NEW ON AFRICA IS NOW MAGAZINE
LESOTHO RODEO
Chu Suwannapha’s unisex Spring/ Summer ’20 collection is inspired by Sotho culture and the Sotho mountain people, a swirl of cultures and a blurring of borders.
Think Wild Wild West; Africa edition. There […]
AYOBOLA KEKERE-EKUN
While observing Ayobola Kekere-Ekun’s work, what stands out the most is the vivid narratives portrayed and the intermixing of lines and fabrics to create these portraits. Oh her fascination with lines, Ayobola states that “a […]
RICHARD AVERAGE
Richard Average is a Cape Town-based illustrator. His skillful and unrestricted use of color in his creations is not only a reflection of his personality but also serves as an ode to the creative nature […]
STELLENBOSCH TRIENNALE
The Stellenbosch Triennale, brainchild of the Stellenbosch Outdoor Sculpture Trust, takes place from 11 February to 30 April 2020 in a location renowned for its halls of academia and historical vineyards. The upcoming international showcase, […]
STILL LIFE
Bringing the creative process to life is often a challenging task for local designers. There is a need to keep their product competitive in a world of giant retailers, fast fashion and mass production. We […]
BETWEEN LANDS
Upon returning to his hometown after several years, Ivorian filmmaker and photographer Christian Goue felt an uncertain sense of belonging which would be familiar to most African expatriates returning ‘home’. Being an expatriate can be […]
MAGOLIDE COLLECTIVE
Adilson De Oliveira and Mzoxolo X Mayongo (X- formerly Christopher), the pioneering duo from the Magolide Collective, are working with digital technology like virtual reality and augmented reality in ways that will your blow […]
GINGER MARY
This collab between AFRICA IS NOW and Ginger Mary is a celebration of spring and the feminine form.
Ginger Mary’s fashion fingerprint is all about boldness and softly accentuating the female form. The latest […]
HOUSE OF VANS 2019
“Off the Wall”, the distinguishable Vans slogan originated in the mid ’70s when skaters were landing new tricks in empty pools by literally skating off the wall. The meaning, however, has evolved in tandem […]
STATE OF FLOW
Cape Town-based fashion designer Onesimo Bam has full faith in the collaborative creative process. He also believes in allowing things to unfold organically. The OneIAm collective is testament to his sartorial philosophy and the […]
DJ LAG
With a Lion King soundtrack production credit in the safe, an EP released earlier this year in collaboration with Okzharp and a fiery new album out on all streaming […]
DANIELA YOHANNES
Since the beginning of time, mankind has searched for answers to the plethora of existential questions. In the quest for answers we have looked inwards to the subconscious and outwards to the cosmos – Daniela […]
RICH MNISI
At 27 years old, Rich Mnisi, has worked his way into the African and global fashion landscape at a furious pace with no sign of slowing down.
A charismatic, young and dynamic designer with […]
AFRICAN GINGER
Johannesburg-based illustrator and multimedia artist Seth Pimentel aka African Ginger on what music means to him, the principles of balance in design and Africa as a creative force.
Where does your love for art […]
BROWNCOFFEEMOKA
BROWNCOFFEEMOKA is a designer, illustrator and visual artist, whose creations are black, defiant, and socially and environmentally conscious. She is also strongly connected to environmental concerns, and creates her art sustainably by drawing on recycled […]
MAGNO DANIEL
Ícaro Fortes introduces AFRICA IS NOW to a freelance photographer whose arresting black-and-white images have a quiet, meditative quality that adeptly draws in the viewer. The 24-year-old […]
MOHAU MODISAKENG
Born in Soweto in 1986, Mohau Modisakeng’s work’s ‘responds to the history of the black body within the (South) African context’ – the violence of the apartheid era and the early 1990s. While his work […]
IMPRINT SS20
South African label Imprint’s latest spring/summer offering is like a collection of memories. Called Imvelaphi – The Home Coming, it’s a celebration of the brand going right back to the beginning. And it’s the perfect […]
BENJI REID
A self-proclaimed choreo-photolist currently residing in Manchester, Benji Reid fuses photography with theatricality and choreography. He has an uncanny ability to capture motion and emotion in a single image or series of images. What […]
SELFI & MARGOT MOLYNEUX
The Cape Town-based fashion labels take a fresh and fluid approach with their latest collections.
Selfi designer Celeste Arendse looks to a genderless future with her utilitarian Spring 2019 […]
MOSAKO CHALASHIKA
The Botswanan photographer who specialises in skate imagery, says it’s helped him to sharpen his skills and to highlight the skate scene in Gaborone.
SA MENSWEAR SS20
The fashion crowd defied the grey, rainy Saturday and showed up at the KPMG building in Cape Town’s city centre for the Spring/Summer collections 2020 of South African Menswear Week.
CROSS THE RIVER IN A CROWD
We came across Dan Halter’s work on a cold First Thursday and were immediately captured by his vivid and striking images. Dan possesses the unique ability to take materials ubiquitous to South Africa and […]
STREET STYLE
AFRICA IS NOW catches up with multitalented creatives Marvin Dieterich and Seth Pimentel aka African Ginger.
MARVIN DIETERICH
SETH PIMENTEL
GOLDEN SPEARS
Fashion meets dance in this collab between dance crew Golden Spears, photographer Jacques Weyers and designer Tokyo James.
