Art Comes First explore craftsmanship and sustainable culture

Unquestionably, the pandemic has slowed life down but simultaneously presented us all with a great opportunity: to explore new ways of looking at and doing things. 

With restrictions in their usual activities, the duo at Art Comes First (ACF) decided to take their experiences to West Africa, to learn more about the incredible craftsmanship and ingrained sustainable culture through the eyes of the locals. The journey started in the capital of Ghana, Accra and extended to Tamale, and Kumasi before going to neighboring countries such as Lomé in Togo, and finally ending in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast; all over a period of 5-6 weeks. 

Utilizing their Winter ‘21 collection pieces, ACF created a powerful editorial photographic series to shine more light on local talents. The talents they highlight in the series are notable for their integral role in contributing to the vibrancy and success of the community. ACF focused on the often overlooked blue collar workers such as fisherman, street tailors, Okada (motorcycle taxi) and taxi drivers, the street vendors selling coconut water and more. These beautiful people often lack recognition but in reality are a driving force in helping the economy of the country. All of the models used are real life people and true to their profession.  

This project has continued to evolve and gave birth to another extension of the ACF Collective: the African Creative Factory. This new initiative, in partnership with Ivorian fine art photographer Franck Fanny and more, will help to bridge the gap between African creatives and the wider community. 

The ACF collections feature a show-stopping series of Avery Dennison branding solutions and will be sold exclusively at selected Nordstrom stores across USA and Canada as well as the Art Comes First website. 

Photography Credit: Nana Frimpong Oduro.