Afrosartorialism

Today, I launch the first post of the new “Talents” series, a space to showcase and learn about the work of emerging creatives in the fields of black fashion, photography, and the fine art. Tony ‘Redd’ Weir (Instagram: @_iamtonyredd) is the mind and eye behind the Detroit chapter of the itinerant photo and web series  “The New Stereotype”, which aims at “creating positive imagery and celebrate …

In the year and a half since I launched Afrosartorialism, the fortune and fame of African style bloggers has grown quickly and steadily. Some of them have become international trendsetters; others have launched careers in the fashion industry; others yet have put a growing visibility in the service of community projects and social initiatives. In different capacities, the cultural work of these style amateurs is forcing a change in the …

On their recent journey to New York City, Papa Petit and Velma Rossa of the Kenyan style collective 2manysiblings met with Brooklyn-based photographer Kwesi Abbensetts for a street shooting.  Abbensetts , who hails from Guyana, has made a name for himself as an advocate of natural beauty and Afrocentric aesthetics.  Fragments of the collaboration have appeared on Tumblr, documenting the siblings’ …

Read my new post on the Senegalese designer Selly Raby Kane, now available – in English and French! – on BlackstotheFuture at this link. Here is an excerpt. Kane’s tactile storytelling unveils an eclectic exploration of the hidden facets of normality, where the alien is found in the everyday. A prominent member of Les Petites Pierre, an art collective headquartered at Ouakam (Dakar), Kane …

I was saddened to hear of Papa Wemba’s death. An unexpected event that followed too soon that of another cultural icon and black dandy, Prince. Wemba collapsed on stage in Abidjan on Sunday 24 April , leaving a country – his native Democratic Republic of Congo – and a whole continent to mourn him. Papa Wemba was the world ambassador of Congolese rhumba, but he …

From the photographer’s bio: Kevin Mackintosh was born in Africa, but left 15 years ago for the United Kingdom, ( where he lives, dividing his time between New York , London and Paris). While his work expresses a personal ‘ universe’ that combines an interest in European cinema, theatre and art, there is something about the largesse of his native …

The swenkas are Zulu migrant laborers living in Johannesburg’s poor areas who have been turning heads with their elegant style and dance skills since the mid 1900s. In the apartheid decades, swenking preserved Zulu culture and pride. The swenkas favoured a formal dress code inspired by jazz-age refinement. Their tailored suits came with brimmed hats and leather shoes, as well as a variety of accessories, including eyewear, …

Today I am happy to announce I’m officially an editorial partner @ Blacks to the Future! This transmedia platform, headquartered in Paris, promotes a “forward-looking, sustainable and uninhibited relationship with africanness and its means of expression”, with the aim of overtaking  stereotyped views of Africa, providing a critical thought on blackness, and nourishing inspiration through an Afrofuturistic vision of the world. As a first contribution, the team led by art director …

Thirty-year old Evans Mireku Kissi, also known as Steloolive, is a DJ based in Accra with a social media following that counts as many fans of experimental house music as of blipster (black hipster) fashion. Steelo believes in individual emancipation and self-styling is his way to practice it. A look at his online presence is enough to understand why he …