‘Italian Leather?’ No, It’s Nigerian!

Africans have denounced Western luxury fashion brands for exploiting the continent’s resources, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage, having not provided returns and credited the respective communities.

Isa, a Hausa man residing in New York, took to TikTok to pat his lawyer sister’s back for taking luxury fashion brands to court on behalf of the Nigerian leather manufacturers producing leather for them. Instead of getting credit, the final products using their leather were marketed abroad as ‘Italian Leather.’ After winning the case, fashion houses, rather than stamping their leather goods with ‘Nigerian leather,’ began using ‘Genuine Leather.’

Many brands have drawn inspiration from African cultures, using traditional patterns and designs in their collections without proper attribution or compensation. Other top brands, such as Gucci, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, also have been called out.

Credit: @isa_bako (TikTok)