Who Makes Luxury?

Vivienne Westwood x Made in Kenya AW 2022 campaign featuring artisanal handcrafted bags.

When news circulated that Nigeria had quietly supplied leather to some of the world’s most prestigious fashion

Buy Less, Love More: Onata Haus Launches an African-Led Conscious Revolution in Lagos

Buy Less, Love More: Onata Haus Launches an African-Led Conscious Revolution in Lagos DSCF0249

Buy Less, Love More: Onata Haus Launches an African-Led Conscious Revolution in Lagos Onata Haus Campaign Photographed by Stephen Tayo Lagos, Nigeria — The runway begins where the sand ends. On a private beach in Ilashe, far from the city’s honking chaos, Onata Haus unveiled its vision Monday night: 30 looks drifting past sculptures forged […]

Hortense Mbea of AFROPIAN: The Fashion Griot

Hortense Mbea of AFROPIAN: The Fashion Griot IMG 20210602 WA0006 1 e1760959581513

Hortense Mbea of AFROPIAN: The Fashion Griot Hortense Mbea, founder of Afropian Hortense Mbea moves through the world as if every gesture were a prayer. Every fold of fabric, every hand-stitched seam, every bead threaded with care carries a story—a word, a sentence, a chapter in Africa’s vast and unending book. Born and raised abroad, […]

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 […]

The Power of the Collective: Artisans Behind the Runway

The Power of the Collective: Artisans Behind the Runway IMG 9459

In Ghana’s Bonwire village, kente weavers thread vibrant narratives into silk-cotton cloth. In Ethiopia’s Amhara region, women’s cooperatives spin cotton into minimalist elegance. In South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal, Zulu beadworkers craft intricate patterns. In Mali’s Bamako region, indigo dyers create mud-dyed bogolanfini. In Kenya’s Kitui County, the Shalom Pride community weaves raffia into sustainable basket bags. […]