What Went Down: Street Souk Comes to London

Last Sunday, Africa’s streetwear convention Street Souk hosted a fabulous pop-up in East London, showcasing the vast talents of growing African streetwear brands. Founded in 2018 by Iretidayo “Ireti” Zaccheaus, Street Souk was born out of a lack of space for the growing streetwear scene in Nigeria. Six years later, the convention has led to the celebration of various brands such as Vivendii, Mowalola and Motherlan, bringing awareness to the immense talents within the African diaspora.

Sunday’s Street Souk, in collaboration with Puma, hosted an array of talent and activities for fashion lovers of our generation to explore. The streetwear convention has attracted the hottest names in fashion, culture and music with previous attendees including the likes of Naomi Campbell, Davido, Skepta and Virgil Abloh. This time, the fashion factory had plenty of guests visiting stalls with brands like Cetra Vision, Lost Boys and GCLO Studios drawing in customers, live Dj Sets and even a matcha bar by Sleek’s Matcha. This year marks Ireti’s biggest year yet, hosting over 150 stalls with stops across London, LA, Dubai, Accra, Lagos and Cape Town. 

Ireti’s goal is to create “a cultural exchange between Africa and the world, promoting and exporting our creativity and building communities globally through streetwear.” and this goal has definitely been manifested in the form of the one-of-a-kind Street Souk, bridging the gap between emerging brands, and established brands, from Africa to the world.