Bottega Veneta (Instagram) will collaborate with Air Afrique magazine (Instagram), a new platform inspired by the rich heritage of Afro-diasporic art and dialogue. With its unique blend of cultural exploration and contemporary expression, Air Afrique aims to foster cross-border creativity and conversation. The partnership between Bottega Veneta and Air Afrique aims to celebrate diverse cultures and engaging, passionate communities.
In this collaboration, Bottega Veneta will lend its brand name, platforms, and support to the magazine’s launch. The partnership also includes specially commissioned limited-edition blankets by Franco-Sudanese designer Abdel El Tayeb, a member of the Bottega Veneta studio. Under his own label El Tayeb Nation, El Tayeb combines Sudanese craftsmanship with Western tailoring in an aesthetic that mixes couture and ease. The label aspires to create a space for Afro-descendents to express their multicultural identity. The Air Afrique Afro-futuristic blanket designs are inspired by the vibrant patterns of the traditional toub dress worn by El Tayeb’s mother.
Magazines have long been an integral part of Bottega Veneta’s cultural journey. Since its establishment in 1972, the brand has fostered connections with creative communities, epitomized by its association with influential figures like Andy Warhol. The iconic “When Your Own Initials Are Enough” campaign, launched in 1978 in Warhol’s Interview magazine, solidified Bottega Veneta’s dedication to logo-free design, creativity, and self-expression. The Air Afrique collaboration is part of this unique approach to print media partnerships, focused on new and revived cultural magazines. The initiative debuted in March 2022 with Bottega Veneta sponsoring the return of legendary magazine BUTT.
“With our print partnerships, we recognize the craft, creativity, and quiet power of smaller-scale publications which give voice to specific communities,” said a spokesperson for the brand. “Each magazine exemplifies quality design, editorial rigor, and a clarity and originality of vision.”
Air Afrique is named after the pan-African airline Air Afrique, co-owned by Senegal, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Congo, and Chad, and operational between 1961 and 2002. The airline was an important expression of independence for the countries and highlighted their dedicating to working together. It became a major patron of the arts.
Published in both French and English, Air Afrique is led by the airline’s cultural vision, and by its in-flight magazine Balafon, which celebrated the cultural and historical diversity of the African continent. The Air Afrique collective consists of Founder and Creative Director Lamine Diaoune, Editor-in-Chief Amandine Nada, Co-Founders Djiby Kebe and Jeremy Konko, Editors Zhedy Nuentsa and Ahmadou Bamba Thiam and Graphic Designer Axel Pelletanche. “We want to revive the African transcendence that Air Afrique represented,” says Diaoune. “Our mission is to preserve this heritage, to put Air Afrique back in the cultural conversation, and to build on their example of cultural engagement.”
In joining forces with Air Afrique, Bottega Veneta is seeking to foster cultural diversity, dialogue, and provide a platform through which Afro-diasporic creativity can thrive. This exclusive partnership showcases the brand’s dedication to celebrating and supporting vibrant cultural expressions and is sure to lead to a new burst of creativity.
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