Designer Spotlight: House of Aama

House of Aama is the spiritual expression of mother and daughter design duo, Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka, in material form. The brand explores the folkways of the Black experience by designing timeless garments with nostalgic references informed by historical research, archival analysis, and storytelling. Check out what they had to say.

When did you realize you wanted to do something creative together?

We started the company due to our collective interest in the cultural retention of storytelling, transference of storytelling narratives in the family context and the reclamation of these narratives within the Black community. We are particularly interested in how these narratives are expressed communally, spiritually and in the present time. 

The seeds of House of Aama began way back, when I was in high school at 15 with an Etsy shop selling upcycled vintage garments. At the time, my mother was cutting and sending all of our orders; that was the start of our partnership. My mother is a craftswoman. House of Aama was very different at the time but the mission remains the same - the expression of history, exploration of stories and identity. 

What inspired you to create your SS22 Campaign - Salt Water?

The collection “Salt Water” is inspired by the seafaring legacy and Black resort communities that flourished in the US in the early 1900’s. House of Aama’s SS’22 collection highlights Camp Aama, a fictionalized Black resort community, Black sailors and the water spirits of Yemaya, Olokun and Agwe that have served as spiritual anchors of African traditions in the diaspora. “Salt Water” as a term is an ode to the Africans who crossed the Atlantic Ocean and survived the middle passage to the Americas. 

Within this new collection, House of Aama enriched its storytelling mission by making a foray into developing original textiles, illustrations and prints with a US based dye and print manufacturer in Southern California. This collection includes a beautiful assortment of colors, prints, textiles, embroidery, patches and hand embellishments that bring the consumer into the world of House of Aama. 

What was your collaboration process like with Gianni Lee and Myles Loftin?

The collaborations between Gianni Lee and Myles Loftin were quite different. However, I feel that House of Aama has a great niche of bringing the narratives of our own and creating styles of others to tell a beautiful cohesive story. When we decide to partner with something to bring our concepts to life, we may pay close attention to the mindset of the other artist and get close to them as if they were their family. That’s our own process, to dig deep and we want to do the same with anyone. 

House of Aama launched a mini capsule within the collection with Philly native visual and street artist Gianni Lee. We’re inspired by Lee’s bold color choices and post-apocalyptic and futuristic aesthetic and felt it would aid in the development of our “Sea Spirit” print. Initially this illustration was supposed to only be used for our collectible “Flag” shown within our campaign but quickly we realized this strong piece of artist work needed more breath. This mini capsule highlights the colorful and rich “Sea Spirit” print, illustrated by Gianni Lee. Inspired by the Seafaring legacy of the 1900’s and African water deities, the “Sea Spirit” print can be seen in a silk charmeuse button down, sarong, scarf, and power mesh turtleneck. 

House of Aama teamed with longtime collaborator, photographer Myles Loftin to shoot their latest SS’22 collection, “Salt Water” in Woodstock, New York.  We’ve always appreciated Myles Loftin portraiture work and documentarian style approach when capturing people of the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities. There’s a sense of rawness and depth we love. Myles Loftin is similar to us as an artist and is very vocal about the type of shots he feels is necessary to tell the story. The story is key. 

When you hear Black Excellence, what or who comes to mind?

Ancestral remembrance, legacy and freedom. 

What do you listen to in the studio?

The perfect HOA playlist would be a mix of funk and soul, with a sprinkle of blues and senegambian músic. 

If the House of Aama brand was a film or TV series, what would the premise be?

Film: Discovering the lost world of the Black America’s. Vol 1, 2, 3. 

Tv series: (Reality show) Day in the life of the Mother Daughter Design Duo. 

What’s the best advice you have for aspiring Black designers?

Believe in your stories. Dig deeper within you to find your breath and uniqueness. Become a student and researcher. Do not be afraid to pivot and shift direction. Ask for help and seek community and mentors. And most importantly, never believe you are alone, there is community here to support you and are interested in seeing you win!