Exhibition On now until Sunday, 16 April 2023

Africa Fashion

£16.00 \ \ Get Tickets

★★★★★ Elegant and exuberant

The Telegraph

★★★★★ A glorious celebration

Time Out

+44 (0)20 7942 2000

  • On now until Sunday, 16 April 2023

  • Gallery 40

  • £16.00

    Discount for under 26s.
    Other concessions apply.

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Spanning iconic mid-20th century to contemporary creatives through photographs, textiles, music and the visual arts, Africa Fashion explores the vitality and global impact of a fashion scene as dynamic and varied as the continent itself.

Supported by

GRoW @ Annenberg, a philanthropic initiative founded by Annenberg Foundation Vice President and Director Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, supports a broad range of innovative projects and organizations that address social and cultural issues, meet urgent community needs, and offer inspiration and collaboration—all with the goal of improving the quality of life in communities around the world.

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Exhibition Highlights

Woman on catwalk wearing metallic pink trousers, top and cape with tasselled detailing
Mbeuk Idourrou collection, Imane Ayissi, Autumn/Winter 2019, Paris, France. Photo: Fabrice Malard / Courtesy of Imane Ayissi
Woman wearing a lemon yellow dress and jacket, with tasseled detailing. Her face is painted with metallic colours
'Chasing Evil' collection, IAMISIGO, Kenya, Autumn/Winter 2020. Courtesy IAMISIGO. Photo: Maganga Mwagogo
Black and white image of a woman in a long dress and long cape with hood
Pioneering Moroccan designer Naima Bennis
Model posing with arm against a tree. Wearing black skirt and short sleeved jacket with white patterned detailing
Design by Chris Seydou. © Nabil Zorkot
Woman wearing a cream suit with patchwork detailing, large straw hat tied below chin, and white pointed heeled boots
Alchemy collection, Thebe Magugu, Autumn/Winter 2021, Johannesburg, South Africa. Photography: Tatenda Chidora , Styling + Set: Chloe Andrea Welgemoed, Model: Sio
Dark blue cloth with light blue detailing
Adire, indio-dyed cloth, Nigeria. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Person on catwalk wearing headpiece, jacket and skirt made from dyed cloth in shades of light blue, dark blue and white
DAKALA CLOTH ensemble, 'Who Knew' collection, Abuja, Nigeria, Spring/Summer 2019. Image courtesy Nkwo Onwuka. © Kola Oshalusi
Black and white photograph of person wearing headpiece. They wear facial jewellery and nose piercing jewellery
Self-portrait, Gouled Ahmed, Addis Foam, Ethiopia
Two men wearing white shirts, hats and sunglasses, sitting back in chairs. There is a vase with flowers behind
Photograph by Studio Kameni, Cameroon
Person wearing dark and light blue buttoned dress with speckled design, and blue mask with beaded detailing
Aso Lànkí, Kí Ató Ki Ènìyàn ('We greet dress before we greet its wearer') collection, 2021, Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos Space Programme. Photo: © Kadara Enyeasi
Figure standing in a translucent outfit covered in black hand pattern with entire body covered
'The Trench' designed by Maison ArtC, Morocco, 2021. © Image courtesy @M.A.Roock, model Abdul
Multicoloured cloth
Cotton cloth, 1900–49, Ghana. Museum no. CIRC.766-1967. Museum no. CIRC.766-1967. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Black and white photo of person stepping onto a plane image on a backcloth
Sanlé Sory 'Je Vais Décoller, 1977. © Sanlé Sory/Tezeta. Courtesy David Hill Gallery
Image of man and woman in bright orange outfits ina. black and white studio
Designed by Kofi Ansah, ensembles for the wedding of Ashley Shaw-Scott Adjaye and David Adjaye. Ghana, 2014. © Photographed in London in 2014 by Robert Fairer
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Africa Fashion book (hardback)

Africa Fashion book (hardback)

This book discusses how radical post-independence social and political re-ordering sparked a cultural renaissance across the continent, before exploring the diverse and dynamic contemporary African fashion scene.

£25 Buy
Owu tote bag by Yinka Ilori

Owu tote bag by Yinka Ilori

Designed by Yinka Ilori, the print on this cotton tote bag is inspired by a childhood memory of his mother doing his sister’s hair in the traditional Isi Owu style.

£20 Buy
Ife t-shirt by Yinka Ilori

Ife t-shirt by Yinka Ilori

Named after the Yoruba word for love, the design on the Ife t-shirt reflects the interconnectivity that love creates.

£40 Buy
Africa Fashion
With additional support from
With additional support from
Background image: Photography Lakin Ogunbanwo, creative direction NATAAL, 2022. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London