Ventures
Ideas, built
What I believe, turned into businesses and projects that outlast a single conversation.
Fashion · UAE and UK · FounderU Motle
A UAE and UK based fashion venture showcasing, distributing and connecting African fashion creators with global audiences.
Nonprofit · FounderFirst Today Africa
A nonprofit initiative focused on institutional strengthening and leadership capacity-building across the continent.
Real estate · Short staysA growing short-stay portfolio
I am building a portfolio of short-stay homes across the continent, and eventually the world. The first is Cozy Joburg Stay, a one-bedroom apartment in Johannesburg that you can book on Airbnb.
Book a stay on Airbnb →
Fashion as discourse · Oxford Africa Conference
The Africa Fashion Show
I convened the inaugural Africa Fashion Show at the Oxford Africa Conference, and it has become an annual part of the conference. It uses African fashion to point people to the stories, cultures and experiences of African people. It challenges Africans to know and speak about the continent beyond their own countries, and invites non-Africans to move past the clichés and find out more.
Not one country, one narrative or one culture.
A response to the global conversation about African countries people claimed not to know. If you don’t know where a country is, find out. If you do, celebrate it.
“As a Global African Studies scholar, African fashion lets me explore the stories of the people who make these pieces, and feed into the conversations about Africa that matter to me.”
Community initiatives
Boreholes, school fees, sewing machines and more, mostly raised on my birthday.