Africa Fashion

This is a unique exploration of how the cultural renaissance following independence evolved into today’s dynamic African fashion revolution

From Amanda Gorman resplendent in kente cloth (courtesy of Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton) on the cover of American Vogue to Michelle Obama’s repeated outings in Duro Olowu, African fashion exerts worldwide influence. The monumental publication Africa Fashion discusses how radical post-independence social and political re-ordering sparked a cultural renaissance across the continent. At the time, designers such as Shade Thomas-Fahm, Chris Seydou, Kofi Ansah, and Alphadi drew on past traditions, recovered and reinvented them, and so laid the foundation for today’s fashion revolution. The contributing authors then present the work of the new generation of creatives such as Nigerian fashion designer Lisa Folawiyo, Somali visual artist Gouled Ahmed, Ghanaian woven bag maker AAKS, and Kenyan jeweler Ami Doshi Shah. Their work shows that there is no one way to be African and no single African aesthetic.

The contemporary African fashion scene is as diverse and dynamic as the continent itself, and crucially always has been. With contributions from experts on cloth, fashion, and cultural history, as well as the voices of African makers and designers, this inspiring and arresting book offers a window into one of the most innovative, exciting, and thoughtful areas of fashion today.