Aṣọ-Òkè: The Cloth We Inherit
I am standing before a portrait in Nigerian Modernism, the survey at Tate Modern. It is Akinola Lasekan’s 1957 oil of Justus D. Akeredolu. Lasekan and Akeredolu were both first-generation Nigerian modernists who once shared a studio in Lagos, and Akeredolu is remembered as the pioneer of Yoruba thorn carving, so the painter here is […]
How Cynthia Erivo Built a Wicked Fashion Narrative Across Two Global Press Tours
Cynthia Erivo moves through each press tour with the same narrative sensibility and sense of story that echoes through the world of Wicked,
Africa Fashion Arrives in Montreal: A Global Conversation Continues
Walking into Africa Fashion in Montreal feels like arriving at the latest stop in a global conversation — one that began in London, traveled through Brooklyn, staged in Melbourne, and now lands here to shed new light on diasporic and local voices. Originally mounted at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from July 2, […]
Trans-continental Collaborations Opened New Markets for African Fashion — Why Did They Pause?
The most transformative moments in African fashion over the past decade have been defined by strategic collaborations that elevated the industry to unprecedented heights. Yet this remarkable ascent was only possible because African designers first established an unshakeable foundation: placing culture at the very heart of their creative vision. What distinguishes African fashion from its […]
Beyond the White Lines. Africa, Fashion, and the U.S. Open
The first tennis clubs in Africa were built like fortresses. Behind their gates in Lagos, Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Casablanca, colonists played in pressed whites while Africans raked clay, carried balls, or stood outside the fence. The game was there but not for them. That shadow framed a remark by South African designer Wanda Lephoto […]
What Makes a Brand African? Rethinking Made in Africa Fashion
While African fashion has reached greater heights—the question of what makes a brand “African” resists easy answers. It can’t be answered through surface-level aesthetics or generic motifs, but instead, it demands a deeper interrogation of history, structure, and power. At first glance, one might say an African brand is one founded or designed by an […]
Thobeka Mbane Is Styling for Liberation, Not Just Looks
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 […]
The Power of the Collective: Artisans Behind the Runway
In Ghana’s Bonwire village, kente weavers thread vibrant narratives into silk-cotton cloth. In Ethiopia’s Amhara region, women’s cooperatives spin cotton into minimalist elegance. In South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal, Zulu beadworkers craft intricate patterns. In Mali’s Bamako region, indigo dyers create mud-dyed bogolanfini. In Kenya’s Kitui County, the Shalom Pride community weaves raffia into sustainable basket bags. […]
The Resurgence of African Menswear Global Dialogue
In Kumasi’s Bonwire, loomers weave kente into vests that hum with royal lineage. In Cape Town’s ateliers, Xhosa-inspired capes ripple, their beads chanting warrior tales. From Lagos to Addis Ababa, African menswear is shredding colonial threads—stiff suits, muted ties—and stitching a vibrant, homegrown identity. Mudcloth jackets pulse with Mali’s ancient glyphs; ankara blazers blaze with […]
Step Inside Magugu House: A New Beacon of African Fashion and Heritage
Nestled in the vibrant neighborhood of Dunkeld, Johannesburg, Magugu House stands as a new cultural landmark. This innovative space, created by the visionary designer Thebe Magugu, offers an immersive journey through African fashion and history. “I’ve always dreamed of uniting all my collections, installations, events, and projects in one cohesive space,” says Thebe Magugu. “Magugu […]