The Art of Being Seen: Fashion as Resistance Across Four African Subcultures
Some of the most compelling expressions of identity are found in the subcultures that transform everyday
Style Is Life: Reframing Africa Through the Sartorial Lens of Daniele Tamagni
In Dakar, where the past and future often collide in radiant defiance, Style is Life opened not just as an exhibition, but as a declaration. A necessary reframing of how Africa is seen, styled, and storied—through the radical lens of the late Daniele Tamagni. Here, fashion becomes more than fabric. It becomes language. Protest. Memory. […]
Threads of Influence IV: The Elegance of Defiance
The art of tailoring has long been a site of Black resistance, elegance, and reinvention. From the studied poise of precolonial kings to the audacious flamboyance of the Sapeurs, tailoring has shaped how the world sees Black style — and how Black people see themselves. The 2025 Met Gala theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, affirms […]
Threads of Influence III: The Sapeurs of Congo
Before a Sapeur steps into the street, the decision has already been made: to show up in the world not just dressed, but composed. Every detail is deliberate—the texture of the suit, the weight of a cane, the tilt of a hat. It’s a ritual of style, but also a quiet refusal. Because in Brazzaville […]
Threads of Influence: A Series on Black Tailoring
A seven-part Guzangs series on Black tailoring, written into and around the 2025 Met Gala’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The Costume Institute’s 2025 theme made Black dandyism the subject of the year’s most-watched fashion event. Threads of Influence spent four weeks reporting around it, beginning with pre-colonial African menswear and ending on the Met steps. […]