Inspiration for my junior collection began at Penn's Museum of Anthropology and Archeology where their extensive collection of African tribal masks furthered my research into the Bamileke Tribe in the northern region of Cameroon. The elephant masks worn by the members of the Bamileke Tribe are symbolic of wealth, kingship and ranking warriors. The cloth panel, beaded masks are worn with robes during rituals preformed by the Fon, or king.
To showcase the unique texture of the masks, I used three different woolen fabrics in the design of my jacket. The front and back of the jacket are sewn together in a zig zag pattern. The rounded edges of the side panels and sleeve caps are representiative of the round ears on the Elephant masks. The top on look two is also pieced similarly with a cream and turquoise 4-ply crepe. Both looks were featured in Philadelphia University's 2015 Annual Fashion show.
