|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It’s Saturday morning at your London apartment, and you wake up torn between wearing the well-tailored Savile Row suit or your hand-woven aso-oke from your grandfather in Nigeria. Your closet looks like a battleground where Oxford shirts wage war against vibrant Ankara prints.
For many Africans in the diaspora, organizing a closet is not just about neatness; it is about navigating culture. Whether a Ghanaian software engineer in Silicon Valley or a Nigerian doctor in Toronto, your wardrobe is a history book of your dual identity.
But let’s face it: trying to merge a handful of bespoke suits with a treasure trove of kente cloth is kind of like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube in the dark. Fear not! This guide will now make your closet a celebration of your African roots and your Western lifestyle.
The Art of Closet Organization: Where Ankara Meets Armani
1. Sort and Purge: The Great Wardrobe Revolution
Let’s start by organizing your closet as a pro organizer who has a degree in cultural studies. Take everything out. Take out that box of souvenirs from your last Lagos trip, way to the back, collecting dust. Be your inner Marie Kondo with a twist of African magic. Line them up into the categories below:
- Western Wear: suits, jeans, cocktail dresses
- Traditional African fashion: agbada, kaftans, wrapper sets
Sift them out mercilessly. If that sequined agbada hasn’t seen the light since your cousin’s wedding three years ago, or if those “vintage” bell bottoms are more dated than dial-up internet, it’s time to say “kwaheri”. 
2. Create Zones: Mapping the Geography of Your Closet
Now, organize your closet like a pro, so that it is clean. Think of your closet as a mini-continent, with topographically unique regions in view:
Western Zone – 40% of your closet space:
- Suits and Blazers section
- Casual wear area: jeans, t-shirts, etc.
- Formal Western dresses and gowns corner
African Quarter – 40% of your closet space:
- Traditional wear section: agbada, boubou, iro, and buba
- African print dress and skirt section
- Cultural accessory section: gele, coral beads, waist beads
The Fusion District – 20% of your closet space:
- Ankara blazers and Western-cut African print shirts
- Accessories that fuse both styles, like Maasai-inspired beaded belts for jeans
3. Color Coordination: The Rainbow Connection
Pro tip: use color to your advantage. Organize your clothes in each section based on color; for example:
Western Zone:
- Suits: light gray to charcoal to black
- Casual wear: Whites, Pastel shades, jewel tones to darks
African Quarter:
- Group traditional wear by base color of fabric
- Group Ankara prints by dominant color from light to dark.
This is not only a nice, balanced display aesthetically, but indeed it opens the door to successfully mixing and matching pieces between cultural styles. Imagine a deep blue Agbada top with indigo jeans for that fusion look!
4. Accessorize for a Reason: The Devil’s in the Details
Accessories complete or break an ensemble, especially in the fusing of cultural styles. Choose specific locations for the following:
Western Accessories
- Ties and bow ties in the tie rack.
- Timekeepers in the watch box.
- Cufflinks in the cufflink tray, awaiting that affair.
Traditional African Accessories
- Gele stands or the banana hanger does a great job!
- Jewelry case for coral beads, waist beads, and anklets.
- Statement necklaces on a hook rack
Pro tip: store Yoruba buttons or Fulani earrings in little, see-through containers. Label them for those mornings when you are in such a rush to get ready for that Zoom call with the Lagos office.
5. Seasonal Rotation: Adapting to the Climate Change
You are most often faced with four seasons from the two you grew up with back home. Well, here is how you organize your closet for seasonal changeover:
Store off-season clothes in vacuum-sealed bags.
- Heavy wool suits and coats during the summer months
- Lightweight Ankara dresses and linen agbada during winter
Wardrobe rotation on each equinox:
- Bring upfront summer clothes during spring
- Rotate winter wear into easy-reach spaces in fall
Pro tip: Keep a few year-round pieces accessible, like that versatile black dashiki which can be used both during summer parties and as layering bits in winter fashion.
6. The Fusion Focus: Where Cultures Collide in Style
Take a special section for pieces where Western and traditional African fashion meet. Get creative! Include:
- Loads of Ankara print blazers for Casual Fridays in the office
- African-influenced graphic tees to wear for weekend brunches.
- Accessories in Kente cloth to turn up the notch on Western wear: pocket squares, hair bands.
- Western cut dresses in African prints to wear to summer weddings.
Place these front and center in your closet; they would serve as staples that can be creatively used to make culturally endowed outfits-turning peoples’ heads from London to Lagos.
Conclusion: Your Closet, Your Cultural Legacy
Remember, learning to organize the closet is not an act of cleaning up, but making space to celebrate your dual identity. Your closet is a curated museum of personal history, showing in great detail a tapestry from your African heritage to your Western present.
Do this, and your closet will transform from a chaotic cultural clash into a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity. Now push open this newly organized wardrobe and let the beautiful fusion of your roots with the global journey overpower you.
Who knows, this could be just the inspiration for a fashion revolution that straddles not just continents but generations too!
READ: Effortless Elegance: 6 Must-Have Pieces for a Demure Look
If you’re looking to add a touch of demure charm to your wardrobe, here are six essential pieces to consider.
