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Amarachi Nwosu

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Amarachi Nwosu
Born29 September 1994 (1994-09-29) (age 30)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
NationalityNigerian–American
EducationTemple University
Occupation(s)Photographer, film maker
WorksBlack in Tokyo
Websitewww.amarachinwosu.com

Amarachi Nwosu (Igbo pronunciationⓘ; born 29 September 1994) is a Nigerian-American photographer, visual artist, and filmmaker currently based in New York City.[1][2] She is also the founder of Melanin Unscripted,[3] a creative platform and agency which aims to dismantle stereotypes and blur cultural lines by exposing complex identities and cultures around the world.[4] Her debut documentary "Black in Tokyo"[5] premiered at the International Center of Photography at the ICP Museum in New York City in 2017. She also screened the film in Tokyo, Japan at Ultra Super New Gallery in Harajuku.[6][7]

Personal life

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Born to Nigerian Igbo parents, Itsekiri and Ghanaian heritage,[8] Nwosu grew up in Washington D.C. and lived some of her early years in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and New York City.[6]

Nwosu went to school at Temple University in Philadelphia but moved to Tokyo during her junior year after winning six scholarships to study a year abroad as an international student, where she pursued a degree in International Communications. She finished her degree in the US and returned to Tokyo to learn Japanese and work as a full-time creative, where she was part of the launch of Highsnobiety in Japan and worked with clients like Beats and Sony Music Japan.[7]

Career

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She shot a fashion story, ‘Sankofa’ at the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana for Vogue.[1] Activist Malala Yousafzai, commissioned her to document her visit to Tokyo in 2019.[9][10] Other powerful figures she's shadowed and shot include supermodel Naomi Campbell during her trip to Lagos, Nigeria[11][12] and Ebonee Davi.s[13] She has also directed short films on the power of women in sports for companies like Nike in Nigeria.[14]

Nwosu has been involved in pushing the Afrobeats and afrofusion [15] sound as a visual artist, music journalist, creative director and brand manager. She has worked with artists like Mr Eazi, Yxng Bane, Nonso Amadi, Odunsi The Engine, Santi, Kwesi Arthur and Tobi Lou.[16][17] She also worked as the tour photographer for Childish Gambino during his 2018 ‘This is America’ tour.[18][19]

In 2018, she directed the launch of Budweiser in Nigeria through their Budx platform[20] by curating the homecoming exhibition for Nigerian-American Hip Hop documentarian Chi Modu within her Melanin Unscripted platform as a way to bridge the golden era of Hip Hop in America and the current space of Hip Hop in Nigeria.[21] The event was a two-day exhibition, workshop, panel, concert and party.[22]

She has also bridged music and youth culture in Japan, where she shot the first feature for The Fader highlighting the contemporary music scene in Tokyo[23] and the first African woman to appear on Adidas Tokyo's Instagram page as a way to highlight diversity in Japan.[24]

Social media and advocacy

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In 2017,[25] Nwosu tweeted about the plagiarism and cultural appropriation of African prints[26] by British designer Stella McCartney during its showcase at Paris Fashion Week, sparking an outrage on the social media platform.[27] OkayAfrica called it "Cultural Colonialism"[28] and in a viral tweet, she bemoaned the use of African designs by the brand "but using only one African model on her runway".[29][30][31][32][33]

Despite backlash, McCartney failed to apologize and issued a statement to Fashionista that gave credit to textile brand Vlisco in the Netherlands rather than indigenous African women.[citation needed]

“The prints were about celebrating a unique textile craftsmanship, its culture and highlighting its heritage. We designed the prints in collaboration with Vlisco in the Netherlands, the company that has been creating unique Real Dutch Wax fabrics in Holland since 1846 and helps maintain its heritage." it wrote.[34]

