{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1616490"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1616490/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2022NC9464/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2022NC9464/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2022NC9464","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022NC9465","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2022NC9466","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1616490/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1616490","accessionNumber":"T.33:1 & 2-2022","objectType":"Dress","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Awa Meité is a fashion and textile designer based in Bamako, Mali. Meité works primarily with cotton and leather, adapting traditional craft techniques for her contemporary fashion designs. The brand works closely with local artisans, weavers, seamstresses and leatherworkers and all pieces are made entirely within Mali. Awa Meité sees her fashion collections as a way of supporting local hand skill and connecting her customers with the precious craft processes applied in her designs. \r\n\r\nCotton is integral to Awa Meité’s collections.  She is inspired by the process that takes cotton bolls from plant to cloth and seeks to highlight the unique qualities of cotton through her designs, aiming to expand her customers’ knowledge and appreciation of the material. Mali is the largest cotton producer on the African continent and the industry employs around three million people, however, less than 5% of the cotton grown in Mali is processed within the country and is instead exported in its low-value, raw form.  Meité seeks to change this by supporting local processing from field to loom, therefore maintaining jobs and enabling cotton production to provide higher income to local communities.\r\n\r\nThis ensemble is from Meite's Spring/Summer 2020 collection, first shown at Lagos Fashion Week in 2019, Meite's first catwalk show. \r\n","physicalDescription":"Dress made from multicoloured handwoven cotton. The dress takes the form of a wrap dress, the waist in cinched in by a separate leather belt, which, along with clever draping, creates the short-sleeves.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Awa Meite","id":"AUTH361854"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Awa Meite","id":"AUTH361823"},"association":{"text":"brand","id":"x30588"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"cotton (textile)","id":"AAT14067"}],"techniques":[{"text":"handweaving","id":"AAT53643"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Handwoven cotton from Mali","categories":[{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Africa","id":"THES49019"},{"text":"Clothing","id":"THES48975"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2022NC9464","2022NC9465","2022NC9466"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"SHLN","id":"THES49063"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"SHLN","id":"THES49063"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Dress","id":"x47499"}],[{"text":"Belt","id":"x39371"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Bamako","id":"x34940"},"association":{"text":"designed and made","id":"x39722"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"2020","earliest":"2020-01-01","latest":"2020-12-31"},"association":{"text":"designed and made","id":"x39722"},"note":"Spring/Summer 2020"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Purchased with funds from the Sue Smith bequest","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Awa Meité is a fashion and textile designer based in Bamako, Mali. Meité works primarily with cotton and leather, adapting traditional craft techniques for her contemporary fashion designs. The brand works closely with local artisans, weavers, seamstresses and leatherworkers and all pieces are made entirely within Mali. This dress, named Massa by the designer, is from Awa Meité's Spring/Summer 2020 collection, first shown at Lagos Fashion Week in 2019. This was Mieté’s first catwalk showing. The dress is representative of Meité’s work, featuring the textured, handwoven, fringed cottons in draped silhouettes that she is known for. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Dress 'Massa', multicoloured handwoven cotton, and leather belt, leather, designed by Awa Meité, Bamako, Mali, Spring/Summer 2020","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"Small batch ready-to-wear","productionType":{"text":"Ready to wear","id":"THES48866"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Meité’s work is a celebration of cotton and the skill of those working in the cotton industry in Mali. The country is the largest cotton producer on the African continent. The industry employs around three million people, but less than 5% of the cotton grown in Mali is processed within the country. Meité seeks to change this by supporting local processing from field to loom to maintain jobs and enable cotton production to provide higher incomes for local communities (T.33 & 34-2022). V&amp;A, Room 40, <i>Africa Fashion </i>","date":{"text":"02/07/2022 - 16/04/2023","earliest":"2022-07-02","latest":"2023-04-16"}}],"partNumbers":["T.33:1-2022","T.33:2-2022"],"accessionNumberNum":"33","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":2022,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-02","recordCreationDate":"2021-05-09","availableToBook":false}}