Image

Studio One Eighty Nine

Maxi Dress

Description

Maker

Studio One Eighty Nine (Ghanaian, established 2013), design house
Rosario Dawson (American, b. 1979 in New York), co-founder
Abrima Erwiah (American, b. 1978 in New York), co-founder

Title

Maxi Dress

Year

Spring/Summer 2020

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Geography

Place Made: Accra, Ghana

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Mary Ann Lippitt Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2021.4

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Art and Design from 1900 to Now
Jun 04, 2022 – Sep 01, 2026

Label copy

The whole idea . . . was essentially to use fashion as an agent of social change. . . . We think that working together to build a local fashion industry can be more economically beneficial than aid . . . in developing economies.

–Abrima Erwiah

Made of cotton grown in Ghana and wax-resist dyed by artisans in Ghana’s Cape Coast area, this gown was featured in a Studio One Eighty Nine New York fashion week runway show. Co-founders Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson have made it their mission to support women’s empowerment, preserve traditional crafts, and champion sustainability, both as an ethical stance regarding labor practices and a commitment to the environment. A portion of proceeds from this collection supported COVID-19 care and HIV/AIDS programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

–Kate Irvin, curator of costume and textiles

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Tombstone

Studio One Eighty Nine (Ghanaian, established 2013), design house
Rosario Dawson (American, b. 1979 in New York), co-founder
Abrima Erwiah (American, b. 1978 in New York), co-founder
Maxi Dress, Spring/Summer 2020
Cotton (grown in Ghana) plain weave; hand-batik (wax-resist) printed and indigo-dyed
Mary Ann Lippitt Acquisition Fund 2021.4

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