Aṣọ-Òkè: The Cloth We Inherit

Akinola Lasekan's 1957 oil portrait of Chief Justus D. Akeredolu in a red striped aṣọ-òkè agbada, patterned fila cap and coral beads

I am standing before a portrait in Nigerian Modernism, the survey at Tate Modern. It is Akinola Lasekan’s 1957 oil of Justus D. Akeredolu. Lasekan and Akeredolu were both first-generation Nigerian modernists who once shared a studio in Lagos, and Akeredolu is remembered as the pioneer of Yoruba thorn carving, so the painter here is […]

Sanjo Lawal: Artsman the Traveler

Sanjo Lawal works between photography, creative editing, and digital painting. He renders skin in near-charcoal tones so the colors around it can sing harder. Born in Lagos in 1997 and raised in Ijebu Ode, he draws on Yoruba ceremony, the Ojude Oba festival, and the layered textiles of his mother’s wardrobe. His Artsman the Traveler […]

The Cloth That Holds the Dead

The Cloth That Holds the Dead IMG 4592 2

An Egungun is not a costume. It’s a technology for making ancestors show up. Outside the communities that practice it, Egungun gets misread

What Defined Lagos Fashion Week SS26? These 10 Trends

What Defined Lagos Fashion Week SS26? These 10 Trends Lagos Fashion Week 2025 Recap

Lagos Fashion Week didn’t try to prove anything this season—it showed up with confidence. Over five days, designers presented collections that felt intentional, each show adding to a broader conversation about what African fashion looks like when it stops seeking validation and starts setting its own terms. Here are the ten trends that defined Spring/Summer […]