Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson Are Building a Sustainable Fashion Legacy in Africa with Studio 189

Studio 189 stands as a revolutionary blueprint for what sustainability and community-centered design can look like. Founded in 2013 by fashion advocate Abrima Erwiah and actress-activist Rosario Dawson, the Ghana- and New York–based brand has carved out a space at the intersection of style, social impact, and cultural preservation. Their mission is simple yet radical: to empower African artisans and craftspeople while reimagining fashion as a tool for economic development and collective healing.

Photo Source: Forbes / Abrima + Rosario

Studio 189 is more than a clothing label, it is a movement rooted in honoring traditions and fostering innovation. Each piece in their collections is handmade using centuries-old techniques such as natural plant-based dyeing, hand-batik, kente weaving, and indigo processes that carry deep cultural meaning across West Africa. Centering these ancestral practices, Erwiah and Dawson push back against the erasure of craft in the global fashion industry while offering a platform for African artisans to thrive on an international stage.

“Fashion can be a driver of change,” Erwiah has said, and Studio 189 embodies that ethos. The brand operates on a social enterprise model, providing training, fair wages, and long-term support for communities across Ghana and beyond. Every garment tells a story of collaboration, between designer and maker, tradition and modernity, Africa and the diaspora. In doing so, Studio 189 proves that sustainability is not a trend but a return to values that many cultures have always practiced: resourcefulness, respect for the earth, and intentional creation.

Their work has not gone unnoticed. Studio 189 was awarded the prestigious CFDA Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainability and has been featured on runways during New York Fashion Week, where bold prints, fluid silhouettes, and vivid colors capture global attention while staying rooted in African identity. Each collection reflects the brand’s ethos that fashion is political, cultural, and deeply personal. It is wearable art, but it is also an act of resistance against exploitative systems that dominate mainstream fashion.

Dawson, known globally for her acting career and activism, uses her platform to amplify Studio 189’s message, while Erwiah, whose background spans luxury fashion, communications, and humanitarian work, ensures that the brand is built on infrastructure and intentionality. Together, they form a duo that represents both vision and execution, artistry and activism. Their partnership reflects the very spirit of the brand: collaboration as a form of creation.

What makes Studio 189 especially transformative is its ability to bridge continents. Based between Accra and New York, the brand connects diaspora communities with the African continent through fashion. For many in the diaspora, wearing Studio 189 is more than a style choice, it is a cultural statement, a way of carrying ancestral knowledge into the future while directly supporting the artisans who keep those traditions alive.

As the world grows increasingly aware of fashion’s environmental toll and the urgent need for change, Studio 189 provides a living model of what a sustainable and equitable future can look like. It challenges consumers to think about where their clothes come from, who makes them, and at what cost. At the same time, it uplifts Africa’s position in global fashion as not just a source of inspiration for designers in Paris or Milan, but as a leader in its own right.

Abrima Erwiah and Rosario Dawson’s work with Studio 189 reminds us that fashion is not only about aesthetics, it is about legacy. By investing in sustainability, empowerment, and storytelling, they are building a brand that honors the past while shaping the future. For Black and Brown communities across the world, Studio 189 stands as proof that fashion can heal, connect, and transform.