Studio 189's runway was a party of dance, song and fashion

By Associated Press New York State

PUBLISHED 2:04 PM ET May. 09, 2019

NEW YORK (AP) — In a story Sept. 11 about a fashion show put on by Studio 189, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Studio 189's clothing line was called Fashion Rising. While it was once called that, it now goes by the name of Studio 189.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Studio 189's runway was a party of dance, song and fashion

Africa-facing Studio 189 co-founded by Rosario Dawson was a fashion week runway celebration

By LEANNE ITALIE

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Ghana-based Studio 189, co-founded by old friends Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, threw a runway celebration Monday at New York Fashion Week with African dance, an Aretha Franklin tribute in song and a show alive with African-made and inspired designs worn by a wide range of models, from the pregnant to the not-yet grown.

Two little girls were among the walkers and actress Dawson herself took a turn as a model, all in the latest styles for men and women from the lifestyle brand and social enterprise Fashion Rising that puts out the line.

The collective of artists and other creatives offers a platform to help promote and curate African and African-inspired content with a focus on sustainability. Studio 189 includes artisan-produced fabrics, often in organic cottons grown by small farmers it works with. It was launched to support the global One Billion Rising, founded in 2012 as part of the V-Day movement to combat rape and sexual violence against women.

Dawson, who met Erwiah when they were 16, formed the organization after taking a trip with V-Day in 2011 through Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In bright, green, red and blue prints for dresses, shirts and pants, a graphic black print in a trouser and shirt set for men, kente wraps and contemporary looks of bold stripes and ruffled skirts, Studio 189 was treated to rousing support from a packed room of guests that included singers Maxwell and Alicia Keys, along with supermodel Naomi Campbell.

Singer Frenchie Davis belted "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" on the runway in a sun-yellow dress in honor of the late Aretha Franklin.

This show made people happy. The crowd was on its feet and clapping the models and dancers down the runway, including one model using crutches and a prosthetic leg. Another is about to give birth and one off the gender binary walked with a mustache in a dress. They were joined by others of all colors and shapes.

"Studio 189 is an agent for social change" in a variety of ways, including supporting artisans around the world but primarily in Ghana and West Africa, Erwiah said backstage after the show, which received logistical and other support from Style360 and was Studio 189's first full-scale turn at fashion week.

Much of the clothing included natural dye processing, hand-looming and hand-painting.

Dawson said the show was also a celebration of art.

"It's one of the most vital things we have as human beings," she said. "We are not robots. We are a heart, we are a spirit, we are an energy."

Dawson and Erwiah are still building out their collective, facing the challenges of working in developing countries, taking on the fashion industry and trying to "connect the dots" of the supply chain across borders. They also support education initiatives in Ghana. For Studio 189, embracing inclusiveness on the runway is a priority.

"We believe that we're one community," Erwiah said. "I need to see myself down the runway. She needs to see herself down the runway, because when you see yourself, it opens up a world of possibility."