One Woman Finds 100 Stunning Ways To Wear African Fashion

Diana Opoti reached into her closet and found 100 gorgeous ensembles that are defying cliches and inspiring buyers.

By
Jina Moore
by Jina Moore

BuzzFeed News World Correspondent

Diana Opoti has traveled the continent in search of innovative designers working creatively with texture, form and color and defying cliches about African fashion. She collected some of her favorites in her 100 Days of African Fashion campaign.

"I had so many mixed messages about what people perceive about African fashion and what status it had," Opoti said.

"African prints" can be a fraught concept. Are they too cliche? Too trendy? Too backward, or too-fashion forward? Chill out, Opoti says. "You don't need to overthink this. Just wear it."

"There's no one definition of 'African' in African fashion."

Opoti tried to focus on fashion for real women, in part by using the same model (herself), taking pictures (mostly) in the same spot, and avoiding stylized makeup or hair.

"Nothing is photoshopped" — another way of keeping the focus on fashion for real, everyday people.

"It's not just about print as we usually see it."

"I knew I had enough clothes to pull this off because this is just how I dress."

Need a bigger African fashion fix? Look at all the ensembles in Opoti's 100 Days of African Fashion campaign.

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