by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Kente cloth and dashikis have been mainstays in Black American closets for decades. But a new generation of designers are taking things to the next level, introducing innovative ways to incorporate African pride into American dress. Enter the ‘kentekini’ and ‘dashikini’.
Swimwear company Red Star Collective, created by LA-based Nigerian-American designer Dunnie Onasanya, her husband Ibrahim Hasan and lead designer, her mother-in-law “Red” introduced the concept to their audience via a stunning photoshoot.
Ladies, what do you think of the kentekini and dashikini?
16 Responses
Where is the one piece swimsuit?
I love the way gold tones like the ones in this swimwear look against our brown skin.
I tend to be more modest in public places than these allow for, but I’d consider the swimwear in the second and forth photos if out swimming with my husband. (I don’t like being hassled or accosted.)
How is it cultural appropriation? A Nigerian designer made them
Can someone please tell me how I can get one?
I’vs been trying to look online but I can’t find the site anywhere and I would really love to purchase one
Who is the middle girl in the first pic? She is the finest.
Cultural appropriation at its finest.
I like them 🙂
WOW! beautiful!
Love this !
sexy
There is not ONE of those suits that I’d wear or encourage my young nieces to wear. My family members & friends are old school and do not believe women should expose that much skin in front of the world or put their bodies on display to please others. It tends to attract the wrong kind of men. Especially black women because too many times we have been seen as tramps by the media & society. Big butts & no morals. We are MODEST women, something that seems to have gone out of style in today’s world. We would WELCOME more modest bathing suits that still reflect our African heritage.
I respect all opinions, however I want to point out that modesty is subjective. All cultures and societies don’t necessarily view showing skin or even full nudity as sexual. Baggy t-shirts and knee legnth shorts are modest in most places in the U.S., but probably not considered modest and moral in a place where women are expected by men to only show their faces.
They are beautiful pieces and ABSOLUTELY STUNNING women but I do agree that bikinis are too revealing for all women, not just black women.
Have to say that I found the picture of the lady covered in oil really distasteful. I feel like the object of that picture was more about presenting the model as a sexual object rather than showcasing the clothing.
These are so creative, and absolutely beautiful! How can I get one???
God bless this world!