History isn't definitive. Our understanding and knowledge of ourselves, societies, and the world depend on where we look, who tells the story, whose voices are amplified or left out, and the artefacts we pay attention to. Our view of the world can shrink or expand based on all of that. And for us, fashion is a perfect petri dish for understanding the world around us. So, we take a critical look at history, design, media, culture and the economy to answer the question, "why fashion?"
Knowledge & Scholarship
Our work is both archival — documenting the fashion industry’s curves and turns — and curatorial — putting our findings into future-forward and relevant frameworks, answering why, what matters, or should matter in the industry.
As a starting point, we primarily research Nigeria’s fashion history. Globally, Nigerian fashion, and by extension, African fashion, is largely perceived as a source of inspiration. We rewrite the narrative by handling these stories with care and asserting the role of design in our fashions.
Our research approach is immersive, we travel through time, analysing images, videos, informal conversations with people, and historical texts (books, newspapers, magazines, research papers). In line with our ethos of carefully handling these stories, we reflect on our positionality in relation to stories of interest and tell the ones in which we are best suited, based on our background and experiences. In this way, we avoid distorting narratives due to our biases and assumptions, instead staying open and critical.
Accessible Theory
We want to meet people where they are, making the information accessible to them. As a result, we share stories on social media - Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Twitter.
But no story is ever done. Feedback is important to us because sharing means we co-create a fuller understanding of the topics we explore. By sharing our learning on social media, we also learn from and with people. Our virtual-first approach to sharing stories isn’t limited to social media; we’ll also explore socialising our findings with emerging technologies in the near future.
New Questions
We share knowledge, ask new questions, and offer new understanding of old facts. At the core of our work is meaning-making, ensuring that the significance of our findings from the past and present is communicated clearly.
Fun & Community
This is fun for us and an opportunity to connect with people who have varying levels of interest in fashion.
Press
What is at stake in the media conservation of our current political and cultural landscapes? - Public Parking, April 2025
