Top 10 Young Creatives Redefining African Cool (2025 Edition)
20th July, 2025
In a world where creativity is the new currency, Africa’s youth aren’t just cashing in — they’re setting the global standard. They’re bold, cross-disciplinary, culturally grounded yet globally fluent. Whether they’re designing Afrofuturist streetwear, building the next big social platform, or turning protest into performance art, these ten rising stars are making cool mean something again.
This is the 2025 edit: not just who’s hot, but who’s shaping the future.
1. Zulaikha Mntambo (South Africa)
Afro-minimalist fashion designer & circular economy advocate
Her label Rethread fuses Zulu heritage with deconstructed silhouettes and recycled textiles. Beyoncé wore it. Vogue covered it. But Zulaikha’s real flex? Building Africa’s first zero-waste fashion incubator in Soweto.
2. Obinna "Obí" Eze (Nigeria)
Creative technologist & digital artist
Obí creates immersive VR experiences that explore pre-colonial Nigerian kingdoms. His latest drop — Kingdom.exe — blends code, culture, and music into a virtual archive of Igbo heritage. Think Wakanda meets Unreal Engine.
3. Leïla Dabo (Senegal/Mali)
Multidisciplinary storyteller & cultural curator
Through short films, zines, and spoken word, Leïla explores gender, migration, and memory. Her Dakar-based collective Soulsync hosts underground screenings in taxis and tailoring shops — turning everyday spaces into portals of perspective.
4. Tinashe Banda (Malawi)
AI researcher & Afrofuturist thinker
At just 24, Tinashe is leading ethical AI development in Southern Africa — and using it to model climate resilience. His work blends indigenous farming wisdom with machine learning to help Malawian farmers adapt to extreme weather.
5. Koko Mensah (Ghana)
Stylist, photographer, and streetwear documentarian
Koko’s IG account is part mood board, part movement. His photo essays capture Accra’s style subcultures — from skater collectives to queer ballroom scenes — with cinematic flair. His motto: “Document the drip before it disappears.”
6. Asiya Yusuf (Somalia/UK)
Poet, filmmaker & diasporic dream-weaver
Asiya’s work bends language and form to express what it means to belong to everywhere and nowhere. Her debut short, Sand in My Ears, premiered at Berlinale and was shot on a camcorder across three continents.
7. Ayotunde Folarin (Nigeria)
Web3 builder & creative economist
Founder of Loop Africa, a decentralized patronage platform that allows fans to directly invest in and earn from African creatives. Ayotunde is reimagining the creator economy with blockchain, equity, and a lot of Lagos swagger.
8. Ziwa Kamanzi (Kenya)
Sound designer & speculative fiction podcaster
Ziwa’s podcast “Echoes from Tomorrow” mixes Afro-diasporic mythology with glitchy, layered soundscapes. Think Octavia Butler meets Flying Lotus. Her work is taught in university literature and game design classes alike.
9. Nana Adjoa Osei (Ghana/USA)
Cultural strategist & luxury brand disruptor
Nana founded Gold Dust, a boutique agency helping African luxury brands define their aesthetic on their own terms. Her brand bible? “Less imitation, more invention.” Clients include homegrown fragrance labels and heritage textile houses.
10. Sipho Radebe (South Africa)
Skater, set designer & visual futurist
Sipho’s aesthetic is pure post-Apartheid surrealism. He builds set pieces for music videos and fashion campaigns out of scrap metal, graffiti, and neon tubing. His latest show at Constitution Hill? A skateable installation titled No Borders, Just Ramps.
Why They Matter
These creatives aren’t waiting for permission. They’re not playing by the old rules — they’re rewriting them. Each one represents a shift in how Africa defines success, identity, and influence. They're bridging disciplines, building new worlds, and doing it all while staying rooted in their own cultures.
Because cool in 2025 isn’t about trends. It’s about tech with soul, art with purpose, and style with a story.
Who else is redefining African cool? Drop a name, tag a crew, and keep the culture moving.