Online concept store The Folklore has long placed African designers at the forefront, and stylist, photographer, and writer Amira Rasool chose Lagos, Nigeria to bring their latest lookbook to life. Working with designers from all over Africa and the diaspora, the store's carefully curated apparel and accessories run the gamut from outwear to swimwear and speak to the stylistic variety across the continent.
"The inspiration behind this editorial was the clashing of two different but extremely prosperous fashion industries in Africa," Rasool explained about the juxtaposition between the Nigerian city and wardrobe picks from South African designers MaXhosa, Nicholas Coutts, and Simon and Mary.
For Rasool - who spends her time between Brooklyn and Cape Town - centering African designers was a natural progression. "It’s important for me to put African designers in the forefront because they are still creatively and economically deprived by the lingering effects of colonialism," she explained. "I think people shouldn't forget that creative people like artists, designers, writers, and directors were also deprived of being able to artistically express themselves, whether it be because of economic status or racists colonial structures."
See the full lookbook below.
Credits
Photographer: Jesse Navarre Vos
Stylist: Amira Rasool
Models: Street Cast
Wardrobe: MaXhosa, Nicholas Coutts, Simon and Mary