Five African streetwear brands are notable for their unique styles and inspiring missions. Riveriswild’s Fall/Winter collection, “A Marked Memory,” embraces life’s chaos and celebrates human diversity and interconnectedness. Daily Paper, a successful Amsterdam brand, mixes contemporary streetwear with traditional African prints, while Artclub and Friends from Cape Town promote ethical fashion and mindfulness. Free The Youth, a Ghanaian streetwear brand that promotes sustainable fashion and creativity, has grown quickly. Finally, WAFFLESNCREAM from Lagos, Nigeria, challenges urban youth stereotypes and embraces purist skateboarding, fashion, and art. We’ll explore these five African streetwear brands’ vibrant worlds and unique stories.
RIVERISWILD:
Riveriswild is a lifestyle brand that celebrates the chaos of life and embraces the unpredictability while acknowledging the differences and connections among individuals. Their Fall/Winter collection, “A Marked Memory,” draws inspiration from Wale Akinbiyi’s fading memories of his formative years in Nigeria.
The co-founders, Akinwale Akinbiyi and Thomas Davis, have diverse backgrounds and came together to build Riveriswild. The brand is committed to exploring esoteric Blackness and intertwining concepts and stories in their designs, reflecting elements of African culture and environmental respect. Their mission is to share the connectedness of the Black diaspora and bridge cultural perspectives. The creative process for Riveriswild involves connecting different cultural elements, such as African patterns and colors on Western silhouettes, or exploring unknown facts about the diaspora. They enjoy telling stories of lost history and continued connectedness through their garments.
Riveriswild is deeply rooted in its community, running the brand from Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. They actively support and give back to the community through volunteering, donations to STEM programs, and supporting black businesses. Their commitment goes beyond occasional acts of kindness; they live their truth and encourage the next generation of Black creatives.
DAILY PAPER:
Founded in 2008 as a personal blog by three friends from Amsterdam, Daily Paper has grown into a successful African streetwear brand valued at €30 million. The brand’s fusion of contemporary streetwear with traditional African prints and patterns, influenced by the founders’ African heritage, sets it apart and has garnered high-profile collaborations with Off-White and Puma. Rodney Lam, an investor and entrepreneur from the African diaspora, joined the brand as CEO five years ago, supporting its expansion and overseeing the opening of flagship stores in Amsterdam, New York, and London. Daily Paper’s strategy includes limited availability to maintain exclusivity, pop-up shops in various locations, and showcasing their heritage in modern ways, like incorporating traditional prints and using the Maasai shield as their logo.
Engaging with its community is crucial to Daily Paper’s success, achieved through initiatives like the Unite Hub and collaborations with musicians and YouTubers. However, the brand values authenticity and carefully selects its collaborations to maintain its unique identity. The founders’ personal involvement and active social media presence have further strengthened their connection with their audience. As they look to the future, Daily Paper plans to focus on emerging markets in France, Ghana, Germany, and Asia, continuing their commitment to authentic storytelling and representation of African culture.
ARTCLUB AND FRIENDS:
Cape Town-based Artclub and Friends promotes mindful and ethical fashion. Robyn Keyser, the brand’s creative director and founder, explains her inspiration for the moniker “Artclub and Friends,” emphasising the necessity of creating meaningful and uplifting work while supporting artists and craftsmen.
Artclub and Friends are inspired by streetwear but don’t identify as such. The brand values quality and ethical manufacture. They want to be a sustainable, ethical brand. Access and support limit South Africa’s sustainable fashion market. Small South African firms are progressing by purchasing locally and supporting local craftspeople.
Artclub and Friends create timeless pieces with quality and longevity. Due to their adaptability and mobility, Robyn’s favourite denim dungarees have become immensely popular. Blue, the brand’s colour, represents boldness, distinctiveness, and community. Artclub and Friends made tees with Lunga Ntila’s prints, merging fashion and art.
Authenticity and consciousness attract the brand’s varied fanbase. Robyn advises young designers establishing sustainable brands to follow their passions and learn from experts. The originality and dedication of South African artists like Broke Boys, Thebe Magugu, Wanda Lephoto, Meghan Hotong, Gcobisa Yaco, Banele Khoza, and Katya Abedian-Rawhani inspire Robyn.
WAFFLESNCREAM:
WAFFLESNCREAM (WAFF) is a skate brand based in Lagos, Nigeria, with a mission to challenge perceptions of urban youth in the city. Combining skateboarding, BMX, fashion, art, and music, the brand celebrates authenticity and innovation, embodying a purist approach to individual culture.
Started as a group of friends, WAFF has now grown into a family of like-minded individuals scattered across three continents. They have released seven collections and established themselves as a prominent skate brand. Despite challenges, such as a lack of facilities and understanding from locals, WAFF continues to thrive and expand.
Their flagship store in Lagos serves as a cultural meeting point for skaters and creatives. WAFF seeks to inspire and set a benchmark for other emerging brands in Africa’s growing skate scene. With skateboarding recently approved for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the brand envisions a promising future for skateboarding in Africa, and they are ready to see what unfolds.
Free The Youth:
Free The Youth is a Ghanaian streetwear brand founded in 2013 by Jonathan Coffie, Winfred Mensah, Richard Ormano, and Kelly Foli. Initially, their goal was to showcase Ghanaian streetwear through social media, but the brand rapidly grew in popularity and became a prominent player in the streetwear industry in Ghana. The organization is based in Accra and was formed in Tema, known for its vibrant underground music scene.
Free The Youth’s first collection, launched in 2015, included sweatshirts and t-shirts featuring the inscription “this pain is printed on cotton.” The brand gained attention and demand after being showcased at Accra Fashion Week, and local artists like B4bonah and Amaarae started wearing their products. The success led to collaborations with popular artists and a partnership with Nike.
Beyond their fashion endeavors, Free The Youth also established an NGO named after their best-selling t-shirts, Ghetto University. The NGO aims to provide access to information, support, tools, and mentorship for young artists in various creative fields like graphic design, photography, screen printing, music production, and more. Their goal is to promote art as a viable profession and nurture the skills of Ghanaian youth for global success.
From Lagos to Cape Town and beyond, the world of African streetwear is alive with creativity, authenticity, and purpose. Riveriswild’s celebration of life’s chaos and interconnectedness, Daily Paper’s fusion of contemporary and traditional styles, and Artclub and Friends’ commitment to ethical fashion and mindfulness all represent the diverse and inspiring voices within the African streetwear community. Free The Youth’s rapid rise in the Ghanaian streetwear scene and their dedication to sustainability and community upliftment, as well as WAFFLESNCREAM’s pursuit of authenticity and innovation in Lagos’ skate scene, add further layers of creativity and purpose to this dynamic landscape. As these brands continue to evolve and make their mark on the global stage, they remind us of the power of fashion as a vehicle for storytelling, representation, and positive change.