This week we celebrate graduation of the first class of SGUW clients from LaBelle's Gara Fashion school in Freetown. Gara is a traditional cloth decorating technique practiced in West Africa. [It is often referred to as African tie dye but it's a much more complex technique than the modern version used on t-shirts.] These beautiful, jewel colored gowns worn during the ceremony are excellent examples of gara and its use in fashion.
Quality gara cloth is coveted in the region and at design houses in Lagos, Paris and New York. Sadly, the craft- which is considered women's work- is not practiced widely anymore. In an effort to revive this local tradition and to train women in a valuable trade- LaBelle began this training program sharing her creativity and deep knowledge about gara. SGUW has partnered with her to offer the training.
SGUW sends a hearty Congratulations to all of the graduates!
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