Brown woman becomes clear, the identity of the brand becomes recognizable. We are beginning to have a fingerprint in the collections which makes it possible to say without hesitation that it is a creation of Christie Brown without it being written somewhere.I take a moment here to underline the fact that it is at the end of 2017 that we will have the first completely accomplished, coherent, identifiable and unique silhouettes of the brand. It therefore took him 9 years to find himself and become Christie Brown.

Step 6: Grounding – Solidifying what it means to be Christie Brown (2017 – 2019)

From 2017 to 2019, in full awareness of its identity, its market and its positioning, the brand will work to refine and solidify this identity. The collections offered during these two years are getting closer and closer to a conquest and we reach the apotheosis in 2019 with the collection “our woman: a modern sophistication”. Collection which remains for me to this day the most magnificent of the brand’s faultless. The story told, the decors and worlds chosen, the details, the silhouettes, cuts and cuts, the color schemes. Everything in this collection will inscribe Christie Brown into the ecosystem as a fashion designer to be reckoned with. Whether you are African, European, Asian or American, from this collection, you are obliged to recognize the legitimacy of the brand and its contribution to the field of fashion.The brand will subsequently offer us very beautiful and refreshing collections, but I almost want to say that the opposite would have been surprising given the understanding it now has of its identity. If you are curious, you will find all the brand’s collections on their Facebook page. A wonderful story to follow in pictures.

What future for this fashion brand? Does it have a good chance of going mainstream in the next decade?

Nous sommes arrivées au bout de cet article. Article dans lequel j’ai dû renoncer à décrire certaines collections et certains détails pour aller au plus marquant. L’enjeu pour moi n’était pas de faire une biographie de la marque mais de documenter plus complètement ce travail que je trouve sous-exposé au vu de toute la richesse qu’il peut apporter (et apporte déjà) dans le milieu de la mode. Mon admiration et mon amour pour cette belle marque Ghanéenne n’est plus à démontrer.Cette marque a connu et connaît une belle croissance depuis son lancement. En 2023, elle fêtera ses 15 ans d’existence.Malgré le fait que sa croissance est plus que respectable, ses chiffres et son exposition sont extrêmement bas comparés à d’autres marques européennes parfois plus jeunes. Certes, ça se joue sur différents critères mais ce sont ces chiffres particuliers (N’hésitez pas à me contacter si vous souhaitez les connaître) et en quelques sortes communs à de nombreux créateurs du continent Africain ou d’origines Africaine qui m’ont donné envie de me pencher sur le sujet.En effet, je me suis lancée dans cette démarche d’analyse du travail de marques africaines et de quelques marques occidentales pour essayer de répondre à une question cruciale pour moi et pour Kroskel. Est-ce qu’une marque Africaine (made in Africa ou made of Africa) peut devenir mainstream ? Est-ce qu’elle peut, dans notre ère, acquérir la notoriété, la légitimité et les chiffres qui la classeront dans la même cours que les marques prometteuses qui naissent dans le monde occidental, le moyen orient et l’Asie ?C’est la question que nous allons poursuivre ensemble au cours de cette année et sans doute aussi des quelques années à venir. En attendant, n’hésitez pas à me dire ce que vous en pensez.