Behind the Designs of Connecting Threads: Jennifer Akese-Burney

Connecting Threads: Africa Fashion in Chicago connects global traditions with local creativity through the stunning garments, jewelry, and textiles from talented Chicago-based designers like Olivia Ogbara, Stephane St. Jaymes, Hayet Rida, and Jennifer Akese-Burney.

In this blog, take a journey with Jennifer, a  Chicago-based Ghanaian designer, as she reimagines items in Field Museum collections as remarkable, wearable pieces of art.

Journey with the designer

Born and raised in Ghana and now based in Chicago, Jennifer graduated with a Bachelor's in Fashion Design and Technology from Takoradi Polytechnic. She started sewing at an early age and established Akese Stylelines in 2005. In 2012, Akese Stylelines splashed onto the Chicago fashion scene. She is passionate about designing and producing unique pieces with a focus on fit, color, and prints. Her work captures the vibrancy and color of the popular Ankara tradition while offering a modern twist to traditional Western silhouettes.

As a Ghanian-born designer in the Chicagoland area, Jennifer was chosen as a collaborator for Connecting Threads in late 2023. Jennifer’s showstopping designs are heavily featured in the exhibition. Six of her pieces are on display in Connecting Threads as part of the “Transformation Collection.” Each piece reflects Jennifer’s unique style, with inspiration drawn from items in the Museum’s African collection.

There are more than 40 million specimens and cultural items within the Field’s collections—only one percent is on display. The majority of the Museum’s items are housed behind the scenes in collections, where they are carefully curated into a library that connects scientists and researchers to the natural world and human history.

In early 2024, Jennifer sifted through the Museum’s African collections, a time-consuming process that evoked emotion.

Inspired by the details in ordinary items like hats and baskets, the designs came to life in Jennifer’s mind.

From collections to her studio, Jennifer went to work on designs, collaborating with Museum staff to decide which items are represented and how to work them into her designs. As sketches developed and changes were made, she kept with the collections-inspired silhouettes and refined the details.

The Transformation Collection

The Transformation Collection is named after the adinkra symbol on which these wearable art pieces sit. Originating in Ghana, adinkra are symbols that represent concepts, proverbs, and expressions. This symbol, Sesa Wo Suban, means “change or transform your character.” Transformation embraces the changes that have brought African people this far and celebrates the diversity of artifacts from all over the continent. It honors the sacrifices and adaptations made so African cultures could be protected, preserved, and passed on beyond the Motherland

This 6-piece collection tells the story of our transformation—personal, societal, and spiritual, rooted in the power of African artifacts from the Field Museum, Chicago, that once served as conduits for communication, ritual, and artistry. Each look in the collection reflects an object from the Field Museum’s African exhibit, reinterpreted as wearable art that fuses ancient heritage with contemporary aesthetics. The silhouettes evolve across the collection, mirroring a journey from origin to awakening.

Motherland Reigns

She started with Motherland Reigns, inspired by the vibrant colors of a horse chest piece made by the people of Borno in northeastern Nigeria. She began with this piece because she wanted to incorporate the cords in one of her designs.  

Seeing the tassels at the museum, it spoke to me. The pop of color influences my style and design.

Motherland Reigns shows the richness of the cultures represented with vibrant blues and reds along with the twisting tassel headpiece.

I wanted to show structure, fluidity with an avant-garde look to it.

Strands of Life

In addition to this project, Jennifer worked Monday through Friday, sometimes traveling to shows on the weekends. She’d take pieces with her as she travelled to shows, weaving intricate details at the airport.

“The one piece that I worked on constantly, within two days, would be Strands of Life. The sketch that I originally gave was of the comb.” 

Jennifer was drawn to the afro comb: a relatable household item that spans generations throughout Africa and the African diaspora, finding inspiration from combs in the Museum’s collections that date back 5,000 years. She also wanted to represent the afro pick because it is a symbol of black pride. The cascading strands of the dress represent the teeth of an afro pick. 

“I want people to have the conversation and keep it going. The entire thing was a creative piece; we have the fists and we have the tassels that represent the teeth of the comb. It’s something wearable but still art.”

Beat of Your Own Drum

Another commonly used object from Jennifer’s childhood in Ghana was the djembe. The African drum is seen in the feminine silhouette and details of Beat of Your Own Drum.

“The djembe is very popular in Ghana and West Africa. Music is major, from the moment you’re pregnant, it is a celebration, through birth and growing up into adolescence, we use the djembe drum.”

Colorful spirals extend from the chest with small djembe figures at the ends to signify the fluidity of music and the rhythm of life. 

Beat Of Your Own Drum design was intentionally created with almost 20 different African prints, including a cocoa taffeta fabric on which the prints lay. Individually, these prints have their names and meanings, with some prints being classic designs that have been passed on for generations. Two examples will be the Nsubura print in the front right, with the circles, and the Kente print on the back view of the gown, which are icon prints with their own history.

Souvenirs from this design can be obtained at the Akese Stylelines website.

Ancestors on our Shoulders

Jennifer’s favorite piece, however, is Ancestors on our Shoulders. It represents the many countries that make up Africa. Five masks represent the five regions of Africa: Northern Africa, Central or Middle Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, and Western Africa.

Growing up in Ghana, there is so much joy and happiness to be able to see masks represent each section of the continent. All of them have their own meaning and significance, some about loyalty, strength. All of those faces are literal ancestors on the shoulders. These are our people, like a bodyguard protecting you.”  With a loose, Moroccan silhouette, the piece is accompanied by masks representing Ghana, Angola, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

He Who Loves the Vase Loves What’s Inside

A not-so-obvious comparison is represented by a palm wine vase. Inspired by a Cameroonian palm wine vase, He who loves the Vase Loves also What's Inside plays on the spiral beaded design of the vase as a three-dimensional piece. The title of the piece is inspired by an African proverb. 

“If you love somebody or something, you love what you see and the entire contents.”
Jennifer captures African culture in this piece through visual components. The circles protruding from the dress are not only inspired by the vase but also convey deeper meaning. In African culture, circles symbolize the absence of a beginning and an end, representing God, immortality, eternity, and wholeness, while celebrating community power and unity.

Together We Stand

Lastly, Together We Stand, a piece wrapped in zebra print featuring a zebra’s face, a neckpiece, and a hat with strands dangling from its brim. Two baskets were the vision behind the neckpiece and the hat. Jennifer drew inspiration from the fibers that weave the baskets together.

“Fibers are the thinnest pieces of fabric; to make it stronger, you can weave it, bond it, or knit it. I see weak fibers becoming stronger and demonstrating how there is strength in numbers.”

Every piece of the Transformation Collection is arranged on a display in the shape of the adinkra symbol for transformation, Sesa Wo Suban, meaning “change or transform your character.”

“Transformation is the change of life. It’s all about change, about the ability to change from one state to another. As a people, as a culture, we need the change. It is the one thing that is constant.” 

See Jennifer’s Transformation Collection in Connecting Threads—Africa Fashion in Chicago at the Field Museum through March 2026.

The exhibition was made in collaboration with Jennifer Akese-Burney, Fashion Designer of Akese Stylelines, and Melody Boykin, the creator of Black Fashion Week USA. The exhibition shows the creative pieces inspired by the continent and its culture.