Creative Adaptations in Africa: Creating Cosmopolitan Fashion in Nigeria

Abstract

Fashion from Africa has become a topical issue in global fashion discourse and developmental agenda due to the creativity of contemporary designers and the economic value it adds to the region’s economy. The creativity, innovation, and vibrant designs that characterize the work of contemporary designers have paid off; cities like Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Marrakesh, and Johannesburg burst with fashion innovations that attract a global audience. This paper shows how the production of contemporary fashion in Africa is a reflection of the cosmopolitan nature of its social construct. It contributes to the discourse on cosmopolitanism in Africa, drawing from the context of fashion production in Lagos, Nigeria. Based on qualitative research on the fashion industry in Lagos, the study details how fashion production for females and males depicts different forms of cosmopolitanism, mirroring the complexity of contemporary African societies’ construct of hybridity of local culture and tradition with international events. Through fashion, we get to understand Africa’s active role in global cosmopolitanism demonstrating the continuous intersection of the local with the global.

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