The 1950s through the 1990s were important decades in Africa. Many countries were claiming independence, and the euphoria of decolonization sparked social reordering across the continent. Writers, artists, and musicians joined the Mbari Club; Fela Kuti pioneered the Afrobeat; and indigenous textiles were embraced once again, a statement that was as political as it was aesthetic. This exhibition revisits the birth of contemporary African fashion. Garments, photographs, sketches, films, and catwalk footage tell an important story. —Elena Clavarino