Genderless Looks are no longer a side note in fashion—they are the headliners. Across runways, street corners, and Instagram feeds, a radical redefinition of traditional African attire is unfolding. The spotlight is on iconic garments like the agbada and boubou—once reserved for male royalty and ceremonial presence—now confidently embraced by all genders. This isn’t just a fashion shift. It’s a cultural power move. It’s the merging of regal elegance and streetwise swagger. And it’s happening in real time.
From Accra to Atlanta, Lagos to London, designers, stylists, and everyday wearers are unapologetically blurring lines between what is traditionally masculine or feminine. They’re pairing structured agbadas with sneakers, rocking fluid boubous with dyed buzz cuts, and styling embroidered robes with metallic grills. In doing so, they’re using Genderless Looks to challenge rigid binaries, while celebrating heritage with fierce grace.
Royal Silhouettes Reimagined: Agbadas and Boubous for All
Genderless Looks are at the heart of a global fashion uprising, and nothing represents this more powerfully than the gender-bending transformation of the agbada and boubou. Once exclusive symbols of patriarchal hierarchy, these garments are now being reshaped—both literally and symbolically—by designers who understand the power of form.
The agbada, traditionally worn by male dignitaries in Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal, was originally designed to command respect. With its expansive shape, broad shoulders, and layers of intricately embroidered fabric, it created an aura of dominance. But today, its silhouette is being deconstructed and fluidified. Women and non-binary wearers are stepping into these garments with their own posture and poise—not to mimic masculinity, but to redefine what power dressing looks like.
Designers like Orange Culture’s Adebayo Oke-Lawal, IAMISIGO’s Bubu Ogisi, and Selly Raby Kane have pioneered collections where agbadas come in sheer fabrics, playful colors, and cropped cuts. They play with shoulder proportions, add slits, infuse sequins, or mix Ankara with leather—challenging the rigid formality of tradition. The result? Fierce, futuristic Genderless Looks that wear their ancestry like armor.
The boubou, a flowing robe with West African roots, has also seen a genderful makeover. Traditionally worn by matriarchs or men of stature, it is now a favorite canvas for everyone from queer style activists to diasporan stylists. These garments flow between the regal and the relaxed, allowing for both softness and strength. In fashion capitals like Paris and Toronto, stylists are pairing boubous with boots, mesh tops, and futuristic eyewear—turning what was once conservative into street-ready couture.
Genderless Looks are breathing new life into the old fabrics of power. And in doing so, they are giving people new ways to express who they are—without compromise.
The Rise of Fashion Activism in Every Stitch
Genderless Looks are more than just aesthetic—they are political. In many parts of Africa and the diaspora, wearing traditionally masculine or feminine clothing outside one’s assigned gender is an act of courage. But thanks to a new generation of fashion disruptors, that courage is being woven into the fabric itself.
In Johannesburg, fashion collectives are using agbadas to protest gender-based violence and toxic masculinity. In Dakar, embroidered boubous have been spotted with slogans like “Power Has No Gender” stitched beneath traditional patterns. Across Instagram, creators use their garments to send messages without ever speaking a word.
Streetwear has always been a battleground for identity. Now, with the rise of Genderless Looks, it’s a runway for resistance. Instead of hiding in conformity, wearers are embracing the fluidity of fabric and the ambiguity of silhouette to express their truth.
A Ghanaian artist recently shared a viral post showing their grandmother’s vintage boubou, paired with their own non-binary aesthetic. “This isn’t rebellion,” the caption read. “This is inheritance reimagined.” That single statement captured the essence of Genderless Looks—they’re not about erasing tradition. They’re about evolving it.
In this way, every tailored agbada, every reworked boubou becomes an act of fashion activism. They reclaim history, demand inclusion, and prove that power doesn’t need to look a certain way to be felt.
Influencers and Icons Leading the Movement of Genderless Looks
Style leaders are playing a critical role in elevating Genderless Looks beyond the runway and into public consciousness. Cultural icons from across the African continent and diaspora are using their visibility to challenge stereotypes—without saying a word.
