A Letter From Tounes
A Letter From Tounes is part of NOT A FAD, a long-term initiative from Fashion. Art. Development. (FAD) — a platform founded in 2020 to honor heritage not as something fixed or nostalgic, but as a living practice. Through design, artisan partnerships, and storytelling, FAD connects ancestral craft with contemporary aesthetics to reclaim narratives across […]
The Zimbabwean Fashion Scene: A Quiet Renaissance
Zimbabwe’s fashion industry is undergoing a nuanced but profound evolution. While the country may not yet be considered a global fashion capital, its creative community is asserting itself with authenticity, innovation, and resilience. Rooted in a rich cultural legacy and shaped by decades of economic and political flux, Zimbabwean fashion is moving from survival to […]
Memories Sculpted in Bronze: A Mother’s Legacy, A Daughter’s Light — The Story of IFTIIN
Mariam Racine didn’t plan to become a jewelry designer. Her path to founding IFTIIN—a studio crafting bold, artisan-made bronze jewelry rooted in African heritage—wasn’t a straight line, but a series of reflections, reckonings, and rediscoveries. “It really started with an unexpected job loss,” she says. “That economic dismissal turned out to be a blessing in […]
Waste Not, Wear More: African Designers and Artists Upcycle the Future
As the global fashion industry reckons with its massive environmental impact, Africa is quietly leading a creative revolution — one where waste is not discarded but reborn. On this World Environment Day, we turn the spotlight to a growing community of African designers and artists transforming textile scraps, plastic, and secondhand clothing into vibrant works […]
Inside the Cannes Premiere of ‘My Father’s Shadow’—And What It Means for Nigerian Cinema
There are moments when history happens quietly. Not with fireworks, but with the hush of anticipation and the swell of a violin score in a darkened theater. When My Father’s Shadow premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, it felt like one of those moments. Months earlier, Guzangs ran […]
A Decade of Design: Roselyn Silva on Intentional Elegance and Her São Tomé Roots
In Dubai, African Designers Set the Tone for a Global Conversation on Luxury
Last month, the opulent halls of the Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah in Dubai pulsed with creativity as the AFRA World Fashion Confluence 2025 brought together designers from across the globe under the evocative theme Echoes of the Oasis. At the heart of it all was a landmark partnership between AFRA World and the Lulubell Group, led […]
Meet Akunna Nwala-Akano: The Jewelry Designer Crafting Legacy with Akano Diamonds
There’s a creative optimism that fuels Akunna Nwala-Akano, one deeply rooted in the ceremonial elegance of her Igbo heritage. She carries the quiet confidence of someone raised around heirloom gold bangles, passed from one generation to the next, and grandmothers who marked life’s milestones with handcrafted adornments. Born the youngest of three daughters to a […]
Inside the Textile Language Installation by Art Comes First at 1-54 Art Fair
The 2025 Met Gala may have come to a close, but the conversation it sparked around Tailoring Black Style is far from over. In fact, it feels less like an ending and more like a new beginning—an extension of a dialogue that continues to reshape how we perceive style, identity, and heritage. As history has […]
Thuku-Benzinge’s Umutoni: The Jewelry Brand Crafting Its Own Luxury
Umutoni Thuku-Benzinge is curating her own definition of luxury. One deeply rooted in her Kenyan and Rwandan heritage, and grounded in her passion for jewelry, social impact, and craftsmanship. As a fashion entrepreneur, she is the founder of the eponymous jewelry brand Umutoni, known for its East African storytelling and minimalist design language. Born and […]