Check out African designs inspired by The Lion King in latest Bloomingdale’s Carousel pop-up

Iconic US retailer Bloomingdale’s has launched the latest rendition of The Carousel: Style Kingdom running from 11 July to 2ndd September 2019. 

The Carousel is a rotating pop-up shop driven by culturally relevant themes with a dynamic merchandise mix hand-selected by guest curators, guides shoppers to discover something new with each visit.

This current Carousel is inspired by Disney’s highly anticipated animated movie, The Lion King, which hits the cinemas this weekend. And at the centre of the creation is Florence Kasumba, the German-Ugandan actress who plays the role of Shenzi the hyena, in the film.

Kasumba co-opted pieces from leading African women brands such as Ghana’s luxury accessory brand AAKS, founded by Akosua Afriyie-Kumi; Swaziland’s accessory and homeware brand Khokho, founded by Philippa Thorne, Zinhle Vilakati and Sepna Shah; and South African luxury homeware brand, Carrol Boyes, founded by the designer herself.

There are also knitwear by MaXhosa by Laduma, LemLem, Studio189, jewellery pieces from Pichulik and menswear by Post Imperial, as well as more generic pieces by Western brands reflecting tropes associated with the continent, presumably to appeal to a wider Western focused audience like Simba inspired socks by Stance, zebra linen pieces by  Whistles and raffia earrings by BaubleBar.

Inside look of the carousel: style kingdom

Guest Curator, Florence Kasumba, says of the project: “Being the guest curator for the Style Kingdom in The Carousel at Bloomingdale’s is an absolute thrill because I’ve been able to combine my love of fashion and film whilst connecting back to my African heritage. I love how The Lion King can be interpreted through this new lens and connect with audiences in a unique and fresh way. I felt such a personal connection to the pieces I curated and I can’t wait for people to see the collections and the movie!

Florence’s love and support of African fashion helped source and curate an assortment that pays tribute to the regions that inspired the film including AAKS raffia colour-blocked bags, Khokho dark red woven handbags, and animal-shaped bottle openers made in South Africa by Carrol Boyes. Style Kingdom will come to life in the iconic Bloomingdale’s 59th Street Lexington Avenue windows in New York featuring abstract iconic moments in the film.

You can shop the collection here.

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