Musician Tems has been seen rocking oversized agbadas that channel both confidence and cool. Actor Denola Grey frequently blends regal attire with androgynous edge, offering up an alternative version of Nigerian royalty. Meanwhile, creatives like Alok Vaid-Menon (South Asian-American but globally connected to the genderless movement) remind us that clothing doesn’t need to conform to binary codes—it just needs to feel authentic.
In Kenya, non-binary fashion stylist Kevin Karanja has gained a cult following for their boubou-centric wardrobe, often paired with sharp-lined makeup and traditional jewelry. Their look speaks volumes: African, fluid, fierce.
Fashion weeks across Accra, Lagos, and Cape Town are now rich with Genderless Looks that challenge the binary with every strut down the catwalk. These platforms are no longer just about trends—they’re about truth.
And it’s not just celebrities. Everyday wearers—students, vendors, artists, and tech workers—are embracing the power of unisex agbadas and reimagined boubous. From weddings to nightclubs, mosques to pride marches, these garments are appearing everywhere, quietly but powerfully shaping culture.
Royalwear Meets Streetwear: The Perfect Collision
Genderless Looks thrive in spaces where contradictions meet. And nowhere is this more evident than in the perfect collision of royalwear and streetwear.
Imagine a flowing, pastel agbada worn with high-top sneakers and a crossbody bag. Picture a sharp-shouldered boubou paired with cargo pants and a snapback. These combinations aren’t accidents—they are intentional fusions of class, culture, and code. They say: I honor my roots, but I walk my own path.
This blend is creating a new dress code for African youth across the globe. In cities like New York and Nairobi, streetwear is no longer just hoodies and joggers. It’s agbadas cut from camouflage, boubous layered over mesh, and robes styled with chain-link belts and grillz.
In São Paulo, Afro-Brazilian designers are remixing Yoruba-rooted garments with hip-hop edge. In Seoul, K-fashion enthusiasts are styling genderless agbadas with platform boots and cyberpunk accessories. These looks speak every language and transcend borders.
What makes these Genderless Looks powerful is their duality. They contain history and disruption, elegance and edge. And that duality is what today’s wearers crave—freedom to express every side of who they are.
Heritage Reclaimed, Not Abandoned
One of the strongest power moves in the rise of Genderless Looks is the reclaiming of heritage. For too long, conversations around queerness, femininity, and masculinity in African cultures were framed as opposites to tradition. But now, we are witnessing a return—not to old roles, but to deeper truths.
Agbadas and boubous were never exclusively gendered in spirit. The colonial era imposed rigid roles and moral codes that tried to erase Africa’s rich diversity in gender expression. Pre-colonial societies often had fluid understandings of gender roles, and garments were a form of storytelling—not suppression.
Genderless Looks are returning the story to the people. They’re saying: this fabric is mine. This thread is mine. This history is mine. And I will wear it as I am.
In Lagos, a fashion label recently launched a collection named “Legacy in Motion.” It featured agbadas made with kente, boubous sewn from recycled Ghana-must-go bags, and headgear repurposed into chest pieces. Each look was modeled by people across the gender spectrum. The message was clear: tradition isn’t stagnant. It moves. It grows. It includes.
As diasporan Africans reconnect with their roots, many are doing so through fashion. Wearing an agbada is no longer just a nod to culture—it’s a declaration: I belong here. So does my fluidity.
And in that declaration, Genderless Looks become more than fashion. They become a manifesto.
This Kingdom Has No Binary
Genderless Looks are not a trend—they’re a tectonic shift. They’re rewriting the rules of royalwear and streetwear, not just by blending them, but by expanding them. They allow wearers to feel majestic, without conforming to outdated codes. They let people honor tradition, without hiding their truth.
With every boubou worn by someone society tried to silence, with every agbada slung over a body that refuses the binary, the fashion world tilts a little more toward liberation.
The rise of Genderless Looks proves one powerful truth: identity can be regal, radical, and real—at the same time.
