In honor of women's month, waf. is releasing the waf. Babes capsule. The basis for the construction of the capsule was the lack of institutional and social support for femme and queer skaters, which we observed and were made aware of by female and marginalised skaters in the community.
The waf. Babes capsule was also inspired by Blessing Ewona, the first prominent female skateboarder from Nigeria and the creator of the all-female skate team, Dencity. The capsule includes t-shirts featuring a design of Phylis Wheatley, the first African American author to publish a poetry book in 1773, as well as sports bras, tote bags, skorts, jumpsuits, and cargo pants. We aim to encourage diversity both within and beyond the waf. community by empowering other female and marginalised skaters with this body of work.
In reaction to inequality, we have launched a number of other initiatives and projects to broaden the diversity of the Nigerian skateboarding scene. Initiatives such as the waf. and Dencity annual Skate jam. Events like the skate jam offer incentive and visibility by offering prizes and awards that support and inspire female and queer skaters.The capsule is yet another block being added to our building efforts to ensure total inclusion in the skate community regardless of gender or sexuality.
waf. as a brand, is devoted to African cultural exploration and preservation and believes that the radical inclusion of women and gender non-conforming people alike aligns with this devotion. We urge you to join us in our celebration of women as we end this month of March with a capsule launch event at our flagship store.
To shop the collection click here.
Love, waf.
Editorial Photography: Isabel Okoro
Event Photography: Daniel Chado