AFRICA IS NOW introduces Golden Spears, the dance crew who […]
ALC MENSWEAR
Brendan Sturrock, ALC Menswear designer, gives us insight into the creation of the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection, from the initial artistic inspiration provided by Amanda Laird Cherry through to the inventive collaboration with ceramic […]
MARK DRAWS
An artist interested in the reimagining of African identities and stories, Mark Antony Modimola uses ink, acrylics and digital art to explore representations of blackness and contemporary Africa through themes such as self, Afrofuturism […]
EZRA MABENGEZA
Photographer James Meakin shot this series of photographs of actor Ezra Mabengeza in Gansbaai after a wildfire had torn through the area. It came about through a serendipitous meeting after the two hadn’t seen […]
NYOTA PARKER
Back from her recent Energy tour, the 19-year-old Cape Town-based rapper, singer and song-writer sat down with AFRICA IS NOW.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m half-Congolese, half-Irish and I moved to Cape Town at […]
NICHOLAS COUTTS
Fashion and textile designer Nicholas Coutts creates unique highly textured, handwoven pieces, blending traditional craft with a fresh contemporary aesthetic.
Why do you think ‘Africa is Now’?
Creatives in Africa are breaking the mould […]
NONTOBEKO MBUYAZI
A model with albinism, Nontobeko would love to walk the Victoria’s Secret ramp one day and aspires to be a criminologist. She talks to us about her challenges, perceptions of beauty and what’s next. […]
SA MENSWEAR WEEK 2019
Cape Town’s fashion crowd descended upon the Cruise Terminal of Cape Town’s Waterfront to view the Autumn/Winter presentation of SA Menswear Week. The raw industrial location provided a clean slate for […]
WOLE LAGUNJU
Currently living in the US, Nigerian artist Wole Lagunju focuses on challenging and critiquing notions of imperialistic cultural idioms. He talks to AFRICA IS NOW about his exhibition Yoruba Remixed, the role of African history […]
AFROPUNK 2018
Here are AFRICA IS NOW staffers’ stand-out moments from the biggest celebration of African and black culture of the year that was 2018 – all captured through the lenses of Anthony Bila and David Kambwiri. […]
DJ INVIZABLE
We sat down with DJ InviZAble’s Earth Liaisons, Nick Matthews and Jonathan Inggs, to talk about identity, positivism, cultural appropriation, the sound of XiFi and the newly released album.
So how does this […]
AKJP
Cape Town brand AKJP came into being via a collaboration between Adriaan Kuiters’ designer, Keith Henning and artist Jody Paulsen. Its signature is an artful contemporary twist on classic and utilitarian menswear. AKJP has […]
NAARTJIES
Costume Hire is Africa’s largest supplier of clothing to the film, commercials and photographic industries. Based in Cape Town, they offer a broad […]
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: KHANYA, THE DESIGNER
We spoke to the South African queer illustrator extraordinaire about his multi-cultural upbringing, influences and one-of-a-kind illustrations that address hard-hitting subject matter, spanning the spectrums of race, sexuality and gender identity, with mystical themes and […]
KEN NWADIOGBU
Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Ken Nwadiogbu harnesses his artistic talent to highlight the socio-political issues facing young Africans. He’s part of an emerging hyperrealism art scene in Nigeria.
How did you discover your talent […]
ELECTRIC
Beauty Editor Alice Coloriti goes graphic to illustrate the bold make-up trend.
The super-natural and minimal make-up look is on the out. We still have the light, fresh base, […]
Imprint ZA
Luxury African Fashion Brand, Imprint ZA took AFI Cape Town Fashion Week by storm with two different runway collections. One of which was in collaboration with Fashion […]
SA MENSWEAR WEEK SS19
AFRICA IS NOW went behind the scenes at both South African Menswear Week events this year to take a look at this platform from a whole new perspective. February saw almost 25 designers […]
THE FACE
PHOTOGRAPHER: DIMITRI DIMITRACACOS
MAKE-UP: ALICE COLORITI @ONELEAGUE USING @MACCOSMETICSAFRICA
MODEL: ALUAD ANEI @ONEMANAGEMENT
SA MENSWEAR WEEK AW18
AFRICA IS NOW brings you a behind-the-scenes look at the SA Menswear show in February 2018. With exclusive backstage access, Sinjin Sullwald captures some candid moments featuring AW18’s top trends. […]
DIE DARKIES
Creative Director Julien Ntamakemwa on how Die Darkies came about and what’s up next.
How did Die Darkies start and where did the name come from?
We initially started off as five […]
JEAN-LUC NIYONZIMA IRADUKUNDA
We sat down with digital designer Jean-Luc to find out about his path to creating arresting artworks.
PHOTOGRAPHER: FRANCOIS VISSER | INTERVIEW: MARLI GROBELAAR
Tell us about your background.
I was born and raised […]
LESEDI MOTHOAGAE
‘I studied digital media design and I’m passionate about visual communication. In 2016, I received the award for best visual techniques in my final year of Multimedia Technology Design at the University of Johannesburg. […]
SUPPLE SKIN
Smooth, healthy skin with Beauty Editor Alice Coloriti.
1 Clean and exfoliate your skin with @africanextracts, Rooibos Exfoliating Scrub. Your skin is like a canvas, […]
THEODORE AFRIKA
Theodore Afrika is a photographer who doesn’t like to be hemmed in by labels. When you hear his name, think of him as a brand; a creative who has a passion for art, music and […]
FLOYD LAVINE
An African nomad, born in South Africa and living in Berlin, DJ and producer Floyd Lavine has travelled all over the globe, but his African origins still inspire his music.
Describe your music […]
PHOTOBOOTH
YUSUF ABDUL KARIEM
‘I feel like Africa is Now translates and speaks to the future, as Africa is an integral part of the world’s history and therefore the most quintessential and poignant part of the […]
GIDEON’S STORY
IN THE BEGINNING
At the age of 16 my vitiligo condition began to develop, as well as the start of a somewhat new life. Prior to having vitiligo, I was just an ordinary kid, minding […]
