Panel event with the Royal College of Art & alumni in Accra

Joyce Addai-Davis is a Fashion Academic and Researcher at the Royal College of Art (RCA), specialising in expanded fashion. With previous experience working with forward-thinking footwear specialists in the UK and Europe, Joyce stands at the intersection of art, innovation, and activism, using her craft to challenge conventional views on the transportation of fashion waste between the UK and Ghana. Over the past two years, she has immersed herself in the landscapes of Ghanaian landfills, unearthing stories buried within the discarded and abandoned. Her vision bridges art and technology: employing Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality to provoke deeper examinations of the “afterlife” of our wardrobes, questioning both our perceptions of fashion waste and our methods of disposal. Inspired by the indomitable Ghanaian warrior Yaa Asantewaa, who resisted colonial powers with unwavering bravery, Joyce channels this spirit to combat what she calls “waste colonialism.

Aisha Olamide Seriki is a Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist in London, specialising in fine art photography and sculpture. Seriki works from a canon of personal histories which splice contemporary realities. Her practice is holistic and embodied, subverting formal photographic traditions. Cosmological systems such as the Yoruba Spiritual Tradition have informed the multisensory approach Seriki has to documentation, communication and creation. Through optics and trickery, she challenges the rigid imagination of self, creating space in the archive for a wider definition. Aisha’s project Orí Inú received the RCA’s New Photography Prize in 2023, the SW Darkroom Award and the inaugural JM Finn Graduate Artist Award (2023). In May 2024, Aisha won the V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography and was shortlisted for the Photo London x Nikon Emerging Photographer Award.

Melanie Issaka is a visual artist, photographer, and educator living and working in London, UK. Specialising in image-making, her work addresses issues of representation, history, and language with regard to the intersectionality of race, gender, and class. She holds a BA in Graphic Design from the University of Brighton (2016) and graduated with an MA in Photography from the Royal College of Art (2021), where she currently works as a technical instructor in photography. Exhibitions and projects include PhotoLondon, UK (2024); Kraków Photomonth, Poland (2024); Victoria and Albert Museum, UK (2023); Peckham 24, UK (2023); Galerie Peter Sillem, Germany (2022); Photo Basel, Switzerland (2022); and Tate Collective, UK (2022). Her work has been featured in The Guardian, UK; The Observer New Review, UK; British Journal of Photography, UK; European Photography, Germany; and Vogue Italia.

Makeba Boateng is a Public Relations Consultant, Certified Personal Property Appraiser, and Independent Researcher-Curator with a passion for textiles, fashion history, and cultural heritage. She is the founder of Fashion Forum Africa (FFA) and head of Boaten Appraisal Service. Makeba’s expertise includes documenting Ghana’s vibrant textile traditions, preserving the legacy of fashion icon Kofi Ansah, and advocating for sustainability in design. Her work bridges cultural heritage and modern creativity, inspiring young professionals to explore career paths rooted in innovation and tradition. She has contributed research, expertise, and loaned items to notable exhibitions, including the Africa Fashion Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, which is now on an international tour, with its next stop at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Exhibitions Supported by Makeba: Sum Sum Sessions – Celebrating Ghana’s Best: Past, Present, Future (ANO, Accra, 2018) Fashion Ghana: Celebrating the Icons of Ghanaian Fashion (Permanent Exhibition, Bisa Abrewa Museum, Accra) Makeba holds credentials from the International Society of Appraisers, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. She believes international education offers the tools to connect global perspectives with local heritage, motivating individuals to shape their own creative narratives. Through her work with Fashion Forum Africa and her role as a thought leader, Makeba continues to advocate for African textiles and inspire the next generation of cultural and design leaders.

Best known as Nuel Bans, Emmanuel Ekuban is a pioneering digital fashion and lifestyle magazine publisher in West Africa and a forward-thinking tastemaker. As the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Debonair Afrik, he is one of the individuals credited with the early documentation of fashion and lifestyle in Africa and helping bring it to the forefront of pop culture on the continent and also Serves as a Creative Consultant to Tex Styles Ghana ltd ( GTP ). Founded in 2015, the publication is rated as one of the premier destinations for all things fashion and lifestyle in Africa. It has since evolved to include Debonair Afrik Studios and is helmed by Ekuban as its Creative Director. The company provides bespoke services including art direction, content creation, and production of shows and events for social, lifestyle and digital platforms. Ekuban’s unrelenting drive, expertise, and passion for all things fashion and lifestyle have seen him work with high-profile brands/companies including Vogue, Maybelline New York, LOreal Paris, MasterCard Foundation, Open2culture (Germany) Instagram, Afrochella, GTP, and the African Fashion Foundation amongst many others. He is also the founder of Style Lounge Platform, a non-profit organization highlighting young and emerging designers, and partnering with local artisans who work with these designers to produce indigenous clothing for global consumption. The Style Lounge Platform is host to The Style Lounge Weekend and the DOTS Trade. Ekuban serves as a consultant and speaker on wide-ranging issues connected to the fashion and lifestyle industry in Africa. His extensive experience working with these leading brands in the industry has been featured in publications like Vogue Business. His impact over the years has earned Ekuban an enviable status as a torchbearer for the African fashion industry.