You’ve probably heard about the weather at Paris Fashion Week. Still, beneath the neoclassical colonnades of the Palais Brongniart, not even the slate gray skies and lashings of rain could dampen the buoyant spirit conjured by the Paris debut of CANEX (Creative Africa Nexus) Presents Africa, a talent development and showcasing platform for the design of the continent and its diaspora. Indeed, the location itself spoke to the sincerity of the mission: the former stock exchange is something of a Paris Fashion Week institution, with industry heavyweights like Raf Simons and Off-White having previously chosen it as the location for their shows.
Today, though, it served as a platform for Lagos Space Programme, Thebe Magugu and Sukeina, all of whom offered an idiosyncratic testament to the contemporary state of African fashion. First up was Lagos Space Programme, the Nigerian label founded by Adeju Thompson in 2014 – and which took home last year’s International Woolmark Prize. Titled “The New Lagos Look,” Thompson’s collection meditated on the unfathomably rich craft heritage and history of his homeland, its traditional dress customs, and the contemporary reality of how young Lagosians dress.
“My work is all about highlighting an alternative African narrative, taking things that are traditionally very Yoruba coded, but questioning how we can make it modern,” the designer said backstage post-show. His responses came in the form of generously proportioned, savvily re.
