The fashion glitterati flocked to New York last week as designers sent their Autumn/Winter 2020 offerings down the runway.

While we also looked forward to divergent new designs and of course the vibrant street style, we were more excited to see African designers on the show schedule, as well as others, presenting collections during one of the busiest periods in fashion.

With every new fashion season, there is a promising increase in the diversity on the runways, from models to designers and much more. Here, we have rounded up the African designers at New York Fashion Week AW2020.

Orange Culture

@orangecultureng

Nigerian designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal presented his brand’s Autumn/Winter 2020 collection at a private show in New York. Tagged “The Flower Boy” the collection is an ode to the many social figures who are lending their voices, fostering movements, utilizing whatever social currency they have to challenge institutionalized oppression and push for more inclusivity around the world.

Watch clips from the presentation below

 

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Slashed by Tia

Credit @slashedbytia

Last year, Tia Adeola landed a spot on Teen Vogue’s Generation Next list and a few days ago made her NYFW debut. Her AW2020 collection called Girl from Ipanema is a modern take on renaissance fashion. After the show she said to Vogue:

I like the challenge of working with sheer pieces. It’s widely considered tacky or too much, but there’s a fine line between that and having them be empowering wearable art that celebrates the female form, which has been really important throughout classical art history.

Credit @slashedbytia
Credit @slashedbytia

Sukeina

One of the designers making a positive difference with fashion internationally is Omar Salam the Creative Director of Sukeina. The brand is at its core quintessentially African – Omar was born to a Senegalese father, however, the brand name is a homage to his mother who is his main source of creativity. His background in design and art is usually apparent in the structure and rhythm of his collections and we can’t wait to see his latest offerings at his show later today.