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"A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa" is on display at the Kent State University Museum.
It features works by 25 contemporary North African designers and artists and includes more than 40 ensembles and accessories alongside photography by fashion photographers, journalists and social media influencers.
It is the second in a series of exhibitions focused on fashion on the African continent. The first one looked at fashion from South Africa and Namibia.
According to curator Sara Hume, "Rather than pack the tremendous diversity of African fashion into a single exhibition, we have developed exhibitions looking at smaller regions. In this way, we counter the mistaken notion that Africa is a single monolith."
"A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa" reflects the museum's mission to advance the understanding of world cultures through the lens of fashions and textiles. The exhibition is organized around three themes: Disruptors, Threads and Our Land, which each bring together the work of designers from different countries and draw out the myriad approaches to retaining cultural distinctiveness while adapting to contemporary concerns.
"Disruptors" looks at how brands such as Boauna and Born in Exile present streetwear styles that break from older conventions and traditions.
"Threads" focuses on the materials and techniques that designers use -- both raw materials cultivated in the region as well as techniques and craftsmanship passed down across generations.
The final section, "Our Land," looks at the ways that artists and designers have drawn inspiration from the architecture and landscape of the region.
For instance, both Anissa Meddeb of Anissa Aida and Samia Ben Abdallah of AwA received training in architecture before switching to fashion, and their structural designs reflect this background.
The exhibition is co-curated by Hume and Nada Koreish, a lecturer across multiple disciplines with more than 15 years of experience in the design industry. A 150-page catalogue will be published and distributed internationally by Hirmer Verlag.
"A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa" will be on display through May 10, 2026, at the museum, 515 Hilltop Drive, Kent. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and $5 for children ages 5 to 18 and free on Sundays. For more information, go to www.kent.edu/museum or call 330-672-3450.