The Kalakuta Republic X Fela campaign by Ashluxe
Ashluxe, Nigeria’s leading luxury fashion label, has emerged as a brand that intertwines fashion with important legacies and stories, using it as a means to educate the masses about significant cultural figures. Their latest campaign, “Kalakuta Republic X Fela,” goes beyond launching just another collection; it also serves as an extension of their AW24 campaign, which kicked off in December 2023. The campaign features a visually captivating documentary and fashion film that delves into the life of Fela Kuti—one of Nigeria’s most influential figures and a Pan-Africanist whose music, activism, and defiance still resonate through the streets of Lagos and beyond. Ashluxe uses its platform to educate a new generation about Fela’s significance, harnessing the power of fashion to honor his legacy.
Fela Kuti’s story is no alien story to the world at large. He wasn’t just a musician; he was a revolutionary, an activist, and a symbol of resistance. As the pioneer of Afrobeat, Fela used his music as a political weapon to challenge corruption and injustice in Nigeria. His Kalakuta Republic, which he founded in Lagos, became a safe haven for artists, activists, and rebels alike—a symbol of freedom and defiance. But what does Kalakuta mean? In Swahili, “kalakuta” translates to “rascal,” a term that perfectly encapsulates Fela’s rebellious nature. It was a name born from his time in a communal prison cell, a place his fellow inmates humorously referred to as “Kalakuta Republic.” Fela adopted it as a badge of honor, embodying the defiant and audacious spirit that drove his entire career.
Ashluxe’s latest campaign taps into this, using fashion as a vessel to reawaken Fela’s legacy. Through their documentary and fashion film, they remind us that Fela was more than a musical genius—he was a cultural and political force whose influence extends far beyond Nigeria’s borders. His vision for an independent and empowered Africa resonates today, and Ashluxe uses this collaboration as a means to highlight his Pan-Africanist ideals.
The “Kalakuta Republic X Fela” campaign builds on the foundations Ashluxe laid during their Autumn/Winter 2024 (AW24) collection, offering a take on luxury wear rooted in Nigerian heritage. However, this campaign takes it further by embedding Fela’s political defiance and cultural pride into the fabric of their designs. The continuity between the two campaigns is seamless.
Rather than just a lookbook, they’ve created a documentary that explores Fela’s life and impact, featuring prominent Nigerian figures like Peter Obi, Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, Kunle Kuti, Olisa Adibua, Dele Momodu, and even the visual artist behind some of Fela’s iconic album covers; Lemi Ghariokwu. These personalities lend their voices to the campaign, adding layers of depth and meaning to the narrative.
The film itself uses metaphors—such as a fortune teller and a jazz club—to reflect on Fela’s ability to foresee Nigeria’s future and his lasting musical legacy. These artistic choices are a reminder of Fela’s multifaceted nature: a man who saw beyond his time and used his music to tell the story of an entire continent’s struggles and triumphs.
The Ashluxe campaign film introduces a unique narrative structure using the metaphor of a fortune teller to guide the storyline of a young couple, Toyin and Omoh, as they navigate key moments in life. Each card drawn by the fortune teller corresponds to a pivotal scene in their journey, symbolizing different stages of love, strength, separation, and success.
Through these symbolic cards, the film showcases the couple’s evolving relationship while mirroring societal and cultural evolution. Ashluxe expertly uses fashion to reflect how Fela’s revolutionary ideas continue to influence Nigerian society, from music and art to fashion and politics.
In the documentary, Fela is described as “a force of nature who defined Nigerian music, art, and fashion,” and his legacy is said to be “woven into the fabric of our culture and etched into the soul of Nigeria.” Ashluxe takes this metaphor to heart, creating a collection that feels as though it’s woven directly from Fela’s rebellious spirit and Pan-African ideals.
