Chale Wote Festival

Chale Wote Festival - Osei – Duro

Organizers at ACCRA[dot]ALT started the Chale Wote Street Art Festival as an alternative platform that brings art, music, dance and performance out of the galleries and the streets of James Town, Accra. It has also become a phenomenal venue for street style and creative dress. Its a rare treat to see everyone in Accra get freaky with fashion, and we at Osei-Duro love to people watch at Chale Wote. 

Below is a roundup of inspiring images from the last few years, shot by local photographers - enjoy!

(check out hashtags #chalewote and #chalewote2016 for more)

Vibrant body art at Chale Wote Festival with green spiked hair.”

 

Person with colorful body art in urban Chale Wot festival setting.

Photos (including front image): Darshan Images (Kwame Dennis Akuoko-Frimpong)

 

Group on bench with heads painted in blue, suits on, against yellow wall.

Photo: accra(dot)alt

Person in front of colorful mural, wearing vibrant patterned shirt and hat.

Photo: teamblackimage

Innovative suit with electronic device and helmet, colorful details, at outdoor festival.
Expressive attire with decorated hat, vibrant accents, at an outdoor festival.
Person in artistic hat and beaded necklace, wearing an African mask, holding a cup.

Photos by Kwame Osei, via dynamicafrica

Person with braided hair and colorful graphic shirt, wearing sunglasses, at an event.”

Model Tasia Cobbinah, via accradotalt

Person with unique buns hairstyle and red garment, crowd in background.
Person with cloth cover his face with yellow object, shirtless, blurred crowd in the background.
Festive group with face paint, in unique costumes marching in the street festival.

Photos: Adonai Works

Side profile of a man with safety pin wig and sunglasses.

Uncredited, from Umar Sidibe blog

 

Osei-Duro collaborated with artist Zohra Opoku for Chale Wote 2016. Opoku is a German-Ghanaian artist working in Accra whose practice often looks at textile cultures, fashion and identity. For the project we used prints from our Spring/Summer 2016 collection, which became shade cloths on meticulously constructed and handpainted sculptural kiosks conceived and made by the artist.

The structures reference local vernacular architecture and served as small oases, both joyful and peaceful, within the chaos of the event for festival attendees. We are excited to have had this collaborative installation be a part of this year's Chale Wote!

Brick structure with scaffolding on a beach under an overcast sky, caution barrier in front.
Deck chair with fabric on pebbled ground, water with boats and buildings in the background.
Person seated on painted bench with patterned shirt and orange pants, outdoor event in background.

Photos: Evi Olde Rikkert