Iconic Moments in African History that remind us of Bôhten frames
When you take a look through our history textbooks, there are many moments in African history you may find missing. However, there are some occasions that are too important not to share and we were reminded of them from our very own Bôhten designs. To wrap up the end of Black History Month in February, our in house fashion expert Elorm Amankwa compiled a list of some Iconic moments in African history based off of the Bôhten frames that resemble them.
Let’s take a look at what we have to discover:
Kuba Cloth & Barklae ||| Chalbli Sun
The Kuba Cloth is a textile handwoven by the Kuba ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo for hundreds of years. It is traditionally used as a wrap around skirt during rituals, festivals and performances. According to Contemporaryafricanart.com, “...the cloths are unique for their surface decoration, elaboration of design and general complexity of construction of the textile.” Our Barklae ||| Chalbli Sun Frames reminded us of the Kuba Cloth with its strong design yet subtle color. The Barklae is a notable frame in the Bôhten family, its importance resembling that of the Kuba cloth to its ethnic group and the African textile industry on a whole.
Kofi Ansah & Legend Lavender Sun
The late Kofi Ansah is considered the Godfather of fashion in Ghana. He brought Ghanaian and African Fashion to the global cat walks of haute couture. His work was constantly full of vivid colors and he was known for his use of richly textured local fabrics. This specific piece by Kofi Ansah was featured in the V&A museum in London. Our Legend lavender sun seems to mirror the bright colors of the outfit, seemingly paying tribute to the legend himself.
Patience Masua is not a person to underestimate, much like our Barklae Dumu frames. At the age of 22, Patience made history as she became the youngest member of Parliament in Namibia in 2021. The strength and tenacity of the now 24 year old politician and lawyer reminds us of our Barklae Dumu frames.
Yellow in African Fabric & Manyara Chalbli Sunset
The yellow/orange in our Manyara Chalbli Sunset frames makes us think of the yellow hues typically used in traditional African fabrics. The yellow in some of these fabrics symbolizes wealth in its many forms including the rich lands throughout the continent. Yellow can be found in traditional African cloths such as Kente from Ghana, Samakaka from Angola and Kikoy from Kenya to name a few.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf & Smyths
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is another woman on the continent breaking records and making history. In 2006, Ellen became the first elected female head of state in Africa. She served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. She was also awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for "... their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work.” The rimless frames that always adorn her face are parallel to those our Smyth frames released in 2018. Though the classic silhouette Bôhten frames are no longer available, we are encouraged to know a leader such as Ellen just may have been interested in a pair.
We hope you were able to learn some important history from the continent through this post. Do you see the resemblance between the facts and the frames?
This piece was written by Elorm Amankwa & Alyssa Derrick