AFRO FASHION ASSOCIATION and Levi’s Launch Voices of Denim A cultural platform dedicated to emerging BIPOC talent
AFRO FASHION ASSOCIATION and Levi’s presented yesterday in Milan the new project Voices of Denim: A Living Cultural Language, an annual project born in Italy that interprets denim as a living language of contemporary culture. The initiative brings together thirty emerging BIPOC creatives from different disciplines, including fashion, photography, visual arts, cinema, styling, sound and design. The journey will culminate in an immersive exhibition curated by Jordan Anderson, which will be inaugurated on 23 September 2026 at 8 pm at Casa degli Artisti during Milan Fashion Week.
Presented at Palazzo Marino, the program develops through six phases that integrate mentorship, research, craftsmanship and creative production. Ten fashion designers will each create a manifesto look using Levi’s deadstock materials, while creatives from other disciplines will contribute to the construction of the visual universe, narrative and sound of the exhibition.
The selected talents
The creatives involved come from numerous origins including Ghana, Nigeria, Korea, Cuba, Cameroon, Taiwan, Lebanon, Nepal, Brazil, United States, Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Congo, Sri Lanka, Eritrea and Jamaica, all active in Italy. Among the fashion designers are Victor Hart, Tokyo James, Nana Brenu, Gaeun Kim, Yaimira Gomez Fabre, Paul Roger Tanonkou, Luna Manjetsu, Papa Oyeyemi, Cristel Abboud and Sabina D’Angelo.
In the field of photography, Marzio Villa, Kendall Hill, Donald Ngamene and Ben Drame participate. The stylists are Kamal Ijale, Maria Cassia F. Dos Santos, Thais Montessori Brandao and the sisters Luciana and Adriana Toledo, known as Sorelle Toledo. For the sound section, the duo Rover & Roger Rodriguez and Pamy & Polly were involved. Among the artists are Francis Nathan Abiam, known as AFARN, Red Longo and Christopher Veggetti. The visual poets include Anna Osei, Nadeesha Uyangoda and Shannice Alogaga. The videomakers are Emmanuel Blay and Sara Lemlem. For hair & make-up, Celia Sears and Dinalva Barros participate.
Mentorship and institutional support
The project includes a mentorship program with prominent figures including Cara Fenu and Paul Dillinger from Levi’s design team, Edward Buchanan, Tamu McPherson, Michelle Francine Ngonmo, Francesca Ragazzi, Walter D’Aprile, Cristina Baruzzi and Idris Balogun.
The initiative has received the support of the Municipality of Milan, with comments from Councilor Alessia Cappello, and from the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, whose president Carlo Capasa emphasized the importance of enhancing young talents in a more inclusive and interdisciplinary system. Jordan Anderson, curator of the exhibition, described the project as a celebration of cultural authorship. Mathilde Vaucheret, VP Europe Marketing & BX of Levi’s, highlighted the value of reactivating the brand’s heritage through new perspectives. Michelle Francine Ngonmo, founder and Executive Project Lead of AFRO FASHION ASSOCIATION, emphasized the goal of creating a sustainable creative ecosystem accessible to the city of Milan.
The final exhibition will be open free of charge to the public for two weeks and will transform collective processes into an immersive experience that intertwines denim, sound, images and storytelling, exploring the role of creativity as a tool for cultural transformation.