Ukutuswa kukagesi uKim Jones akulethe ku-Dior Men kusukela athatha izintambo ngo-2018 kugxile emkhathini oshubile wemibukiso emikhulu yemigwaqo yezindiza—eyisithupha yayo, kakade, eminyakeni emibili. Akudingeki ukuthi, njengoba amabandla enziwa ngaphandle, yonke into ihluke kakhulu ehlobo lika-2020, kodwa lokho akuzange kuvimbele ukusebenzisana kwanamuhla phakathi kukaJones nomdwebi waseGhana oneminyaka engu-36 u-Amoako Boafo, onezithombe ezinhle kakhulu zezifundo zabaNsundu. -okupendwe ngomunwe okucebile -ba nedumela elikhuphukayo emhlabeni wezobuciko wesimanje. "Kuyisithombe somculi engimkhonze kakhulu," kusho uJones. “[Umculi wegalari] uMera Rubell wangethula ku-Amoako ngonyaka odlule eMiami. Ngangiwuthanda kakhulu umsebenzi wakhe futhi ngangifuna ukusebenza naye ngenxa yokuxhumana kwami ne-Afrika. Uhlala phakathi kweVienna, lapho afunda khona, iGhana, neChicago. Ngakho sahlala phansi sabonisana.”
Imiphumela yokuqala—iqoqo elihlanganisa ubuciko buka-Boafo nobungcweti be-Dior, incwadi yokubukeka, kanye nefilimu eyidokhumentari eshuthelwe esitudiyo samaciko e-Accra nasekhaya likaJones eLondon—kwethulwa ngendlela esondelene kakhulu, ejulile, futhi, isibindi. sithi, ngendlela ehlakaniphe kunaleyo ebengingahlangabezana nayo phambi kokubhonga okuvamile kwesixuku futhi sibonise ukuphithizela kwamaqoqo aseParis.
Enye yezinto ezingalindelekile zekhefu eliphoqelelwe kusukela kumfashini-njengokuvamile ukubuka ukuthi ukuxhumana kushintsha kanjani ngokuzumayo kusuka esithombeni kuya olwazini-kusuka kusikrini esithulile kuya kwabakhulumayo. Lokho kuyimpumelelo.
Ngakho, besikhona ngo-2:30 p.m. yekhompiyutha yokuqala yomhlaba wonke i-Dior Men Men, ebuka futhi ezwa u-Boafo estudiyo sakhe eGhana njengoba ependa futhi echaza indlela athwebula ngayo abangani nomndeni, “nabantu abakha izikhala ukuze abanye babe khona.” Ukhuluma ngemibala eyisicaba ayisebenzisayo ukuze enze umfanekiso wakhe, futhi uyachaza, “indlela imfashini ewukhuthaza ngayo umsebenzi wami. Ngijwayele ukubheka abalingisi abanalowo mqondo wesitayela.” Abangane abalenga endaweni ka-Boafo bagqoke izingcezu zeqoqo, futhi umdwebi usebenza ngehembe lesithombe sangemuva esifiphele se-Dior Men, iphethini yayo ebuyele emuva ku-arc yokudala isuka ku-portrait iye engutsheni.
Iqoqo lincane futhi lihlelwe kakhulu kunalokho obekungaba njalo. UJones ubesebenza endlini yakhe yase-Notting Hill neqembu elincane kanye nebanga elide nabakwa-Dior ateliers e-France ukuze akwenze ezinyangeni ezedlule. Umphumela: izingubo ezigcwele umbala ophakamisayo nokuphrinta, ezikhomba amasiginesha ka-Boafo ngolimi umklami alusungulele i-Dior Men. Kamuva kule vidiyo uJones kuxoxwa naye ngekhamera esitudiyo sakhe sasekhaya, ekhuluma ngokuthi ukuxhumana okubonakalayo kwavela kanjani lapho ebona isithombe sikaBoafo somfana ogqoke i-beret eluhlaza kanye nehembe eliphrintiwe i-ivy: "U-Ivy ubengomunye wezimpawu zikaMonsieur Dior."
