Global Africa

Global Africa Collection at the V&A

Discover more about the history of the V&A's Global Africa Collection and our ongoing work to shape collecting policies and practice.

Cloth of a continent: Africa Fashion

Discover more about African cloth types through our collections

Althea McNish – an introduction

Discover how Althea McNish's tropical textile designs changed the character of British Modernism

Fashion Unpicked: couture ensemble by Imane Ayissi

Join Senior Curator Christine Checinska as she examines this striking fuchsia ensemble

The puzzle of portraits: Francis Williams and Vanley Burke

Explore two important portraits separated by three centuries

Nigeria's first fashion designer: Shade Thomas-Fahm

Meet iconic fashion designer Shade Thomas-Fahm

Whitney Houston's dress for the 1994 Grammy Awards

Take a close-up look at the glittering dress that was worn by Whitney Houston at the Grammy Awards in 1994

V&A trail: Africa fashion

Follow this trail to discover African fashion and textiles across our collections

Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience

Staying Power aims to raise awareness of the contribution of black Britons to British culture and society, as well as to the art of photography

Magician of the desert: Alphadi

Meet Alphadi – world renowned fashion designer drawing upon histories and cultures from across the continent

Nisha Kanabar: Industrie Africa

Meet Nisha Kanabar, founder and CEO of Industrie Africa

A life through clothes: Professor Lalage Bown, OBE

Take a look inside the wardrobe of Professor Lalage Bown, OBE

V&A trail: Africans in Europe

Take a closer look at European depictions of race, enslavement, pride, freedom, equality and activism

Europe Supported by Africa and America by Sokari Douglas Camp

Unpack the symbolism behind this spectacular sculpture

Solidarity and design: An introduction to OSPAAAL

Find out more about OSPAAAL

Revolutionary design: OSPAAAL and the art of the poster

Design and make a talking textile

Learn about some of Africa's 'talking textiles' and have a go at making your own!

Fashion in Motion: Thebe Magugu

Marvel at pieces inspired by fabrics discarded by Europe and America

Dream weavers

Discover the African creatives who are reinvigorating ancient textiles and inventing radical new fabrics

Real Beauty: photography by Jodi Bieber

Photographer Jodi Bieber invited women to pose in their own homes, dressed in their underwear, for her series Real Beauty

V&A trail: Britain and the Caribbean

Explore the traumatic history that connects Britain and the Caribbean

Àdìrẹ – 'tied and dyed' indigo textiles

Discover a hugely popular African textile tradition

Studio, street and style: the photography of James Barnor

Meet the pioneering portrait photographer James Barnor

Fashion in Motion: Grace Wales Bonner

Grace Wales Bonner presented highlights from her collection which take inspiration from black visual culture and mix couture techniques with African craft

Fashion design: Priya Ahluwalia

"One of the most important outfits in a man's wardrobe is a tracksuit"

The story of The Supremes

Mary Wilson, co-founder of The Supremes, talks about her extraordinary career and the heyday of Motown

The Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion

Discover more about Wedgwood's anti-slavery medallion – a forerunner of the protest badge

Francis Williams – a portrait of a writer

Explore the portrait of scholar and writer Francis Williams

Ayishat Akanbi – Cultural commentator, stylist and artist

Thomas J Price at the V&A

Discover Thomas J Price's sculptures, which, when placed in dialogue with works in the V&A Sculpture Galleries, prompt questions about representation and the ways in which art is displayed.

Monumentalism, representation and materiality – Thomas J Price at the V&A

Price discusses how his work raises questions of representation, perception and power, prompting us to think about the nature of monuments: who is represented and why?

The groundbreaking Black models who changed fashion

Find out about the trailblazing women who paved the way

Fashion in Motion: Orange Culture

See their bold, androgynous designs