Ghana holds an almost mythical status in most of our imaginations — carried evenly by those who have visited, those who frequent it, and those who dream of it. The country seems to represent a fanciful vision. This vision is perhaps born out of the optimism that followed its position as the first nation to gain independence on the continent (barring Ethiopia). Not to mention ex-president Kwame Nkrumah’s Pan-Africanism and ideology of a new united Africa.
So, of course, it remains a source of inspiration for artistic practice by Africans and those in the diaspora. For their SS 22 campaign named Mathlete, the Amsterdam-based apparel brand, The New Originals (TNO) looked to Ghana too.
With an origin story rooted in Amsterdam’s nightlight life, through curated music and fashion events, TNO has evolved from a bunch of new kids on the block running a blog into a well-established performance clothing brand for creatives. Asserting that “creatives are the new athletes”, TNO prioritises high-quality stylish garments while creating space for collaborations and partnerships through festivals and creative projects. Their precept? — “Thinking out of the box.”
If athletes are known for their strength, agility, stability, and endurance then TNO is a hallmark of athleticism — ensconced with a type of vigour and energy. The brand is at the intersection of fashion, design, and music, viewing each as a critical component of the work.
Eben Badu, co-founder of TNO together with Rizky Lasahido and Maru Asmellash, emphasises the importance of building bridges in different contexts. He reflects: “Where you come from determines a lot of what you do. The influences that you are exposed to find their way back into the work. It’s important to remember those influences.”
Within their process, each project is seen as an opportunity to relay stories, led by the team’s wide-ranging and sometimes esoteric interests — be it in music theory, camping and the outdoors, or contemporary art.
For instance, the Mathlete collection, through which I became acquainted with TNO’s work, was inspired by mathematics — the abstract science of quantities and numbers reflected on garments and textiles. The collection was captured through a film campaign directed by Ebeneza Blanche, produced with the production company ‘SMUGGLER’, and starring Emmanuel Wilberforce, with screenings in Accra, Paris, London, and Berlin.
It is tempting to think of Mathlete as purely a filmic project because of its seductive composition of chromatic hues, buoyant tempo, and featherlight grainy textures against warm summer air, but the project is interdisciplinary. It brings together ideas, stories, perceptions, styling, and music, evoking memories of childhood — those moments of exuberance, joy, and playful misbehaviour.
Models with afros and buzzcuts wear brown school pants and skirts with white vests marked in green, referencing the combinatorial number-placement puzzle game of sudoku. The scenes are romantic and a little bit mischievous but not wholly without tension.
They portray the life of teenagers at a Ghanaian boarding school, grounded by the personal experiences of director Blanche, who notes: “Being a troublesome teenager raised partly in the Western world, my mother always said to me ‘Keep on and I’ll send you off to Ghana as punishment’. Fast forward and I find myself in Ghana attending boarding school. My experience there was immensely disciplinary and I found it hard to fit in. The surroundings, language, and culture were very different from what I was used to. This project was an opportunity for me to shine a light on the schooling system in Ghana.”
More broadly, TNO positions itself as a way of life — a lifestyle whose heritage is deeply grounded in fashion, but whose roots course through a myriad of visual and sonic cultures with the aim of building bridges.
