This piece debuted at the 2026 Futurism Fashion Experience at the Aviation Museum at San Francisco Airport. It is a 100% couture piece and part of Afatasi’s Medusa series.
The fabric was purchased in New Zealand in 2023. Afatasi braided the cord by hand, then used a bust form to shape the braids into a bralette. The entire piece was hand-sewn, transforming the woven material into a soft sculptural garment.
The braided structure was developed to evoke snakes, woven texture, and the visual language of Medusa. In this work, Medusa is connected to Black women’s visibility and to the cultural significance of braiding as both adornment and protection. Braids operate here as a protective style, a form of beauty, and a symbol of strength.
Created at the end of the Year of the Snake, the piece links mythology, Black hair traditions, and the act of hand-making. Through braiding, sewing, and shaping, Afatasi transforms cord into a garment that carries references to snakes, protection, beauty, and Black women’s embodied power.
