A blog about the influence of the African Diaspora on Fashion.
Use Imagery to Empower Ourselves: Sankofa Exhibit
APiF: Please introduce yourself. Amarachi Nwosu: My name is Amarachi Nwosu, and I am a Nigerian-American photographer, filmmaker, writer, and speaker based in Tokyo, Japan. I am also the founder of Melanin Unscripted, a platform aimed to dismantle stereotypes and blur racial lines by exposing complex identities and cultures around the world. My work has…
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Interview 54kibo: The Height of African Design
APiF: Please introduce your brand. Nana Quagraine: 54kibo is a new lifestyle brand and e-commerce destination for a carefully selected array of contemporary African design for home, children, and accessories. We’ve been working on the concept for 54kibo since late 2017, with the site launching late 2018. 54 is the number of countries in Africa…
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IKEA’s Africa collection is hitting stores May 2019
ÖVERALLT = Everywhere is the name of the long-awaited collection by IKEA in collaboration with several African Designers. The sneak peek has me excited, and I need to get my hands on the rug as well as the bench. The limited edition includes larger pieces of furniture, tableware, textiles, and a sustainable tote bag, to…
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Third Culture Kids – by Atong Atem
South Sudanese photographer Atong Atem creates with her studio series an homage to African Studio photography. Living in Australia, she placed her friends into the context of elements from their culture/heritage, that they have been displaced from. In her own words: ‘There is something important about being able to take our icons and visual language…
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Swing into Spring with Duro Olowu
Inspired by the 1930s is the ready-to-wear Spring 2019 collection by Nigerian designer Duro Olowu – mixed with a lot of bold flower prints and stripes. I love how the stripes and prints are being combined in some of the looks. The look with the short jacket over the dress almost looks vintage. I could…
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Interview with interior designer Nana Amu: Loving the space you live in!
APiF: Please introduce yourself. Nana Amu: I am a Ghanaian global nomad, an eclectic mix of cultural and creative influences. My father was a diplomat, representing Ghana in various countries around the world. I was exposed to a rich tapestry of cultures and variety of art forms in Australia, Italy and the UK where I…
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Trending: Traveling Africa
Traveling Africa is trending. In the last two years, I have noticed travel groups and organizations popping up that are focused on delivering a unique Africa travel experience. Several of these travel groups are black-owned, which is great! They all emphasize different aspects: some are about diving into he glitz and glam of big African…
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Interview with Afrikrea: The etsy of African Fashion
APiF: Please introduce yourself. Moulaye Taboure: I am Moulaye one of the co-founders of Afrikrea. I am a young Malian and grew up in Bamako. I studied and worked in Paris for 10 years, and now I am back living on the African continent – currently in Abidjan. APiF: What is your cultural heritage…
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Black Icons: “Re-envisioning the ancestors through visual art”
A couple of weeks ago I went to a Pop-up by “Colored Girls Hustle” in Brooklyn. At the event I came across the visual artist Makeba “KEEBS” Rainey and her beautiful collages of Black Icons. Find out more about the artist whose purpose is to “create art for Black People”. APiF: Please introduce your…
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Ayok’a: A Platform for Black Artists
Ivorian/French entrepreneur Alice Gbelia was looking for art to decorate her home – she wanted specifically art that referenced her African heritage and represented Black Pop Culture. As she couldn’t find a website that offered what she was looking for, she decided to create a platform that represented and offered art and designs by Black…
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Interview with Chapstudios: “Africans telling their African stories”
Meet Chapstudios, a young brand from South Africa. Its 22-year-old founder Thandazani Nofingxana is using his Xhosa heritage as inspiration for his designs. Thandazani beliefs that it is about time that young Africans are telling their own stories – and he wants to accomplish this through his designs. APiF: Please introduce yourself. Chapstudios:…
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Sarep Rose: “Not here to reinforce linear notions of ‘African’ aesthetics”
APiF: Please introduce who you are Sarep Rose: I’m Robin. I currently live in New York but grew up in London. APiF: What motivated you to start your brand Sarep Rose? Sarep Rose: I was disillusioned with life after graduation and I wanted to do something fun and completely different to my ‘day…
