You can feel it in fashion. In the growing fascination with ingredients and products drawn from ancestral pharmacopeia. In the vibrant energy of a new generation of chefs who blend flavors with rare, intuitive finesse. Today, Africa is shining across every creative field—capturing global attention and winning hearts with its vitality and multidimensional spirit. Even this year’s Met Gala paid tribute to the elegance of Black Dandyism—a powerful cultural nod that reflects a shift long in motion.

To celebrate this kaleidoscopic creativity, Istituto Marangoni Paris hosted a talk in the Orangerie of its campus, bringing together four extraordinary women at the forefront of the African creative scene. Among them: Valérie Ka, former model, designer, and founder of Share Africa, a platform promoting African entrepreneurship in fashion and the visionary behind Africa Fashion Up; Stéphanie Gazel, creative director of the fragrance house Scent of Africa; Sabrina Daninos, marketing consultant for the natural beauty brand Izaho Botanicals; and Michelin-starred chef Georgiana Viou, of Rouge restaurant in Nîmes.

This all-female panel shared a powerful and layered portrait of Africa—not as a monolith, but as a continent of immense cultural variety, constantly evolving and redefining itself. “To speak of Africa as a single entity is reductive—it is a continent, not a country. Each territory has its own identity,” remarked Georgiana Viou, as she recounted how Mediterranean influences have woven themselves into the flavors of her childhood in Benin, creating a personal culinary universe that transcends borders.

Africa’s natural riches—rare botanicals, potent spices, and aromatic fruits—are now being reimagined into evocative sensory experiences. Scent of Africa translates myths and characters into fragrance, while Izaho Botanicals crafts face and body oils using ingredients from Madagascar, blending traditional rituals with cutting-edge extraction technologies. The result is a new generation of products that push beyond the stereotypical image of Africa rooted solely in heritage, revealing instead a dynamic territory where artisanal knowledge meets scientific innovation.

It’s no surprise, then, that the fashion world is increasingly turning its gaze toward Africa, recognizing and supporting emerging talent through initiatives like Fashion Up, which seek to connect young African designers with global audiences and elevate their voices on the international stage.

With this event, Istituto Marangoni shone a spotlight on a continent undergoing a profound creative renaissance—where fashion, fragrance, cosmetics, and cuisine speak together in a rich and forward-looking dialogue. A living laboratory of ideas, Africa is not just being watched; it is actively shaping the cultural narratives of tomorrow.