IAF54: An African Fashion Archive
The Vision
IAF54 is a completed body of work. A definitive record.
IAF54 is a completed archival project by The Fashion Museum that documents African fashion across 54 countries. Through a full body of written entries, it brings together reflections on dress, culture, identity, and fashion history across the continent.
Contrary to historical reductions, African fashion is not a monolith. Our archive offers a fuller record by approaching the continent country by country, giving space to difference, context, and the distinct fashion identities that exist across Africa.
Why this archive matters
African fashion is too often spoken of as one thing. IAF54 offers a fuller record by giving space to the distinct identities that exist country by country.
The body of work
PUBLIC EVENT
Celebrating the
IAF54 Archive
With the archive completed, The Fashion Museum is bringing IAF54 into a public moment of celebration, creating space to reflect on the work, engage its themes, and honor the breadth of African fashion across 54 countries.
JOIN THE CELEBRATION