Many years ago, I worked as a salesperson at Hugo Boss in the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. But what I most relished selling was men’s suits, because a good suit is often transformative. Walking into the new “Africa Fashion” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, I felt that I was witnessing something wondrous, something more surprising than just an individual’s restyling. On an adjacent wall are the flags of all 54 countries in Africa, their insignia and heraldry explained. “Fashion, music and the visual arts drew on formerly marginalized traditions, creating innovative forms that looked toward future self-rule.”

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Persons: Hugo Boss, Christine Checinska, ”, ” Checinska Organizations: Beverly Center, Brooklyn Museum, Victoria, Albert Museum Locations: Los Angeles, Republic of Ghana, Africa, London, Tunisia, Morocco, France, Ghana, Britain