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What We Saw at the Best African Runway 2025 in Dakar

Selly Raby Kane Photo: Khaled Fhemy

Dakar, perched at the western edge of Africa, is no stranger to spectacle. But on the eve of May 2nd, 2025 beneath the resolute gaze of the Monument to the African Renaissance, it played host to something more than a fashion show. It became a stage for a movement. The second edition of the Best […]

Threads of Influence V: Met Gala Co-Chairs in Focus

Threads of Influence V: Met Gala Co-Chairs in Focus Threads V Thumbnail e1757701555935

The 2025 Met Gala isn’t just a red carpet — it’s a cultural reckoning. With the Costume Institute’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” this year’s gala centers the sartorial legacy of Black men across the diaspora: from Harlem dapper to Savile Row rebels, Zoot suits to modern minimalism. It’s about how Black style — rooted […]

Threads of Influence IV: The Elegance of Defiance

Threads of Influence IV: The Elegance of Defiance Threads IV Thumbnail e1757701457935

The art of tailoring has long been a site of Black resistance, elegance, and reinvention. From the studied poise of precolonial kings to the audacious flamboyance of the Sapeurs, tailoring has shaped how the world sees Black style — and how Black people see themselves. The 2025 Met Gala theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, affirms […]

The Resurgence of African Menswear Global Dialogue

The Resurgence of African Menswear Global Dialogue tokyo james

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 […]

The Enduring Power of the Drianké in Senegalese Culture and Art

The Enduring Power of the Drianké in Senegalese Culture and Art 2 Cheikha Resonance Maguette Gueye Adja Maty Zoritza Tribute to Amratou.jpeg

In Senegal, particularly in the lively streets of Dakar, there is a woman whose presence commands respect and admiration. She is the “Drianké“. More than a symbol of beauty, she embodies wisdom, resilience, and leadership. Her influence stretches far beyond her carefully curated attire and radiant presence; she is the weaver of traditions, the keeper […]

Nene Yaya: A Legacy of Luxury with a Soul

Nene Yaya: A Legacy of Luxury with a Soul IMG 0062 1

Marième Gaye remembers the first time she saw her sister, Nene, cradle a handbag the way one might hold something precious—a delicate heirloom, a piece of history wrapped in fine leather. Even as children, Nene had a discerning eye. While others indulged in fleeting trends, she believed in permanence. “A great handbag,” she often said, […]

Beyond the Rack: Africa’s Concept Stores Changing the Game

Beyond the Rack: Africa’s Concept Stores Changing the Game Aby Creation

Aby Concept Store. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire Across Africa, a quiet revolution is unfolding—not just in the hum of sewing machines or the flash of runway lights, but in the intimate, electric spaces where fashion finds its heartbeat. Concept stores like Lagos’ Alára, a glass-walled masterpiece refracting the city’s energy into art, or Kigali’s House of […]

HerStory Unfolds: Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang’s Groundbreaking Vice Presidency

HerStory Unfolds: Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang's Groundbreaking Vice Presidency INAUGURATION154 1

On January 7, 2025, Ghana made history, not just for its political transition but for a monumental shift in its cultural narrative. With the inauguration of H.E. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Ph.D, FGA Vice President of the Republic of Ghana as the nation’s first female Vice President, Ghana stepped into a new era of leadership that […]