Is the African fashion literature really that pale?

Is the African fashion literature really that pale?

It only takes a simple page-flip through the fashion glossies to realize that the by-lines rarely carry black names. Do they not exist?

As a pastime, curling up on a couch and flipping through the fashion magazines is one of the things I most enjoy. Often times, the articles would be insightful and compelling, not to mention the diversity of content they often provide, which tends to range from season’s trends to the core business of fashion and its influences.

However, looking at these with an analytical—and sometimes cynical eye—one can’t help but notice that the voice rarely does reflect that of an African man/woman. The stories often depict and reflect upon Euro-American ideals and culture.

You might argue that, “but most of the fashion glossies are based in Europe and America and titles like Elle, Glamour and Marie Claire, though they’re available in South Africa, with a hint of local content, are US/UK-owned.”

Be that as it may, why is it then that when they do touch on local content you find that the black African voice is missing?

The answer to this is simple: There is a lack of black fashion writers in this country.

The fashion industry has evolved over the years and has become one of the few aspects of our culture that’s brought all races together, through the sharing of love for trends and fashion itself.

Black culture took to this with amazing gusto, picking up on the trends and interpreting them in the way black men and women can. Blacks have taken fashion to new heights, fusing African prints and certain cultural objet d'art into the industry.

In the recent Arise Africa Fashion Week, we often repeated that we have seen Euro-American designers taking African influences and using them to tell the African story and that we knew only Africans can tell the authentic African story, through their designs.

So then why is it that there is such visible paucity of black fashion writers who document the evolution of this industry and the recently highlighted emergence of African influence in the global fashion scene?

Where are the black African writers who can tell the authentic African fashion story, through their pens?