Fashion in Rwanda: From Bark Cloth to Umushanana
From pounded bark cloth and calf hide to the flowing umushanana, Rwandan dress has long signalled age,...
Read MoreFashion in Cameroon: Pagnes, Chechia and Imane Ayissi
From pagnes and the chechia hat to haute couture, Cameroonian fashion blends regional tradition with global influences.
Fashion in Niger: Tuareg Indigo and Wodaabe Adornment
Niger’s nomadic peoples give the country two striking dress traditions: the Tuareg indigo veil and Wodaabe festival...
Read MoreFashion in Eritrea: The Zuria and Festive Dress
Eritrean celebrations are marked by the zuria, a white handwoven dress with a band of geometric pattern...
Read MoreFashion in Benin: The Royal Appliqué Cloths of Abomey
Benin’s most celebrated textile art is the appliqué cloth of Abomey, once made to record the deeds...
Read MoreFashion in Malawi: The Chitenje Story
The colourful chitenje is central to Malawian style, worn simply wrapped or tailored into modern designs, with...
Read MoreFashion in the Comoros: Shiromani, Leso and Gold
Comorian dress ranges from red-and-white shiromani to colourful leso shawls and gold wedding jewellery.
Fashion in Uganda: The Gomesi, Kanzu and Beyond
Uganda’s traditional dress includes the gomesi, kanzu, suuka and omushanana, each linked to a region.
Fashion in Mali: Bogolan, Boubous and Chris Seydou
Mali’s mud cloth, bogolan, has moved from hunters’ camouflage to boubous and international fashion.
Fashion in Gabon: Raffia and Chouchou Lazare
Gabonese designer Chouchou Lazare is taking traditional raffia from chiefs’ regalia to the Paris runway.