TALES 2025: A Landmark Showcase of African Innovation and Heritage
Oxford Street moved to an African rhythm for ten full days as TALES by Bellafricana returned to London from July 25 to August 3, 2025. Hosted at Luxury Promise, 28 Cavendish Square, the event welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, including London locals, tourists, and the African diaspora, and gathered over 70 creatives under one roof. Framed by the season’s call to Reimagine • Rediscover • Re-Source, the edition deepened what TALES has been building: showcasing contemporary African lifestyle in a way that is both culturally rich and commercially vibrant.
The opening set the tone. Bellafricana founder Bukky Asehinde’s welcome felt like a relay hand off from months of anticipation into ten days of purposeful celebration. Shoppers wandered in on curiosity and stayed on connection; introductions at the till became conversations about craft, provenance and process. A moment of recognition for strategic partner New West End Company underscored the growing alignment between African creative enterprise and London’s retail corridors, while a warm meet-and-greet with Bidemi Olujimi added to the sense of occasion.
From fashion and beauty to lifestyle and food, the shop floors offered a well curated selection with purpose. Rails carried handwoven aso-oke, fluid bubus and bold Ankara; tables gleamed with beaded bags, sculptural jewellery and considered accessories. The curation folded in an ecosystem of makers (names like Gia 1 Fashion, Outspok’n Clothiers, FIA, Austine Mali, Elizabeth Divine, MAP by Ihelubi, Simeogieme, Ara Lagos, Xclamations, Bloomberryng, Ebonimode, Kaykay Brand, Republic of Ruru, Afribix and many others), each distinct, together coherent. The food and pantry aisle became its own discovery track: plantain inspired handmade pasta, the conversation starting plantain infused rum, buttery chin-chin, spiced peanuts and a spice mix or two that sent more than one guest home plotting a jollof night. Lifestyle pieces and fragrance from partners like TDP Homes reminded visitors that the African touch belongs in every room, not only the wardrobe.
Programming layered meaning onto the retail. A fireside chat, “Rethinking Visual Identity in Nollywood & Beyond,” gathered Folasade Dorcas Adu, Bola Stephen-Atitebi, Claire Idera and Akah Nnani and was moderated by Foladele Falana-Ngadi. The conversation peeled back how design languages (costume, sets, props and cinematography) can carry African aesthetics forward without being cliché, asserting a cinema that is globally conversant yet locally truthful. It was the kind of exchange that moves ideas from panel to practice.
Sustainability took a tactile turn at Reclaim, Sip & Paint, led by creative entrepreneur Bukola Adenuga. Guests arrived with pre loved pieces like bags, jackets, accessories and left with reimagined keepsakes, painted and renewed. The room felt like a studio and a salon at once: laughter, colour, the slow satisfaction of making. It was upcycling as intimacy, proof that circularity succeeds when it’s personal and joyful.
Five Senses of Africa captured the edition’s multi sensory promise in one sweep. Storyteller Bola Stephen, as Adunni Alaalo, pulled a crowd into folktales that felt like a fireside under an open sky; vocalist Kemi Sulola followed with a set that washed the space in warmth. Fashion rose to meet the moment and the tasting stations kept a loyal audience rotating between art and mouthfuls. By the time the afternoon slipped into evening, it was clear this was less a single event than a living archive in motion.
The close brought the community into sharp focus. Karaoke turned the final day into a joyful chorus with off-key notes welcomed, and dance breaks encouraged. An intimate awards moment honoured partners and pioneers who have walked the TALES journey from its earliest days. The applause rang like a promise: this platform is still growing, still travelling, still committed to placing African creativity in the world with care and confidence.
Beyond the headline numbers (1,500+ daily shoppers, 70+ brands, ten days) TALES 2025 mattered for what it modelled. It treated shopping as conversation, curation as education and programming as a bridge between culture and commerce. It asked visitors to reimagine what a pop-up can do, to rediscover materials and motifs that travel well beyond nostalgia, and to re-source value chains that honour makers as much as markets. For the designers and founders who filled the rooms, it offered visibility that converts into sales, relationships and recurring audiences. For London, it offered a confident portrait of African lifestyle today: sophisticated, inventive, export ready.
As the lights dimmed on August 3, the feeling wasn’t an ending so much as a handover to the next chapter. TALES has become a date to circle, a place where discovery becomes loyalty and where the continent’s creative economy meets its global public without losing its centre. We’ll be watching as the story unfolds toward 2026
