The United Nations considers Sierra Leone the world’s least developed state. In the 1991 - 2001 civil war, machete-wielding, drug-taking child soldiers were its specialty. Frankly, there is no way of linking that to these pretty pictures, except they all occurred within the same borders.
These were shot by 29-year-old Katrina Manson, the first person ever to write a guide book on the country. When we saw these yesterday, our shallow fashion reflex was all “Wow, hmmm, fresh, the sort of thing that Paris Vogue would do but cheaper.” The outfits were designed by 25-year-old Adama Kai, whose Aschobi Designs label is the first western style imprint to set up in the country. Kai was born in New Jersey, moved to Sierra Leone at four, then later trained in New York and Paris. But she has now moved back to Sierra Leone and declared in a recent interview: “In the same way that Ralph Lauren stands for America, Chanel for France, and Versace for Italy, I want Aschobi to stand for African fashion.” Prices range from $30 to $100.
WORDS: DARYOUSH HAJ-NAJAFI
PHOTOS: KATRINA MANSON
Reader Comments
June 20th, 2009
4:21 pm
really nice pics I’d like to see proper Sierra Leone fashions though, I bet they’d be wilder than this stuff
June 21st, 2009
7:44 pm
Very nice. Thank you so much for sharing these.
June 21st, 2009
8:30 pm
Good article, nice pictures!
June 21st, 2009
9:06 pm
JO-X, I would have to say that the people in the background are wearing what passes for proper Sierra Leone fashion these days.
June 22nd, 2009
10:16 am
[...] Aschobi Designs is based in Sierra Leone, a country on the Least Developed Countries list. The label is the first western style to set up in the country. You know someone’s on to a great thing when you’re desperate to see more photos! [...]
June 22nd, 2009
11:07 am
BAM! that there is some serious pins, they go from hear to yahyah!
June 22nd, 2009
11:07 am
remember that cartoon fox thats eyes would comeout of his head and he would fly off the ground whenever he saw a “sexy dame” (ususally bugs bunny in drag?!) that pretty much is what happened to me minus the drag queen rabbit.
June 22nd, 2009
11:08 am
yeah it came to real life in the movie Mask with jim carrey
June 22nd, 2009
11:08 am
notice everybody on the street staring…
June 22nd, 2009
11:09 am
these are nice, if they only got some anorexic white girls to wear them they might sell pretty well
June 22nd, 2009
11:10 am
this is a laugh.
p.s. that girl is pretty gorgeous though.
June 22nd, 2009
11:10 am
I need a black girl now. Thanks alot Vice.
June 22nd, 2009
11:10 am
Not only dresses…but girls are just amazing.
have a feeling that some fashion designer has set up a show in Sierra Leone.
June 22nd, 2009
11:15 am
yeh its a nice post look like a model walking on ramp
June 23rd, 2009
12:34 pm
The dresses are looking beautiful because the model is so beautiful!!
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June 25th, 2009
2:03 pm
Hey
Beautiful nice its Natural Pure thanks for shearing it with me.
June 27th, 2009
7:11 am
I came here through stumbleupon- I love the look of the clothes, the model looks awesome, and what a powerful setting!! I’m definitely checking out the designer. Great article!
June 30th, 2009
7:18 am
I admire her cause and would support her, but in some of these areas, the dress might as well come with a speaker attached, one that shouts:
“Rape me!”
July 1st, 2009
10:16 am
Very inspirational story!!
As a designer on a journey myself, I salute Katrina in her efforts to build Aschobi in Sierra Leone. She really deserves support and encouragement. Her biggest battle will be to transform the minds of some of the men in her country who are unable to look at a woman on the street wearing something adventurous without thinking that she’s their public property…I refer to comments from people like (Zack #17). Getting your name out there as a serious fashion contender is hard enough…Keep on keeping on Katrina.
July 13th, 2009
9:49 pm
this is beautifuly attired. wonderful colours, and a smart perseption. a gorgeous simply wonderful but complicated peice to look at.
July 16th, 2009
7:41 am
hmm…so it seems people can also be gorgeous without having all that photoshop shit done to them. like in the magazines. nooo fucking wonder our perception on beauty is fucked. exuse my fuckinnngg french
:(
September 25th, 2009
10:45 pm
yes, leanna, our perception of beauty is fucked. even more than i’d imagine. most of the comments are about how the model is pretty, hot and has wonderful legs. do most people who write this even realise that this girl, if lived in sierra leone all her life, probably STARVED most of her life too?
is she pretty? yes, very much so. her face is GORGEOUS. but she’s also thin to the point of malnourishment. in picture 1 you can see her legs are as thin as a piece of bamboo. and in pic 2 her exposed ribcage - more than i’d like to see.
don’t get me wrong - i absolutely loved the dresses and i totally encourage her idea. there should be more people like that all over. but c’mon, isn’t it time we all accept that people who weight 100 pounds and are 5′11” aren’t the majority of society?
btw, before anyone calls me fat, i’m 5′10” and weight 120 pounds. i’m very skinny but i’m healthy. my family has always been like that and, honestly, i’m sick of people thinking i have some sort of eating disorder because i’m skinny/tall. people come in all shapes and sizes and we should embrace this. enough of this anorexia trend. i wish i had giant boobs and more of a womanly shape EVERY DAY.
October 31st, 2009
1:59 am
good for a laugh. i hate to say it, but most people in african countries such as ‘the world’s least developed’ sierra leone will not be able to afford anything from aschobi, much less any other article of brand-name clothing