Ukugubha kanye nokwenza inkundla umsebenzi ka-Boafo wemakethe yemfashini ewubukhazikhazi kwakusho, phakathi kwezinye izinto, ukudlulisa amandla athintekayo amakhanda akhe apendwe ngomunwe abe amajezi amabili ahlotshiswe ngokujulile. Iphethini yehembe le-jacquard le-semi-sheer fil coupé lavela ku-Jones owayesondele kakhulu owayethathe umsebenzi webhulashi lika-Boafo. Ubuye waphakamisa ugqozi olucashile oluvela ku-haute couture—i-gray taffeta blouson ekubeni iresiphi evuselelwe, yobusha nehlobo eshisayo yejazi le-opera elivule uhlelo lwakhe lokugcina.
Noma kunjalo, ngisho nangaphandle kokuvukela kwe-Black Lives Matter osekushintshe kakhulu indlela zonke izikhungo eziphenywa ngayo manje, ukubambisana okufana nalokhu bekuhlale kudinga incazelo eningiliziwe. Lesi sisetshenziswa ngendlela ehlukile kusukela ekuhlanganyeleni okuvamile komkhiqizo womculi. Ngemuva kwayo kukhona ukushintshana ne-Dior okwashiwo ngu-Boafo. "Uthe akafuni ubukhosi [kwakhe], kodwa ukusiza ukwakha isisekelo samaciko asemancane e-Accra," kusho uJones. Umnikelo owenziwe nguChristian Dior (isamba asizange sishiwo) usekela ubushoshovu buka-Boafo. Ngokusebenzisa amandla akhe ezimakethe ukuphakamisa ubuciko namaciko ase-Afrika, ungomunye wesizukulwane esisha samaciko aMnyama (uVirgil Abloh noStormzy okungabanye ababili) abakholelwa ekuthuthukisweni okuletha uguquko kwemfundo yamasiko. NgoMeyi, u-Boafo waqoqa u-$190,000 (isilinganiso esiphindwe kathathu) endalini ye-inthanethi yomdwebo wakhe, i-Aurore Iradukunda, ukuze kuzuze iMuseum of the African Diaspora eSan Francisco.
Lolu hlelo luzoba nesakhiwo esizosingatha isitudiyo sika-Boafo, indawo yokuhlala, kanye negalari ephethwe amaciko, esekela amaciko asemancane eGhana kanye nokusebenza kwawo estudiyo. "Ushintsho oludingekayo njengamanje ukusekela abantu abasha ngokusebenzisa ikolishi nokuqeqeshwa ukunikeza wonke umuntu amathuba alinganayo," kusho uJones. Lo msebenzi ugxile kakhulu enhliziyweni yakhe, futhi, uthi, ingxenye yendlela akhuliswe ngayo njengendodana yesazi se-hydrogeologist esasisebenza kulo lonke izwekazi. “Sathuthela e-Ethiopia ngineminyaka emithathu ubudala, sachitha isikhathi lapho, sabe sesijikeleza empumalanga ye-Afrika naseBotswana. Bengilokhu ngibuyela emuva impilo yami yonke.”
Isisekelo sokugqugquzeleka kwakhe—ukusebenzisa amakhono kaDior okusakaza ngemfashini ukuze akhanyisele izethameli eziningi mayelana nobungqabavu bobuciko besimanje base-Afrika, kanye nokusiza iphrojekthi ngemali engukheshi—kuyindesheni ethule kuyise kaJones, osanda kushona. “Iqiniso lokuthi sisebenzisana no-Amoako Boafo, waseGhana, okwakungelinye lamazwe ase-Afrika ayethandwa kakhulu ubaba wami, kuwukuhlonipha indoda engazisa e-Afrika nasemhlabeni.