The Image Belongs to Us
There’s a moment early in My Father’s Shadow where Lagos doesn’t announce itself. It just… is. A street. The quality of afternoon light on a wall you’ve definitely seen before. Children doing the specific nothing that children do in cities that haven’t been built for spectacle. I was in Cannes when I first saw it […]
The Hotels That Actually Know Where They Are
The Hotels That Actually Know Where They Are Cultural programming has become one of hospitality’s most overused promises. Here’s how to tell the difference between a hotel that has genuinely embedded itself in a place — and one that has simply dressed the lobby. Credit: HBD Principe – Oca Sundy Restaurant, Sundy Praia, Príncipe Island […]
Cotonou Knows Exactly What It’s Doing
Cotonou Knows Exactly What It’s Doing Amazone Statue, Cotonou, Benin. Photo: Présidence du Bénin. Every West African knows Cotonou, whether or not they have ever stopped to think about why. The auntie who goes for fabric knows it. The trader who crosses the border from Nigeria knows it. The goods that show up in Lagos […]
Funky Fahd Will See You Now
Funky Fahd Will See You Now The best store in Marrakech has no website, no address, and no plans to change that. Courtesy of Fahd Al Marsaoui / Funky Cool Medina There are cities you visit. And there are cities you’re quietly introduced to. Through people, through instinct, through doors that never appear on itineraries. […]
Hertunba’s ‘Akaoru’ Collection Is a Lesson in What Craftsmanship Actually Costs
Florentina Agu’s new 23-look collection spans three mediums, supports working artisans, and makes a quiet,
Kondokpo: Georgiana Viou and Nokx Majozi at Sofitel Cotonou
On the evening of April 1st, inside the Sofitel Cotonou Marina Hotel & Spa, that shift took form around a table
If This. Then That: Shoes — Lemaire → Kkerelé
If you understand why the Lemaire slipper sells out every season, you already understand what Tina Akerele is doing in Lagos. IF YOU LIKE LEMAIRE The Piped Crepe Slipper is the most iconic shoe in the Lemaire wardrobe. Two pieces of grained cow leather sewn together at the front and sealed with leather piping. Elongated […]
Why More Women Are Choosing Not to Get Married or Have Children
Why More Women Are Choosing Not to Get Married or Have Children Seven women on what they are choosing instead Photo: Armagan Basaran From birth, it often feels like every girl in West Africa is being raised for two things: to be a wife and a mother. You learn early how to cook for a […]
Market Entry Is Not a Mood Board
Market Entry Is Not a Mood Board Why Brands Mistake Aesthetics for Infrastructure and What Credibility Actually Requires Photo: Carlos Idun In recent years, several major fashion houses have staged shows and campaigns across the African continent. Runway presentations in Dakar and Marrakech. Campaign shoots in Lagos and along the Kenyan coast. Capsule collections developed […]
Before Rio, There Was Luanda
Samba, the Rhythm That Refused to Stay Still