Notable mentions

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  • OkayAfrica named Nwosu in their 2019 100 Women campaign to celebrate Women's History Month.[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Meet the Nigerian-American Photographer Tackling Fashion's Complicated Relationship With Race". Vogue. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  2. ^ "Amarachi Nwosu". OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. Archived from the original on 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  3. ^ "9-to-5: A Jet-Setting Documentarian Shares Her Tokyo Shopping Tips and the Secrets Behind Her Style". Vogue. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  4. ^ Johnmarlon (2018-03-04). "Global Voices – Black In Tokyo: a Documentary About Life in Japan". Global Voices. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  5. ^ "I, Tokyo: Amarachi Nwosu". Time Out Tokyo. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  6. ^ a b Jamison, Shantell E. (2017-12-08). "Filmmaker Seeks to Use Movies to Impact Cultural Representation". EBONY. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  7. ^ a b "Filmmaker Amarachi Nwosu explores beauty and being black in Tokyo". Mic. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  8. ^ "'Black in Tokyo' Explores Life as a Black Person Living in Japan". HYPEBAE. Archived from the original on 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  9. ^ Murakami, Sakura (2019-03-23). "At Tokyo summit, Malala Yousafzai urges world leaders to expand educational opportunities for women". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  10. ^ "Pioneering sushi chef Yuki Chizui is cutting away at Japan's patriarchy, one sashimi at a time — Assembly | Malala Fund". Assembly. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  11. ^ "Naomi Campbell and Imaan Hammam Take on Arise Fashion Week in Lagos". Vogue Arabia. 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  12. ^ "Amarachi Nwosu speaks on Nigeria's creative renaissance and using visual storytelling to create diverse narratives". www.pulse.ng. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  13. ^ "Ebonee Davis on Reclaiming Her African Identity and Seeing Ghana for the First Time". www.yahoo.com. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  14. ^ "This Nike Short Highlights the Power of Women Soccer Players In Nigeria". OkayAfrica. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  15. ^ "Afro fusion", Wikipedia, 2024-04-02, retrieved 2024-04-04
  16. ^ "Kwesi Arthur, Ghana's King of the Youth, Wants to Take African Hip-Hop Global". OkayAfrica. 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  17. ^ "Yxng Bane Has No Other Competition But Himself". OkayAfrica. 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  18. ^ "Meet Ibra Ake, the Nigerian-American who produced Childish Gambino's "This is America"". Africans in America. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  19. ^ "You Heard It Here First: Top 5 Illest Hip-Hop Tours of 2018". BET.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.[dead link‍]
  20. ^ ""Chi Modu: The Eye of the Golden Era" Highlights One of Hip-Hop's Most Iconic Photographers". Okayplayer. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  21. ^ "Budweiser presents 'Uncategorized' with hip hop photographer Chi Modu at BUDX Lagos". www.pulse.ng. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  22. ^ editor (2018-12-07). "Photography, Music, Beer Lovers Revel in Budx's Exhibition, Workshop". THISDAYLIVE. Retrieved 2019-08-12. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  23. ^ "Watch Black in Tokyo, a short documentary about living in Japan as a black person". The FADER. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  24. ^ "Amarachi Nwosu Archives". Paper Journal. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  25. ^ sourcestaff (2017-10-05). "Stella McCartney Sparks Outrage With African Inspired Runway Looks". The Source. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  26. ^ Animashaun, Damilola (2017-10-03). "Stella McCartney Has Pissed Africans Off (Again) With Their New Collection". Konbini Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  27. ^ "This designer allegedly copied African prints and Black Twitter is furious". Revelist.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  28. ^ "Folks Are Mad At Stella McCartney For Ripping Off Designs That 'African Aunties' Have Been Wearing For Years". OkayAfrica. 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  29. ^ "Designer Stella McCartney Is Being Accused Of Cultural Appropriation". Essence. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  30. ^ "People Are NOT Happy With Stella McCartney's Show Of African Prints". HuffPost UK. 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  31. ^ "Stella McCartney stole our look | IOL". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  32. ^ "Stella McCartney accused of "fashion colonialism" after showing African-inspired prints". Topics. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  33. ^ Naidoo, Charmain (2018-11-30). "Africa: Old Traditions, New Labels". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  34. ^ Bauck, Whitney. "Stella McCartney Is Under Fire for Using Ankara Prints". Fashionista. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  35. ^ "OKAYAFRICA – 100 WOMEN". OKAYAFRICA's 100 WOMEN. Archived from the original on 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
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