A History of African Fashion: 10 Skills in 90 Seconds
· Episode 8 of 10
Episode 8 / 10
The Diaspora Connection: African Fashion in Global Capitals
How did diaspora communities in London, New York, and Paris help bring African fashion into global mainstream consciousness?
They ran fabric markets supplying designers across Europe, referenced African textiles in major runway shows such as Patrick Kelly's Paris collections in the 1980s, popularized wax-print through diaspora-owned online businesses in the 2000s, and made African tailoring visible globally through Nollywood — acting as active cultural bridges decades before mainstream industry recognition.
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