It is not unusual to see the colors and hear the rhythms

of Africa at runway shows in Paris, New York, or Milan.

But despite its influence on Western designers, African

fashion is still struggling to make itself known.

With the ambitious pursuit of reinventing urban fashion,

many young African designers are breaking away from

the expectations imposed on them to infuse ethnic

and folkloric themes into their work, but without ignoring

rich textiles and fashion heritage.

Bringing together archival images, illustrations,

and photographs, Africa Is In Style paints a lively picture

of this constantly evolving world, looking at designers

and labels from Alphadi to Xuly Bët, from Oumou Sy

to Juliette Ombang, Mickaël Kra, and others. This book

accompanies the competition of young African stylists

organized by the French Association for Artistic Action

(AFAA) at the 2005 International Festival of African

Fashion (FIMA) in Niamey, Niger.