After the Applause: Heritage Textiles and the Economics of the Runway Moment
When Florentina Agu went back to the wood carving workshops she had visited as a child, many of the artisans her family had once worked with were dead. The ones still alive were in difficult circumstances. Agu’s father had run a wood carving studio in Nigeria that produced parquet flooring and carved objects for sale […]
Understanding Bògòlanfini: The Malian Textile Written in Mud and Cotton
Bògòlanfini, the mud cloth of Mali, is one of Africa’s oldest living textile traditions. Ugonna-Ora Owoh traces its science, symbolism, and migration — from Bamana villages and the Mali Empire to Chris Seydou’s Paris ateliers and Awa Meïté’s contemporary Bamako-based practice.
What the Met’s 2026 Theme Means in an African Context, and the Designers Shaping the Narrative
As the Costume Institute prepares its “Fashion Is Art” spring exhibition, two African designers — Chelsea Jean Lamm and Sevon Dejana — make the case that the conversation has been alive on the continent all along.
Woven Stories: 9 African Artists Shaping Contemporary Narratives Through Textiles
Textiles are more than material. They hold stories, histories and languages shaped through time. I think of them
Hertunba’s ‘Akaoru’ Collection Is a Lesson in What Craftsmanship Actually Costs
Florentina Agu’s new 23-look collection spans three mediums, supports working artisans, and makes a quiet,
Market Entry Is Not a Mood Board
Market Entry Is Not a Mood Board Why Brands Mistake Aesthetics for Infrastructure and What Credibility Actually Requires Photo: Carlos Idun In recent years, several major fashion houses have staged shows and campaigns across the African continent. Runway presentations in Dakar and Marrakech. Campaign shoots in Lagos and along the Kenyan coast. Capsule collections developed […]
Joanna Masiyiwa Has Only Photographs. Amayi Is the Rest.
Fashion became how she moved through spaces where she was already visibly different, though
At Sofitel Cotonou Marina, Georgiana Viou Welcomes Nokx Majozi for the Next Les Rendez-vous de L’Ami
On April 1, Les Rendez-vous de L’Ami returns to L’Ami at Sofitel Cotonou Marina Hotel & Spa
Inside Central Saint Martins’ Makers Camp: West African Makers in Focus
For two weeks, the conservatory room of Mason & Fifth became an experimental studio of collective making.
Between the Algorithm and the Altar
None of it has disappeared — the bridewealth, the communal celebration, the ceremony. But in the 2020s, something is shifting fast.