Fashion 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.
Fashion in Sudan: The Tobe and Its Many Names
The Sudanese tobe moved from imported luxury to everyday wrap, with patterns named after events, from 1928...
Read MoreFashion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kuba Cloth and Kinshasa Style
From raffia Kuba cloth to the dandies of Kinshasa, Congolese fashion is bold, handmade and expressive.
Fashion in Madagascar: The Lamba, Silk and Handcraft
Madagascar’s national dress, the woven lamba, sits within a long tradition of silk weaving, raffia work and...
Read MoreFashion in Morocco: Caftans, Djellabas and Craft
From the prestigious caftan to the hooded djellaba, Moroccan dress blends regional tradition with master craftsmanship.