Omar and Zane Sabré are the cofounders of luxury accessory brand Maison de Sabré and have seemed to find a way to make their products stand out among the competition. Specializing in monogrammed phone cases and small leather goods, the entrepreneurial brothers say their brand pulled in $1.9 milli…
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African Design Now Has an Entry on Wikipedia, Thanks to Nana Quagraine
In 2018, Nana Quagraine googled “African design” and was surprised to find out that unlike “Scandinavian design” and “Italian design,” searches that predictably elicited Wikipedia entries, this one yielded zero results. This was shortly after she herself had just launched her business, 54Kibo, an…
ASPIRE Special Release: Ongoing Protests in Nigeria, Namibia and Congo
Earlier in October, videos surfaced of a young man being shot at by members of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, commonly known as SARS, with the latter driving off in his car after the execution. This is not the first time images or videos of execution or brutality by this tactical group o…
ASPIRE Pick of the Week: The Must-Have Bags by Aaboux
When Zainab Aliyu decided to embrace the creative side of her genes, she did not immediately think ‘luxury leather bags.’ “I am a chartered accountant, but I come from a family of creatives…so I always knew that I was one,” she tells me over a recent phone interview. “My older sister …
ASPIRE Pick of the Week: Sir David Adjaye is the First African to Win a RIBA Award
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that the Tanzanian-born British architect of Ghanaian descent, Sir David Adjaye, will receive the 2021 royal gold medal, one of the world’s highest accolades for architecture. It marks the first time in the 173-year history of the med…
ASPIRE Ones to Watch: Mohini Beauty Set to Become Nigeria’s Most Relatable Make Up Brand
By March, businesses had begun to feel the sting of the Coronavirus, which only hurt more as globally enforced lockdowns forced a lot of them to close down physical structures. In fact, quite a number of these businesses would not survive, the closed sign on their doors giving way to empty buildi…
Vogue Announces Chioma Nnadi as Vogue.com Editor
Monday morning, Anna Wintour announced through an e-mail naming Chioma Nnadi as the editor for vogue.com. Anna Wintour, of course, remains the artistic director of Condé Nast and the Editor-in-chief of Vogue, but this position puts Nnadi in charge of all Vogue’s digital content as compared to he…
Boitumelo ‘Boity’ Thulo Elevates Her Throne with Pink Sapphire
Media personality, musician, entrepreneur and star of popular TV show Own Your Throne, South Africa’s Boitumelo ‘Boity’ Thulo, has officially launched her signature perfume, Pink Sapphire, in partnership with Halo Heritage. “I wanted to capture the duality of women: how we are sensual, yet powerf…
Virgil Abloh Designs Race-Car Version of Mercedes‑Benz G‑Class
Initially teased back in July, Project Geländewagen – a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Mercedes Benz and Virgil Abloh, the Off-White founder and Louis Vuitton creative director – has finally been unveiled. Working with Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer, Gorden Wagener, Abloh…
Nike Honours Bryant with Posthumous Collection
As a player, he won multiple awards including five NBA championships, alongside becoming an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and, two-time NBA Finals MVP winner. Off court, Kobe Bryant inspired you…