Snatched Waists and Style Play: The Corsetification of Nigerian Fashion
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, […]
Everyday Couture: Why Africa’s True Fashion Houses Sit on the Streets
Growing up in Africa, you feel the streets’ pulse long before you ever hear of Paris runways. On crowded roads where roasted plantain and petrol fumes mingle, a tailor’s shop hums with life. It’s a tiny space, bursting with wax prints, bogolan, kente, and lace — colors popping like a festival. A sewing machine buzzes […]
Luxury on Screen: How Fashion is Transforming Nollywood Narratives
When Nigeria’s film industry surged onto the scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was built on urgency and ingenuity rather than glamour. The budgets were modest, the production schedules tight, and the priorities leaned heavily toward storytelling and distribution rather than elaborate aesthetics. In those days, the idea of hiring a dedicated […]
Africa Textile Talks 2025: Weaving Circularity, Wool, and Culture Into the Future of Fashion
“The Cape once dressed a nation. Now it’s being dressed by the rest of the world.” — Ilse Menck, Menck Clothing That line, delivered in Cape Town, set the tone for Africa Textile Talks 2025 (ATT). Organised by sustainability platform Twyg, ATT has grown into one of the continent’s most important gatherings on fashion, textiles, […]
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,” […]
Little Lagos in London: Adisa Olashile Captures Nigeria’s Spirit in Peckham
On a Saturday afternoon in Peckham, South London, Rye Lane feels like Lagos stretched across the Atlantic. Yoruba greetings ripple through the air, suya smoke drifts past the scent of jollof rice, and Ankara fabrics streak the crowd in bursts of color. This is “Little Lagos” in London, where the Nigerian community has made its […]
Sindiso Khumalo Debuts Flagship Store in Cape Town as a Love Letter to African Craft
There are many facets to Sindiso Khumalo: She is, foremost, a designer whose textiles are instantly recognizable for their bold colors and hand-drawn prints. She is a storyteller who weaves African and Black history into contemporary fashion, creating a compelling bridge between different eras of design. Beyond that, she is an architect by training, an […]
Echoes of Pain: Mike Kure’s Photography of Migration and Longing
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
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
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 […]