The Lagos Space Programme’s Re/construction and Queering of Masculinity

Abstract

There is a growing number of African fashion designers who use their work to contribute to queer artistic production. This article examines how non-gendered forms are viewed concerning fashion styles in sub-Saharan Africa. In doing this, the article considers the narratives in gendered items of clothing. Focusing on the Lagos Space Programme this article incorporates visual and textual analyses of the fashion pieces available on the brand’s official Instagram page. The article examines the imagery, fashion films, and design statements for different collections as well as the brand’s manifestos and interviews with its creative director, Adeju Thompson. This article demonstrates how the projects of this brand are invested in reconstructing, queering, and pluralising African masculinities. This article ultimately highlights how fashion can be a site for contesting the presentation of queer identities and challenging the binary ways of thinking about gender identities.