Souvenirs From Our "Transformation Collection"

 

Designer’s Statement:

As a designer, my work has always been deeply rooted in storytelling. With Souvenirs, my latest collection, I return to the essence of what it means to remember, to transform, and to carry pieces of the past into the future. This collection is a continuation — a wearable evolution — of my Transformation exhibition currently on display at the Field Museum.

Transformation explored the shifting nature of identity, memory, and resilience through artifacts, textiles, and personal narratives. The exhibition delves into how cultural identity is not fixed, but fluid, reshaped by time, experience, and migration. From ceremonial garments to intimate heirlooms, every piece told a story of change and reclamation.

Souvenirs takes that same spirit and reimagines it through fashion. Each garment is a tribute to the lived experiences captured in the exhibition. African print fabrics — bold, geometric, symbolic — serve as the foundation of the collection. I’ve paired them with contemporary tailoring and subtle nods to archival details from the museum installation: beaded motifs, hand-embroidered patterns, layered silhouettes, and textures reminiscent of both ancestral dress and modern diaspora expression.

The name Souvenirs reflects the duality of the pieces — they are both mementos and markers of transformation. A reminder that our heritage is not static. It evolves with us. These are not just clothes; they are conversations between generations, between continents, and between the sacred and the everyday.

This collection is for anyone who carries culture in their bones and change in their spirit.

 

-Jennifer Akese-Burney

Creative Director, Souvenirs
Co-curator of Connecting Threads Africa Fashion in Chicago.

https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibition/connecting-threads-africa-fashion-in-chicago