Hair Culture in West Africa: A Historical and Modern Perspective
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: A Series on African Hair
A three-part Guzangs series on African hair: how it has been styled, what it has signified, and how those traditions are evolving region by region. Hair across Africa has long carried lineage, spirituality, and social standing. Woven Histories traces that record across three regions, beginning in the Maghreb and ending in East and Southern Africa. […]
At UNGA 80, Fashion Moves Closer to the Center of the Sustainability Agenda
At this year’s 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, fashion was not on the sidelines. In the Goals Lounge, hosted by the UN Office for Partnerships, and in the SDG Media Zone, fashion leaders, innovators, and UN officials put textiles, circularity, and culture squarely into the conversation on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). […]
Labor Day 2025: William Matlala’s Lens on Labour and Documenting the Dignity of Black Workers in South Africa
When William Matlala picked up his mother’s camera in the early 1980s, he began what would become one of South Africa’s most quietly powerful photographic projects: a visually dense archive of factory floors, miners, families, and community life that refused the narrow images of Black existence under apartheid. Even after decades, his work continues to […]
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 […]
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 […]
Inside Anouri Original: The Brand Reviving Moroccan Craft in Modern Fashion
There’s something electric about watching a designer discover their voice. In Mohamed Youss’s case, that moment came not in a Parisian atelier or New York showroom, but in the souks of Taroudant, sketching his first burlap jacket and watching it sell within five minutes of posting to Instagram. That raw hunger—the kind that drives you […]
The Quiet Power of Yagazie Emezi’s New Visual Language
Yagazie Emezi has never fit into one frame. A decade ago, she emerged as one of Nigeria’s most vital photojournalists. Today, her work moves between lens and loom, documenting African realities while threading ancestral narratives into textile art. Political yet intimate, her practice resists binaries of past and present, seen and unseen, reportage and ritual. […]