When Beyoncé appeared in Black Is King, her face veiled in a mask of cowrie shells, the world saw ornament. Africans saw memory. These glossy shells once banned, once branded “demonic” had returned to the global stage, shimmering with pride. Behind them stood Lafalaise Dion, the Ivorian designer who has become the “Queen of Cowries,” […]
On a Saturday afternoon in Peckham, South London, Rye Lane feels like Lagos stretched across the Atlantic. Yoruba greetings ripple through the air, suya smoke drifts past the scent of jollof rice, and Ankara fabrics streak the crowd in bursts of color. This is “Little Lagos” in London, where the Nigerian community has made its […]
What do women hold onto when everything else feels uncertain? Across Africa, one answer rises again and again: beauty rituals. In times of economic pressure, when inflation climbs and currencies wobble, many women continue to invest in small but powerful acts of adornment—braids, gele, fragrance oils, or a few yards of fabric. Economists call it […]
The first time I spoke with Farid Hounkponou, I realized this wasn’t going to be a regular chat about fashion. He didn’t start by talking about trends or collections. Instead, he talked about people, stories, and why every piece of clothing should mean something. “Dahomey Paris brings together the soul of African tradition and the […]
“Necessary Fiction is coming.” Eloghosa Osunde doesn’t say this like a casual heads-up. She says it like a prophecy. Like something already in motion. When she speaks about her second novel, her voice carries the same urgency as the text itself—a novel that refuses to sit quietly on a shelf. Osunde’s debut, Vagabonds!, shook tables […]
Lafalaise Dion is a force—an artist whose work transcends fashion. Her hands don’t just style; they conjure altars of memory and defiance, weaving stories through fabric and cowrie shells. When Guzangs, the bold voice of African fashion, set out to create its debut cover, “Helmet of Heritage,” featuring NFL star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in Tamale, Ghana, […]
From a small studio in Lagos, Biodun Ariori is building one of the most compelling voices in contemporary footwear. His label, THE BLOCC (formerly theshoeblocc), crafts shoes that move beyond utility transforming them into sculptural, expressive statements of identity and presence. His work first caught our attention during Guzangs’ debut cover shoot, where he was […]
In the town of Mthatha, nestled in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, a young girl was falling in love — not with a person, but with possibility. Thobeka Mbane didn’t yet know that fashion could be a language, a tool, even a form of resistance. All she knew was how she felt watching her mother get […]
NFL star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah leads Guzangs’ debut digital cover in a story that threads fashion, ancestry, and purpose—shot in Tamale, Ghana.
If there’s a “breakout star of 2025” title, Toni Tones has already claimed it. Best known for her chilling portrayal of young Eniola in King of Boys and her fan-favorite role as Lara Thompson in The Smart Money Woman and Azuwa Studios’ upcoming Lara Unlimited, she’s also lit up screens in the award-winning short Angie’s […]