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African Fashion, Art, Design & Culture
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Woven Histories: Hair in East and Southern Africa — Ritual, Resistance, and Rebirth

Woven Histories: Hair in East and Southern Africa — Ritual, Resistance, and Rebirth Eembuvi braids worm by women of the Mbalantu tribes in Namibia

Woven Histories: Hair in East and Southern Africa — Ritual, Resistance, and Rebirth The eembuvi-plaits of Mbalantu women before the Ohango initiation ceremony, Namibia, 1930s. Photograph by C.H.L. Hahn. Collection Antje Otto. Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Guzangs’ ongoing exploration of African hair traditions, tracing their evolution from spiritual practice to global artistry. […]

Hair Culture in West Africa: A Historical and Modern Perspective

Hair Culture in West Africa: A Historical and Modern Perspective IMG 1072

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Guzangs’ ongoing exploration of African hair traditions, tracing their evolution from spiritual practice to global artistry. This installment focuses on West Africa, following Part I, which explored North African hair traditions. Hair in West African cities like Lagos, Accra, Dakar, and Lomé has long been a profound symbol […]

Woven Histories: Hair in North Africa

Black-and-white photograph of Amazigh women from Morocco, their long braids decorated with charms and beads, wearing traditional garments.

Hair across Africa has never been a mere accessory. It has long functioned as a living archive, carrying messages of lineage, spirituality, and social status. In every braid and parting, identity is inscribed. Today, conversations around African hair have widened beyond what past generations could have imagined. On Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, hairstylists, cultural historians, […]

In the Time of Silk: Bolé Dakar’s Rebellion Against Waste

In the Time of Silk: Bolé Dakar's Rebellion Against Waste IMG 9839

Luxury is not always new. Sometimes it is the silken whisper of a scarf once worn by a grandmother. Sometimes it is a talisman fashioned from a lover’s forgotten tie, reborn as a necklace that rests close to the heart. This is the world of Bolé Dakar, a brand that refuses the disposable tempo of […]

African Art and Creativity: What Inspires Artists Across the Continent

African Art and Creativity: What Inspires Artists Across the Continent Carlos Idun Tawiah

In a small Lagos studio, a painter dips her brush in red paint. Her canvas bursts with market colors: yellow mangoes, blue headscarves, green leaves. She grew up in a noisy neighborhood where money was scarce, but the buzz of traders and kids playing gave her ideas. In a London apartment, a musician strums his […]

Snatched Waists and Style Play: The Corsetification of Nigerian Fashion

Bonang Matheba poses in a dramatic teal and green corseted gown by Veekee James, styled by Dahmola, against a neutral backdrop.

Corsetification in Nigerian fashion is cinching itself into the heart of style, emerging from Lagos red carpets, owambes, and endless scrolls of Instagram and TikTok. It’s a waist, pulled tight, hyper-defined, framed by elaborate bustiers and couture-heavy tailoring that now defines one of the most visible aesthetics of Nigerian femininity. This isn’t just a trend, […]

Cowrie Shells Carry Africa’s Past Into Fashion’s Future

Portrait of a woman wearing a headpiece made of rows of cowrie shells that drape over her face and shoulders. She gazes into the camera with a commanding expression, dressed in flowing fabric, against a backdrop of golden cloth and soft natural light.

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,” […]

Echoes of Pain: Mike Kure’s Photography of Migration and Longing

Portrait of a woman in a sleeveless brown dress standing amid dense green foliage.

What does it mean to feel displaced, to long for home even when it’s far away? For photographer Mike Kure, the answer lies in the eyes of children who carry the weight of lost faith but still harbor hope that tomorrow might bring better opportunities. Working predominantly in dark tones and black and white, Mike’s […]

Continental Swagger: African Fashion Design in the 21st Century – Post-Panel Reflections

Continental Swagger: African Fashion Design in the 21st Century – Post-Panel Reflections IMG 7509 2

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 […]

Sartorial Groundings: African Design at the Heart of Black Elegance

Sartorial Groundings: African Design at the Heart of Black Elegance Sartorial Thumbnail e1757701619581

How do African dress traditions shape and inspire the possibilities of contemporary fashion and Black identity? In conjunction with the exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, Idelle Taye, founder of Guzangs, reflects and expands upon the rich relationship between sartorial expression and ancestral legacies across the African continent through the work of seven trailblazing contemporary designers. The Costume […]