Adirẹ and the Wrapper-Wearers
My relationship to adirẹ is perhaps an unusual one; it begins not with indigo, but with cassava. In 2024, I returned to Nigeria for a two-month residency with the G.A.S. Foundation to study cassava’s role and cultural significance in the country. It was the longest I had spent in the country since leaving at five […]
Three African Knowledge Systems on the Loewe Craft Prize 2026 Shortlist
The 2026 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize shortlist runs thirty finalists from nineteen countries. Three of them work with African craft traditions as method
Trend Report: Dakar Fashion Week 2025
Dakar Fashion Week’s 24th edition ran three days across three venues
Dakar Fashion Week 2025 Opens With Ethics on the Schedule
Dakar Fashion Week 2025 Opens With Ethics on the Schedule Dakar Fashion Week 2025 opened at the Turkish Embassy gardens with innovation and ethics as this edition’s official theme. Six collections tested what that means in practice. Bakus Oraya presented an homage to the Beninese Amazons. Hand-dyed batik, woven loincloth textiles, and adire techniques anchored […]
Homegrown to High Fashion: African Musicians’ Style Journey and Cultural Pride
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Burna Boy (@burnaboygram) Burna Boy in Ozwald Boateng at The Met Gala 2025 African musicians have long used fashion to reflect their cultural roots and global ambitions. In the early 2000s, as genres like Afrobeats gained momentum, artists championed local designers, wearing traditional fabrics […]
Inside Ifebuche Madu’s Exhibition of Nigerian Textile and Traditional Dye
Ifebuche Madu believes fashion storytelling must move beyond surface optics, and it’s what led her deeper into curating “In the Beginning, There Was Cloth”—a textile exhibition that brings this truth to the fore, tracing the layered narratives woven into Adire, Akwete, and Uli. “It is a journey that takes us back to our ancient times […]
The History of African Designers at New York Fashion Week
When African designers began appearing on the New York Fashion Week stage, they brought with them more than collections—they introduced perspectives that expanded the conversation of global fashion. From Nigeria’s vibrant textiles to South Africa’s bold silhouettes, these creators have steadily woven cultural heritage and contemporary vision into one of the industry’s most visible […]
Continental Swagger: African Fashion Design in the 21st Century – Post-Panel Reflections
Yesterday’s Continental Swagger panel, presented by The Met’s Costume Institute, brought together three uncompromising voices — Adeju Thompson (Lagos Space Programme, Nigeria), Wanda Lephoto (South Africa), and Imane Ayissi (Cameroon/France) for an unflinching, deeply personal conversation on heritage, innovation, and the politics of where a designer chooses to stand. Moderated by Monica L. Miller, Guest […]
Introducing Guzangs Designer Profiles: Archiving and Amplifying African Fashion
African fashion is in a moment of radical visibility. With it comes a responsibility: to document, archive, and build sustainable pathways for the designers shaping its future. Today, Guzangs launches Designer Profiles, a curated series dedicated to spotlighting the visionaries driving contemporary African fashion. This inaugural installment explores the creative journeys, signature works, and cultural […]
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 […]