Our Folklore

This week, Nigerian fashion designer Kanyinsola Onalaja joins Amira Rasool for a conversation about blending her culture and African design aesthetics with Western sensibilities, creating “wearable art” and the methodology behind her creativity.

On this week’s episode, Amira Rasool is joined by painter and archivist Shaina McCoy to have a conversation about her creative process, how her family history inspires her work and the messages she’s communicating through her art.

On this week’s episode, Amira Rasool is joined by Felton Brown, the vice president of creative services at Dreamville Records. They have a conversation about his journey from graphic design and advertising to the music industry, what it really means to be a creative director, communicating the vision of artists such as J. Cole and Ari Lennox, and what he finds most fulfilling about his role.

This week, Amira Rasool is joined by architect and product designer, Tosin Oshinowo, the founder of Lagos-based architecture firm CM Design Atelier, and lifestyle brand Ilé Ilà. On this episode, Amira speaks to Tosin about African architecture, her minimalist design aesthetic and how her Yoruba culture influences her work.

On this episode, Amira Rasool is joined by Abdul Karim Abdullah, the founder of the Afrobeats music festival, Afrochella. The festival began in Accra in 2017, and has grown to be an international stage for the amazing things that can be experienced in Ghana and other African countries, from music and art to food and fashion.  

Amira speaks to Abdul about where the idea for Afrochella came from, how the Year of Return 2019 became a pivotal moment and what’s next for the festival in 2021.

This week, we are joined by the founders of Nigerian luxury brand CLAN, Teni, Aba and Tiwa Sagoe, who grew up around fabrics, backstage at shows and traveling around the world thanks to their fashion designer mother. The Sagoe sisters talk to Amira about carving out their own lane in the industry, empowering women through statement designs and changing the narrative of African fashion.

This week, we are joined by the founder and director of ART X Lagos, an art fair that connects Nigerian artists to galleries, buyers and collectors all over the world. Tokini and Amira have a conversation on the power of visual art, Nigeria’s creative renaissance and using her platform to change the way African art is appreciated around the world.

On this episode we are joined by the Grammy-nominated music producer behind Jidenna’s “Classic Man” Nana Kwabena for a conversation on the Black renaissance and shifting the trajectory of the next 100 years.

Amira speaks to Nana about the Black movement and the power behind it, embracing entertainment and music as a tool for reaching as many people as possible, and why he describes himself as a “minister of propaganda”.

There are very few Black and female-owned luxury boutiques in New York and the T.A. concept store in the Meatpacking District is one of them. Founder Telsha Anderson talks getting started, launching during a pandemic and creating a relatable brand.

On the first episode of season 2 of ‘Our Folklore‘, Amira Rasool is joined by the authors of Black Futures, an anthology of artwork, essays and interviews that asks the question “what does it mean to be Black and alive right now?” They share their journeys from STEM to the creative and art worlds, and what the future holds for the Black experience.