I recently shot the short interview, below, with Niyi Okuboyejo, creative director of New York City men’s accessories brand, Post-Imperial (for a short documentary graduate class at The New School). Okuboyejo, the son of Nigerian immigrants, describes what he does as a “coup against the regime of Fashion.” Post-Imperial is a men’s accessories brand focused on ties and pocket-squares. Constantly creating for now, what sets Post-Imperial apart from other menswear brands is the vision of tomorrow. “I hardly use nostalgia to bait people,” says Okuboyejo. “I feel like a lot of menswear brands in this day in age, especially the heritage brands, try to use nostalgia to bait people into living a certain, false life or standard.” Collection IV features products treated in ‘adire’–an old and rare dying technique developed by the Yorubas in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Due to the nature of the process, each piece varies in uniqueness and individuality. Here’s the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZmioSXjyLA

Further Reading

Fields of dependency

As the US-Israel war on Iran disrupts fertilizer supply, Africa’s reliance on imported inputs exposes the deeper political economy driving food insecurity.

Whose progress?

A new documentary reveals how Ethiopia’s manufacturing push redistributes land, labor, and opportunity—delivering gains for some while displacing others.