For Helen Jennings, Africa is fashion’s latest frontier. The London-based editor of the quarterly African fashion bible Arise spent the better part of the last decade on a perpetual pilgrimage to the continent, attending far-flung fashion weeks, meeting with designers, and experiencing firsthand the evolution of what she deems fashion’s “African moment”— a time when Africa is no longer just a source of anthropological inspiration, but a hotspot for autonomous home-grown designer talent operating on a global stage.

Jennings’s recent book, New African Fashion, makes the case for the movement by profiling the best designers, models, and street-style photographers working in the region today. Opening with an introduction by artist Iké Udé, who supplies an abbreviated history of the trade and applauds Jennings for her pioneering compilation, the book illustrates the broad terrain of a fashion scene that draws on both local and international influences. It’s this combination, Jennings argues, that gives African designers their advantage.

A look by Maki Oh. Photo: Jan Lehman. Styling: Chukwunwuke Obi.

She highlights newcomer Duro Olowu, a lawyer-turned-tailor whose mismatched prints, materials, and color combinations radiate a boho flair, and Buki Agbabiaka, whose muse Fela Kuti informs her drop-crotch trousers, rompers, and oversized coats embellished with tassels and patchwork patterns. Other stand-outs include Casely-Hayford’s East London–inspired Afro-punk suits and Black Coffee’s costume-like cocoons, plus Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng, photographer Karl Edwin-Guerre, and South African model Heidi Verster.

Jennings’ selection underlines the diversity of African style, which serves as a bottomless reservoir for designers. There’s also a constant theme of hand-crafted elements that give collaborations with local artisans an eco-friendly edge. “There’s still a long way to go, as fashion remains dominated by what’s happening in New York, London, Milan and Paris,” Jennings says. “But because of new media, a growing thirst for ethical fashion, and Africa’s own broader ascendance as an emerging super power, African fashion is coming into its own.”

The book's cover image, with clothing by Duro Olowu. Photo: John-Paul Pietrus.One of Buki Akib's Fela Kuti–inspired looks. Photo: Milly Kelner.