Featured Designers

The exhibition Fashion Cities Africa sought to provide a snapshot of fashion and style practices in four major cities at the compass points of the African continent: Casablanca (Morocco), Nairobi (Kenya), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Lagos (Nigeria). In doing so it presented the work of several key ‘fashion agents’ associated with each city. These agents included designers, stylists, photographers and bloggers, all of whom revealed something unique and compelling about the role of fashion in that city. Some featured designers, such as Amaka Osakwe (of the label Maki Oh) have an established international following, other creatives – like Joburg-based The Sartists and Nairobi-based 2 Many Siblings – adopt a local aesthetic to speak to a global audience, while documenters of fashion, like Casablanca-based photographer Joseph Ouechen use visual storytelling to shine a light on local practices of self-styling.

Click through to learn more about the stories and inspirations of some of these creative individuals, and for professional images of outfits, clothes and accessories, arranged in their original Fashion Cities Africa ‘looks’ and shot by photographer Tessa Hallmann.

Hi-resolution images are available for download from our Digital Media Bank.

Adele Dejak

Adele Dejak is founder of luxury accessories and lifestyle brand ‘Adèle Dejak’. Dejak uses local materials – hide, horn and

Deola Sagoe

Nigeria’s most enduring fashion brand, Deola Sagoe began her fashion label in 1989. In 2014 her daughters launched the Clan

Maria McCloy

Maria McCloy is a journalist, publicist and accessories designer. She seeks to infuse African aesthetics into fashion and collaborates with

Marianne Fassler

Marianne Fassler is the founder of womenswear label Leopard Frock which has influenced the South African fashion scene for over

Said Mahrouf standing in a morroccan street with palm trees, wearing a white shirt and sunglasses

Said Marouf

Said Mahrouf was born in Morocco and moved to the Netherlands as a young child. After studying fashion in Amsterdam

Sunny Dolat

Sunny Dolat is a fashion consultant and stylist. Preferring to work with local designers and makers, Dolat is a powerful

Four stylish young men stood in the street in front of a wall with pink columns

The Sartists

Kabelo Kungwane, Andile Buka, Wanda Lephoto and Xzavier Zulu are the Sartists, a creative collective.

Thula Sindi

Thula Sindi is one of South Africa’s leading designers. After graduation he worked for luxury wax printed fabric manufacturer Vlisco

Adele Dejak

Adele Dejak is founder of luxury accessories and lifestyle brand ‘Adèle Dejak’. Dejak uses local materials – hide, horn and textiles – and artisans to create statement pieces. Through her outlets in some of Nairobi’s shopping malls and use of social media Dejak has secured an international following.

‘Our pieces are bought by Kenyans and by the expat community, everyone really. The main frustration is people not understanding that something handmade in Africa can be bespoke or luxury. We’re not ‘curio’.’

The pieces pictured below were featured in the Fashion Cities Africa exhibition.

Adele Dejak

Adele Dejak

Adele Dejak

Deola Sagoe

‘I had an important role to play in changing perceptions of African fashion. Before me, the African fashion story was told through the eyes of European designers who would pick parts of African culture for inspiration. I felt there was a deeper story within, itching to be unveiled.’

Nigeria’s most enduring fashion brand, Deola Sagoe began her fashion label in 1989. In 2014 her daughters launched the Clan label under the Deola brand.

Deola Sagoe

Deola Sagoe

Clan

Maria McCloy

‘Apartheid and colonialism have resulted in a scenario where anything African and traditional is either not seen as sexy and sophisticated or relegated to special traditional occasions, weddings and Heritage Day. My philosophy is that there is a wealth of African aesthetics to use in fashion design.’

Maria McCloy is a journalist, publicist and accessories designer. She seeks to infuse African aesthetics into fashion and collaborates with other Joburg-based creatives – beaders, shoe makers, tailors, graphic designers, jewellery makers – from across the continent.

For the Fashion Cities Africa exhibition McCloy put together four looks which comment on the relationship between fashion and politics as refracted through the city of Joburg.

Maria McCloy

Maria McCloy

Maria McCloy

Maria McCloy

Marianne Fassler

‘Joburg has always been the one that’s taken the endangered and the flotsam, the ones who can’t find asylum anywhere else; it’s always been that kind of city and as a result it’s got a wonderful cross-cultural hip aesthetic to it.’

Marianne Fassler is the founder of womenswear label Leopard Frock which has influenced the South African fashion scene for over 30 years. In 2014 Fassler was Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’s Africa Designer of the Year.

Marianne Fassler

Marianne Fassler

Marianne Fassler

Said Marouf

‘I make no concessions in my designs to the traditional Moroccan market. My 2015 collection looked at the Russian artist Kazimir Malevich’s work.’

Said Mahrouf was born in Morocco and moved to the Netherlands as a young child. After studying fashion in Amsterdam and New York he started his eponymous label in Casablanca in 2007.

Said Marouf

Said Marouf

Said Marouf

Sunny Dolat

‘Growing up, we were never really taught to express ourselves through clothes, we’ve been very conservative … But people are starting to see the value of investing in local designers and local brands.’

Sunny Dolat is a fashion consultant and stylist. Preferring to work with local designers and makers, Dolat is a powerful advocate for Kenya’s fashion industry. As 1/9 of the Nest Collective and director of its Chico Leco programme, he is also committed to finding creative ways to develop its infrastructure.

In styling celebrities like Sauti Sol and in his creative work as part of the Nest Collective, Dolat uses fashion to challenge expectations including ideas around gender-appropriate clothing.

Sunny Dolat

Sunny Dolat

Sunny Dolat

Sunny Dolat

The Sartists

‘I’m passionate about this city. There’s so much energy. The reason why we’re doing what we’re doing is to tell our stories. Most people are afraid to do that. They’re ashamed of where they come from, or what they do.’ Andile Buka

Kabelo Kungwane, Andile Buka, Wanda Lephoto and Xzavier Zulu are The Sartists, a creative collective. The Sartists formed in 2012 with the desire to document and give a voice to urban youth from the townships, while educating the world about the challenges experienced by people living in a post-apartheid South Africa.

Their unique style has attracted wide interest and The Sartists have worked with brands including Levis, Adidas Originals, The Brooklyn Circus, Markhams, Converse, Young and Lazy, and 2bop.

The Sartists

Thula Sindi

‘My aesthetic is about design – I love to see a fabric and create a beautiful product. I’m interested in something that’s contemporary, that has a global appeal, with the African touch, but that’s not a cliché.’

Thula Sindi is one of South Africa’s leading designers. After graduation he worked for luxury wax printed fabric manufacturer Vlisco before setting up his own business.

Thula Sindi

Thula Sindi

Thula Sindi