Studio One Eighty Nine co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, is an artisan produced fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise that has recently won the prestigious CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability. The brand is made in Africa and produces African and African-inspired content and clothing.
The brand currently operates a store in Accra (Ghana), an ecommerce site, a manufacturing facility in Accra, and supports various community led projects in Africa and in the USA. Studio 189 works with artisanal communities that specialize in various traditional craftsmanship techniques including natural plant based dye indigo, hand-batik, kente weaving and more.
Studio 189 focuses on empowerment, creating jobs and supporting education and skills training and partners with organizations such as the United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, NYU Stern School of Business and has collaborated with brands including Lexus. EDUN (LVMH), Fendi, Nike, Opening Ceremony, The Surf Lodge, Okay Africa and Yoox Net a Porter. Everything you do, from what you buy to how you dress, has impact. We believe in the power of collaborating with artisanal communities and rising through fashion. Look good, feel good, and do good – that’s as good as it gets. https://studiooneeightynine.com https://www.instagram.com/studiooneeightynine/ https://www.facebook.com/studio189nyc/
This collection is dedicated to the recent passing of designer, Abrima Erwiah’s late father – Alexander Erwiah. The Spring 2023 collection was designed as always with community, sustainability and humanity in mind through the use of handcrafted fabrics, zero-waste design and recycled materials. We focused on supporting and building a more transparent supply chain while creating products with purpose that are more conscious of our relationship with nature and people. The garments were crafted using traditional practices passed down through generations such as hand-batik, hand-weaving, patchworking, natural Indigo dyeing, and basket weaving. The collection runway show opens with a spiritual dance led by choreographer Virgil Gadson and a ballet performance led and choreographed by Djassi DaCosta Johnson to pay tribute to those that have fallen. We close with a special performance by Gigi Holiday that pays tribute to the black burlesque movement in the spirit of celebration and followed by a Vogue performance led by Virgil. Our aim is to showcase the many ways we celebrate life through culture in Africa and its Diaspora as we honor 9/11.
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