On culture, translation, identity and the future of fashion
There are various things that we have with us even though we never know where they will lead us.
For Victor Reginald Bob Abbey-Hart, certain aspects started in Ghana in the people nearby, in the way things were made using whatever materials were at hand, and because of the curiosity that first introduced the idea of fashion into his life. A childhood experience involving European products, which had been brought back by a cousin from London, had sparked a fascination that ultimately led him to create something on his own.
Creative language doesn’t necessarily originate from a single source; it develops out of our experiences, the things that remain with us, and the decisions we make regarding them.
Victor’s practice has developed as a result of all the different experiences he has had, starting with his studies in Milan and extending to the establishment of VICTOR-HART; yet the knowledge and sensitivity he acquired in Ghana are still an important element in the way he works.
For Victor it is not the case that what already exists is necessarily finished; it might have a different use, a different form, or a different direction, and he can trace this way of thinking back to the people around him when he was growing up in Ghana.
Culture is not something that is always obvious; it can be seen in the way things are made, in the choices made about a piece of clothing, or in the knowledge passed on from one generation to another.
Culture is often reduced to symbols, patterns and visual references in fashion. What does it mean to you to carry a culture into a garment without turning it into an image of itself?
For me, carrying culture into a garment is not about reproducing its most recognisable symbols.
Culture is also a way of thinking, making, and relating to materials. It exists in discipline, resourcefulness, memory, and the knowledge passed from one generation to another.
In Ghana, I learned to see value in what already exists and to understand clothing as something that communicates identity and social presence. These ideas enter my work through construction, proportion, material, and the transformation of denim, not simply through decorative references. I want the culture to live within the garment’s structure and spirit, even when it is not immediately visible.
To create a third language also involves determining what can be altered and what should remain.
Your work seems to exist between Ghanaian memory and Italian craftsmanship, but perhaps also beyond both. When two cultural languages meet in your work, do you see yourself as preserving them, translating them, or creating a third language altogether?
I believe I am creating a third language. Preservation and translation are part of the process, but the work cannot remain fixed between two established identities.
Ghana gives me memory, instinct, and cultural consciousness. Italy has strengthened my understanding of craftsmanship, tailoring, and precision. My background in sculpture influences how I build volume and shape around the body. When these elements meet, they become something new, a language that belongs to VICTOR-HART.
What is in question isn’t splitting the garment into Ghanaian and Italian sections. It’s about allowing those experiences to develop together until the distinction between them is no longer clear.
The fact that something new is being created doesn’t mean that its origins are to be forgotten. For Victor-Hart, transformation is an aspect of the process, but certain things still have to be retained.
When a cultural memory moves from one place to another, something inevitably
changes. Is there something you deliberately refuse to translate, something that needs to remain intact?
What I refuse to translate is the dignity of where I come from. Ghanaian culture should not have to become simplified, exotic, or immediately recognisable to be understood by an international audience.
I may transform materials, silhouettes, and references, but the integrity behind them must remain intact. I do not want heritage to become decoration. The values beneath the work,resourcefulness, resilience, community, and respect for craftsmanship must survive every translation.
Certain of these ideas are only apparent when the garment is being worn, such as the way it moves with the body, the way it fits, and how the person wearing it feels inside it.
Clothing can carry histories that the body itself cannot always express. What kinds of
cultural or personal memories do you want the body to carry when it enters a
Victor-Hart garment?
I want the body to carry strength, dignity and the freedom to define itself. A VICTOR-HART garment should not ask the wearer to become someone else; it should reveal another dimension of who they already are.
My garments often carry memories of labour, movement, and transformation. Denim is especially
important because it already contains histories of work, resistance, and everyday life. Through reconstruction and sculptural tailoring, I give those histories a new form. When someone enters
the garment, I want them to feel protected, but visible, grounded in their identity while able to move beyond the expectations placed upon them.
The body gives these ideas a more personal touch; a garment is not merely a matter of material or construction, since it can also affect the way we see ourselves and the way others see us.
Fashion has often decided which cultures are presented as “heritage” and which are allowed to represent the future. Do you think designers from outside the traditional centres of fashion are changing that idea of who gets to imagine the future?
Absolutely. Designers from outside the traditional centres of fashion are no longer waiting to be invited into someone else’s vision of the future. We are building our own.
For a long time, certain cultures were presented mainly as sources of heritage, craft, or inspiration, while the authority to define modernity remained elsewhere. That structure is changing. Designers from Africa and across the Global South are showing that heritage and innovation are not opposites. Our histories can become foundations for new technologies, silhouettes, and systems of making.
The future of fashion should not belong to one geography. It becomes more meaningful when many cultures can imagine it on their own terms.
You have moved between different places, cultures and systems throughout your life.
Has this made you feel more connected to where you come from, or has it changed
your understanding of what it means to belong somewhere at all?
Moving between Ghana and Italy has made me more connected to where I come from, but it has also changed my understanding of belonging. Distance allows you to see your origins differently. Things that once felt ordinary become more significant, and you begin to recognise how deeply they have shaped you.
At the same time, I no longer think belonging must mean fitting completely into one place. I belong to the experiences, memories, and relationships that have formed me. Ghana is my foundation, Italy is an important part of my development, and the movement between them continues to shape my perspective.
For me, identity is not static. It is a process of becoming, and VICTOR-HART exists within that continuous transformation.
Perhaps to belong doesn’t involve picking one place above all the others; it might instead consist of taking with you different experiences and allowing them to form part of who you are.
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