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Voyages of Identity

By Chen Hangfeng Do you know there is a village on an island in Kenya called Shanga, said to be named after Shanghai? In this video, visual artist and filmmaker Chen Hangfeng introduces Voyages of Identity, a multidisciplinary project exploring the intersections of heritage, identity, global trade, and cultural colonialism through two interrelated strands. Chen Hangfeng is the China Africa Fashion Power collaborative artist and researcher in residency at the University of Ams

Jul 31

"I am a night owl!” — African fashion traders in Guangzhou

By: Dr. Ke Ma In March 2026, I landed in Guangzhou, ready to dive into African fashion businesses. Jet-lagged but eager, I made my way to the wholesale clothing district near Sanyuanli before noon. The area teemed with malls and shops, yet few African faces were visible. African restaurants sat shuttered, their grilles pulled down like sleepy eyelids. A few days later, the picture came into focus. WhatsApp and WeChat have rewired traders’ internal clocks. “I am a night owl,”

Jul 27

From Chinoiserie to Kitenge

by Hangfeng Chen In 2023, I traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, for the first time. Everywhere I looked, I encountered traces of China: railways, highways, high-rise buildings, industrial parks, smartphones, surveillance cameras, and countless everyday commodities. Yet what fascinated me most was something else entirely—the brightly patterned fabric that has come to symbolize "African identity": African Wax Print, known in Swahili-speaking East Africa as Kitenge. With the help of a l

Jul 17

Scholar Interview | Fairuzah Atchulo: Neocolonialism and the Global Fashion System Through the Lens of Size

Fairuzah Atchulo A PhD candidate in Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam, Fairuzah Atchulo holds a Master's degree in Development Policy from KDI School of Public Policy and Development, a dual Master's degree jointly awarded by the University of Groningen and the University of Uppsala, and a Bachelor's degree in International Studies, majoring in International Relations and East Asian Studies, from Ewha Womans University in South Korea. She is currently affiliated wi

Nov 28, 2025

Creativity, Authenticity, and Cultural Mediation: Ethnography of China-Africa Fashion Trade and Cons

Based at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) / Media Studies Department, the University of Amsterdam (UvA), this 3rd Postdoctoral Researcher will conduct immersive ethnography in Guangzhou’s fashion hubs (and beyond) and design digital strategies that make China–Africa fashion supply chains more sustainable.

Sep 13, 2025

Fashioning Authenticity: Counterfeits, Culture and Consumer Desire

Written by CAFP Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Johanna von Pezold In Maputo’s markets, Gucci sneakers, Louis Vuitton bags, and Nike T-shirts...

Aug 30, 2025

The Hidden Hierarchy of Counterfeit Fashion

Why do people across class lines choose knockoffs? And what does that say about what we value—creativity, originality, or simply good design and decent quality?

Jul 13, 2025