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Come Shop on “Black Girl Magic” Street in Brooklyn
I live on “Black Girl Magic” Street also known as Tompkins Ave in Brooklyn, NY. Why “Black Girl Magic” Street? Because a total of 15! Black Women have opened their businesses here in the last couple of years and added huge value and a great vibe to the block. When I moved here a couple…
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The Comeback of Arise Fashion Week
After a break of six years, Arise Fashion Week is back and showcased 50 designers from 15 countries over the Easter Holiday weekend in Lagos, Nigeria. The Who is Who of African Fashion and African Creative Excellence attended the event. It felt like all the cool & stylish peeps of the African Fashion World that…
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Emmy Kasbit: “An Ode to Culture”
APiF: Please introduce yourself. Okoro Emmanuel: My Name is Okoro Emmanuel. I am the creative director for the fashion brand Emmy Kasbit. APiF: When did you start Emmy Kasbit and what motivated you to launch the brand? OM: Emmy Kasbit was launched in January 2014, the brand was birthed out of my passion to clothe…
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“Memory” – Go see the current exhibit by Fahamu Pecou
Fahamu Pecou is an established Black artist whose work has been shown on popular shows like Black-ish and Empire. Personally, I was unfamiliar with the artist and his work so I was excited to go and see his exhibit and attend the artist talk in Chelsea last week. In case you don’t read this to…
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The rise of “Made in Nigeria”: Interview with Fashion Brand Besida
APiF: Please introduce who you are. Besida: I’m Sophia O. I am the Founder and Creative Director of Besida. APiF: What motivated you to start your brand? Besida: Mainly because I wanted to manufacture and increase exports from Nigeria. We are a nation full of resources, but we lack opportunity. I’m confident that it…
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Repping Africa & African Cities
Africa is home to the fastest growing cities. By 2050, cities like Lagos and Kinshasa and Cairo will be global mega cities, each holding over 30 million inhabitants. More and more brands are repping Africa – by representing African cities, African countries and the continent overall on their designs. Out of pride for their heritage,…
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Sindiso Khumalo: Telling stories through watercolors and prints
I have been a fan of Sindiso Khumalo’s designs since her very first collection in 2014. Her prints used to be dominated by repeated triangles in different sizes – a nod back to the Ndebele culture in South Africa. Triangles and geometric shapes are still there in some designs, but not as dominant as in…
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APiF’s Holiday Gift Guide
Check-out my curated Holiday Gift Guide. Besides Summer, the Holidays are my favorite season. I love decorating my place festive, bake Christmas Cookies ( I make my own dough, no ready-made cookie dough in my kitchen) and listen to cheesy Christmas songs (yes everyone who stops by gets tortured with them). My family stopped gifting…
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Consistency of Excellence: Duro Olowu SS18
New collection, same designs? What I like about Duro Olowu is, that new collections are never completely different – there are always recognizable elements. Shapes like the beautiful dresses and prints, the overall aesthetic is repeated. Why not repeat what works? There are always some trendy elements – like for example the balloon sleeves –…
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L’Artisane: The return of the Boubou
The boubou is a traditional, formal attire from West Africa. The garment when worn at festivities or important events – the “grand boubou” – is usually decorated and embroidered. Inspired by her grandfather’s stories and images, L’Artisane took the traditional garment and gave it a contemporary twist. By mixing aspects of the past with the…
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Mad at Stella McCartney? Don’t Be!
Ooops they did it again. An established luxury designer – Stella McCartney – is sending her models down the runway in African Prints. Social Media is outraged. To be honest, I am just amused. Burberry did it. Moschino did it. J.-P. Gaultier did it. Just to name a few. Stella McCartney is way late to…
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Artist Evans Mbugua: “Prints as Means of Communication”
Interview with artist Evans Mbugua about the influence of prints in his work, how growing up in Nairobi inspired him and the necessity of Social Media for artists. APiF: Please introduce yourself. Evans Mbugua: I’m Evans Mbugua, an artist designer from Nairobi living in Paris. APiF: A lot of your art incorporates prints – why is…
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