Yesterday, Studio One Eighty-Nine held its Spring/Summer runway presentation and while New York Fashion Week is coming to an end, that did not stop the brand from pulling in a packed house. Co-founded by actress Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, the pair have created a brand built off giving back to the continent they are both descendants from, Africa. “It represents our American heritage, it represents our African heritage,” Dawson told ESSENCE. “I am an Afro-Latina. It’s something we celebrate. We do it together.”
“I am an Afro-Latina. It’s something we celebrate. We do it together.”
The collection featured the bright colors and intricate designs African fashion usually entails. Green polka-dot dresses, corduroy striped jackets, and linen pants were at the helm of the lively presentation. “We went back and we looked at things such as important symbols that were traced from Africa,” said Erwiah. “Things like the freedom quilts where they include flying geese and symbols like that as a way of looking at freedom.”
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: Models walk the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: Models walk the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
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Studio 189
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: A model walks the runway for Studio 189 during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on September 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
