When it comes to personal style icons, many of us cite our very first influence—and that’s mom. Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka, the designers behind House of Aama, LA’s luxury womenswear label, have made a career out of this special relationship that is both singular and universal. Inspired by 19th-century silhouettes, bold prints and Creole spirituality, the duo’s creations reimagine African aesthetic traditions for today.
Growing up in the American South—with a mom from Louisiana and a military father from South Carolina—daughter Akua moved around frequently as a kid, eventually landing in Los Angeles with a cornucopia of references, stories, and identities.
Mother Rebecca, a criminal defense attorney, ensured the family sewing machine was part of that journey. “Akua saw me making things that were different than what you saw in the store, and she really knew the possibilities for style and clothing.”
When the two would peruse local window displays, Rebecca encouraged her daughter to maintain a sense of individuality, in spite of the pressures to conform. “We’d go to the mall and see what the stores were featuring, and I’d tell her ‘You know, that’s just one person’s opinion. But you don’t need to be defined by what someone else presents to you. You can forge your own path and have your own style.’”
And forge her own path Akua did.
Coming of age in a diverse city of stars, Akua was inspired by the entrepreneurial instincts of her mom and the creative energies of her jazz musician father Jamaiel Shabaka and started her own brand in high school with a humble online storefront. “We were really inspired by my mom’s style when we thought of who the Aama woman would be,” Akua remembers. “She’s like a mix of Tracee Ellis-Ross from Girlfriends and Erykah Badu. So sophisticated.”
A few years later, Akua left LA to attend Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she soon realized their Aama project had a POV that really resonated.
Fast forward another nine years, and the mother-daughter team began presenting at New York Fashion Week, attended the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute Gala, and this year, are debuting their first mass-market diffusion line with Target, showcased in the retailer’s Black History Month collection.
Read on to learn more about the House of Aama origins, their artistic approach, and the mother-daughter duo’s favorite pieces from the Target collection.
The Root: When did you start the business together?
Akua: We started the business when I was 15. There was this wave of inner-city LA kids expressing themselves and putting stuff out there. I grew up around people who were entrepreneurs in various ways, and I decided I wanted to start something, too.
My mom was already sewing, so I said, ‘Let’s make an online storefront.’ At first, we were upcycling vintage garments, then we made our first capsule collection, with my mom doing most of the production out of our living room.
At the time, we were very inspired by looks coming out of the African continent—like wax fabrics. When I got into Parsons, we realized that our strong suit really was storytelling, emphasizing our own familial narratives and archives, plus folklore and artists like Zora Neale Hurston.
When we’re creating collections, we are really building a world out of the fragments of our people and our history.
Each collection investigates different Black Americana stories. For example, our Saltwater series pays homage to the Black resort communities that existed in America and also the seafaring deities. Our Bloodroot collection paid homage to my mother’s ancestral lineage in Louisiana and the hoodoo culture that exists in those lands.
So, every time we create a new collection, we want to look back within ourselves, and it’s really become a strength people respond to.
The Root: If you could describe the House of Aama look in five words, what would it be?
Akua: I would say nostalgic and timeless, then pass it to my mom.
Rebecca: Modern, vintage, chic.
The Root: Tell me about your experience presenting at New York Fashion Week. Was that the goal when you started out?
Rebecca: We presented our first New York Fashion Week collection, Bloodroot, in 2017. Our goal wasn’t to get to fashion week; we just started the business and went from there.
Akua: It was a passion project first, and we were primarily thinking about expressing ourselves. The business model came once we realized that we really had something unique here.
When I moved to New York, I really began to see the opportunities with it by observing other creative people starting businesses in this improvisational way. I thought ‘Okay, we can do this.’ Our first fashion week presentation in 2017 was independent, and we were still able to garner interest and press.
The Root: How do you want your customer to feel in your clothes?
Rebecca: When a customer puts on our clothes, we want them to feel like they’ve stepped into the House of Aama universe.
It’s not just clothing. It’s a whole experience of entering this world, and we really want them to feel that, and this is the feedback we often get.
The Root: What has the process been for turning your small-order, luxury collection into a capsule for Black History Month at Target?
Rebecca: For this Target collection, we wanted to bring the same luxury design notes and emphasis on storytelling at a price point anyone could afford. Black resorts and Black travel were a big focus, especially for Black History Month, because we felt that it was important to center Black people in experiences of leisure. Having our clothes in Target expands the customer experience and allows anyone to step into the House of Aama universe.
Akua: You know, we’re still a small brand moving a small operation, with a team of five to 10, but anchored by me and my mom. Collaborating with a retailer like Target was such a valuable learning experience.
Moving from small luxury orders to large production orders is a very different process. You have to be so strategic in cutting and sewing the items, because you need to fit orders with a far larger output in a wider size spectrum.
The Root: What are some of your favorite pieces in the Target Black History Month line?
Rebecca: I have every single piece because they adhere to all my different styles. I love the camp shirts, especially the one with the batik print, and the patterned scarves.
Akua: I’m actually a big dress wearer so I’ve been loving the green sweater dress to throw on with boots, the silky orange stripe dress to wear to lunch, and the pink dress, which is really cute and flirty. The little blue polo top is great paired with sneakers and a skirt.
The Root: How has collaborating with Target impacted your business?
Akua: It’s definitely increased brand awareness in the ways we love. The luxury fashion market is very specific. But this collaboration has allowed us to reach different communities that maybe didn’t have access to our brand before, and now they recognize us, our mission statement, and the story we’re telling.
We’ve gotten so much great feedback on the imagery of our scarves, highlighting Black people in times of leisure. Now we can bring that expanded community on the next leg of our journey.
The Root: Rebecca, as a lawyer who transitioned into a creative business, what wisdom can you share for people who want to pivot trades?
Rebecca: So, I’ve actually done speaking engagements on this topic. While you might guess that my skills would translate in the legal sense, it was actually helpful from a storytelling perspective.
I’m primarily a criminal defense lawyer, which involves building a narrative around your client and presenting it in front of a jury, which I think has really helped with the way we tell the House of Aama story. I also train people in fashion law. Because a lot of people don’t have access to lawyers, I feel compelled to share what I know with others.
The Root: Akua, I’d love to know what advice you have for young Black creators trying to start their own business.
Akua: The biggest thing is to believe in yourself, but also to thoughtfully take the time to assess what you want to do. Then dedicate yourself completely to the work.
Shop House of Aama on Target’s Black History Month Collection.
This article is a sponsored collaboration between G/O Media Studios and Target.