The not so hidden origins of Mutamba Designs

Jamaicans are known internationally for their fierce creativity and innovation. Often being inspired by muses close to home, many locals breathe new life into ancient practices using their surroundings. For Jackie ‘Amba’ Cohen-Hope, however, her love of travel has been the driving force behind both her life and her local fashion house, Mutamba Designs.

With over two decades tenured in the world of fashion Cohen-Hope is taking a look at her career thus far.

She told The Sunday Gleaner that she knew early on that she wanted to travel. Quickly copping a job as a flight attendant in her 20s, that was initially her only avenue to see the world.

“I always wanted to travel and ride elephants, ride horses, go on trains and I have done that. During those years now I would collect woven fabrics like shawls. So it is the travelling that started my love. It is the travelling I loved, the countries [where] people used their hands to make rugs like in Morocco and Arabia and Turkey.”

She continued, “I was a flight attendant, that was my first job years ago, and when that job closed I continued travelling and I’d bring stuff in. If you come to my home I have a collection, my furniture and everything is from some other places. So now one day a friend of mine saw some fabrics and she said to me, ‘Jackie, why you don’t use these fabrics and make some stuff’, and that is how it started.”

Chuckling at the memory, Cohen-Hope explained that even after dabbling in garment creation she still thought of herself as only a traveller.

“I never thought of myself as a designer, what I was is a traveller. I am a world traveller and since I was 30, I am 67 now and I have always travelled,” she said gesturing to the spoils of her many voyages sprawled on the tables around her.

Now famous for the funky prints on her Bayas dresses, Cohen-Hope said when she started she wanted to capitalise on the amorphism that comes with the lack of traditional fasteners.

“But originally my whole idea was not to use any zips or buttons, because I consider them weapons of mass destruction. That was just my little thing,” she smirked at herself recalling her earlier convictions.

“I find since then a lot of clothes are being made without that,” she went on.

Present in her designs to this day are all the motifs from her travels and the “hands on cultures” she has experienced thus far.

“Every body has their own identity and what Mutamba’s identity is, is a local designer with an international outlook. In terms of, I am a North African-minded person in terms of design, an Indian, all cultures is what I bring together to showcase my pieces.”

She explained that over the years there has been grumbles that her designs are not only just unoriginal, but wholly imported from Africa.

“I’ve been told that I import clothes and this and that, and I go to Africa and I make clothes. Yes I go to Africa, and I go to India and I go to Morocco and I go to South America and I bring back fabric and I bring back trimmings and just stuff and I connect that with the pieces here.

She continued, “Even if I get fabrics in Jamaica, which is mainly what I’ll do, I will paint on them, I’ll add trimmings that I brought from Morocco, I’ll add a piece of batik that I brought from Kenya, a piece of Kente from Ghana and I just add all of these things to create the Mutamba line. It’s not buying 10 yards of fabric and cutting a dress from it, it’s a lot of involvement in each piece that gives it a different look and when people don’t know what a different look is, they think its foreign.”

She told The Sunday Gleaner that she has even included original hand paintings from other artists, as well as dye jobs in her pieces to make each one completely unique.

Having been around since 2001, Mutamba has seen growth of her section of the clothing market. With more than just her making culturally inspired clothing, Cohen-Hope said she is happy for the healthy competition.

“Competition is really healthy. My personal thing is, this is a small island and it’s hard to find originality in making clothes. So what you have to do is find brands, you have to find motifs, you have to find things that separate you from the other person, but not in a negative way because it’s so small and we can’t all look alike.”

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com