House of Aama Fashions Anansi and African Folklore Into an Ode to the Diaspora

The garments tell a story of joy and richness amid surviving the transatlantic slave trade.

House of Aama’s Fall 2023 show Wednesday began with poetic words about persistence and the transatlantic slave trade. The sound coming from the speakers transitioned into reggae as the first model emerged in an airy, cream dress with perforations on the skirt. They look like tangled spiderwebs, which was the subject of the mystical show.

Titled “Prelude: Aama Tales,” the show “explores diasporic family migration patterns from West Africa to the West Indies and the Southern United States through the travels and journey of the folklore Spider Tales,” per a press release. The Los Angeles-based fashion house created looks that display a metamorphosis akin to Anansi the Spider‘s, the subject of African folklore who was known for being resourceful and able to adapt to changing environments.

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Following the first look was a parade of neutrals before a chapter of colorblocking bright hues. Pink and orange sherbet shades were set next to sky blue, hinting at dusk. The next batch of colorblocked looks took us deeper into the evening, with deep purple, darker blue and burnt orange. The last set juxtaposed ocean blue and sandy yellow. The show was also spotted with colors from the Jamaican and Pan-African flags with songs like Gregory Isaacs’ “Night Nurse” playing in the background.

“The Spider’s acquisition of increased sensory abilities and adaptive interactions across species and flora and fauna is a metaphor to human displacement as a means of survival during the transatlantic slave trade,” the release explains. Hair was braided. Afros stood tall. Some heads were covered in silky wraps or topped with berets. One model’s locs were shaped a lot like Anansi’s silhouette. Twists cuffed in silver swayed gracefully on the catwalk, too. In a fashion show about overcoming, hair also provided a message of resistance.

For those with arachnophobia, a few pieces might tickle strong feelings. There is spiderweb-embellished denim, used for both jackets and jeans, as if it had been touched by Anansi the spider itself. Graphic tees and hoodies show the cunning spider crawling into a web, with “Anansi is King” printed underneath. A spiderweb lace dress walked the runway before the closing gown, it’s light-green hue like an unripe plantain.

House of Aama beautifully shows how to bring folklore to life through clothes. Looks tell a story in their order. Colors are intentional in their neutrality or liveliness. And the range from graphic t-shirts to gowns gives the collection versatility.

See every look from the House of Aama Fall 2023 collection below.

House of Aama Fall 2023. Photo: Imaxtree