“Who Is MOWAA Really For?”: A Critical Commentary on a Museum Caught Between Promise and Power
The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), founded in 2020 and envisioned as one of the most ambitious
The Cloth That Holds the Dead
An Egungun is not a costume. It’s a technology for making ancestors show up. Outside the communities that practice it, Egungun gets misread
African Ritual Aesthetics in the Age of Luxury Fashion
Across Lagos, Dakar, and London, African designers are increasingly turning to the sacred. From Adama Paris’ waridjé mask bags to Bubu Ogisi’s
Ghana Funeral Culture: How West Africans Honor the Dead With Custom Coffins, Fashion, and Ceremony
A life happened here, and it was worthy of celebration.
Cowrie Shells Carry Africa’s Past Into Fashion’s Future
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,” […]
Where Meaning Meets Material: Dahomey Paris and the Soul of Luxury
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 […]
Inside Oshobor: Where Heritage, Healing, and Haute Craft Collide
In 2020, during one of the hardest periods of his life, Peter Odion sat quietly in his Benin City workshop, mending torn fabric by hand. What began as therapy would soon become a signature. Stitch by stitch, he transformed pain into process, and process into fashion. That quiet moment laid the foundation for Oshobor, the […]
The Future Feels Different Here: 7 African creatives who are reshaping design on their own terms
On April 21, the UN observed World Creativity and Innovation Day. But for many African designers, artists, and architects, that kind of thinking isn’t tied to a calendar. It’s just how the work gets done. Across the continent, new ideas are taking shape. Quietly. Experimentally. Sometimes defiantly. Some are working with buildings left unfinished for […]
Guzangs Holiday Gift Guide:Thoughtful Pieces for Every Style Lover
This holiday season, Guzangs presents a curated selection of luxurious, statement-making gifts from African designers. Perfect for the style-savvy and sustainably minded, these pieces go beyond accessories—they’re wearable art. From a regal cape to a bold Western hat and an elegant scarf, each item inspires confidence, celebrates African craftsmanship, and adds a touch of […]
Egungun: The Cult of Ancestors
In Benin, the Egungun festival is one of the most striking expressions of Yoruba culture, a ceremony where memory, artistry, and spirituality move together in vivid, commanding form. In his new photographic series, Stephan Gladieu captures this world with an extraordinary sense of presence, offering a window into a tradition where ancestors return not as […]