When Akua Shabaka talks about her work, you can feel the weight of legacy in her words. This season, the designer is looking forward to deepening the world she’s been building through House of Aama. “This collection is really personal to my family’s story on my mom’s side coming out of the Carolinas,” she tells ESSENCE. “It’s a homage to my grandparents, and it just feels really homelike in many ways.”
The nostalgia woven into her garments mirrors the way she approaches her own rituals during Fashion Month—honoring history while carving space for rest, beauty, and wellness.
For Shabaka, self-care isn’t a luxury, it’s a grounding practice. Before boarding her flight from Los Angeles to New York, she made sure to carve out time for herself. “I’m really anticipating a nice spa day before leaving,” she says. Alongside the treatments, her hair is non-negotiable. “Every season I get my hair done in a very intricate braided style.It feels like a ritual—prepping my crown. It makes me feel prepared and ready for the moment.”
This year, she’s going with a throwback look: a “pick and drop” bob, a style with roots in the late ’90s and early 2000s that’s currently having a resurgence. “It’s going to go really well with this collection,” she says with a smile.
When it comes to glam, Shabaka draws from the past. “Lately, I’ve been looking at a lot of ’50s and ’70s glamour,” she explains. “The women born in the ’50s were in their twenties by the ’70s, and that crossover of beauty looks has been really fascinating to me.”
During Fashion Week, though, she keeps her day-to-day makeup simple and fresh. Her go-to bag includes Rare Beauty and Tower 28 blushes, a brow gel, and a glossy lip. “If I can throw on some blush, comb my brows, and add gloss, I feel good to go—even during the chaos.”
And yes, fragrance is always part of the equation. Her signature is a soft, vanilla-forward scent from French niche brand Indult Paris, one she describes simply as “my go-to.”
With the whirlwind of shows, fittings, and press, it’s easy for wellness to slip through the cracks. Shabaka is intentional about creating space, though. This season, her team is staying in New Jersey rather than Manhattan, something she initially resisted but now sees as a blessing. “It’ll be nice to have separation from the city,” she says. “My priority is really to rest, eat good meals, and just be prepared. A good breakfast and a good dinner matter more than people think.”
Beyond her runway presentation, Shabaka has more to celebrate. Her birthday falls in October, perfectly timed with a House of Aama presence at Mecca James-Williams’ JAM pop-up in Jamaica. “I’m excited about that,” she says. “It feels like a way to balance the intensity of Fashion Week with something joyful.”
For Shabaka, building House of Aama is as much about storytelling as it is about design—and her own rituals are woven into both. Whether it’s braiding her crown, spritzing her favorite scent, or carving out a moment of quiet away from the city, she proves that fashion and wellness can coexist beautifully.