A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa

The exhibition "A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa" will be the first of its kind in the world to focus specifically on contemporary fashion designers and influencers in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. 

Scheduled to open at the Kent State University Museum in September 2025, this pathbreaking exhibition broadens the scope of scholarship on fashion history, which to date has focused primarily on American and European designers. The exhibition will directly serve to further the mission of the Museum, which is to advance understanding of world cultures through exhibitions of fashions and textiles.

This exhibition aims to correct the misconception that the increasing globalization of the fashion industry leads ultimately to growing homogenization by showcasing how place plays an important role shaping the work of North African designers who are active today. To illuminate the myriad ways North Africans dress, the exhibition will supplement the selection of over forty ensembles and accessories with examples of photography by fashion photographers, journalists, and social media influencers as well as art installations and videos.

The exhibition is organized around three themes: Disruptors, Threads, and Our Land. These themes each bring together the work of designers from different countries and draw out the myriad approaches to retaining cultural distinctiveness while adapting to contemporary concerns. “Disruptors” looks at how designers present streetwear styles which break from older conventions and traditions. “Threads” focuses on the materials and techniques that designers use – both raw materials cultivated in the region as well as techniques and craftsmanship passed down across generations. This section includes designers focused on the use of local materials and repurposing and upcycling to combat waste. The final section, “Our Land,” looks at the ways that artists and designers have drawn inspiration from the architecture and landscape of the region.

"A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa" is co-curated by KSU Museum Curator Dr. Sara Hume and Nada Koreish, a lecturer across multiple disciplines with over fifteen years of experience in the design industry and a doctoral scholar, focusing on decoloniality and fashion in North Africa. A 150-page catalogue will be published and distributed internationally by Hirmer Verlag. 

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Linda Harper, the Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation, Pat Brownell in honor of Logan Brownell and by DutchCultureUSA, a program of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United States. The KSU Museum receives operating support through a sustainability grant from the Ohio Arts Council. 

Top image caption: Two ensembles from the Teta Chic collection by Reem Atout, image by Baiba Photography