The Founder’s Story

Ann-Aniedi Asikpo — Creative Practitioner, Textile Heritage Advocate and Multimedia PR Strategist

Documenting heritage. Inspiring learning. Shaping a more sustainable creative future.

I want to tell you about the moment I began to understand the work I was building.

It was not when I completed my Master’s degree, established my studio or presented my designs to new audiences. It was when I began to recognise that African textiles carry far more than colour, pattern and beauty. They hold knowledge, memory, identity, craftsmanship and stories that deserve to be understood, documented and passed on.

A piece of Ankara can attract attention because of its colours and design. But behind the fabric may be a story about identity, belonging, creativity, commerce or cultural expression. The question that continues to guide my work is this: How can we help people see beyond the fabric to understand the knowledge and heritage it carries?

That question sits at the heart of Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio and DECODE Africa.

Today, my work brings together African textile heritage, sustainable creative practice, cultural documentation, education, consultancy and multimedia storytelling. My aim is to create meaningful ways for people to engage with African heritage textiles — not only as materials for making clothes, but as valuable cultural resources that deserve thoughtful preservation and responsible interpretation.

Where My Story Begins

I am Nigerian, and my relationship with fabric began in childhood.

Growing up, I came to appreciate that textiles can communicate in ways that words sometimes cannot. Across Nigerian communities, clothing can express identity, occasion, belonging and cultural values. The significance of a fabric or garment may be understood through its context, how it is made, who wears it and the traditions associated with it.

My early understanding of textile practice came through observation. I remember watching a woman work with Ankara fabric spread around her as she considered how best to cut and shape it. Her work reflected a kind of knowledge that developed through experience, patience and practice.

She may not have used the language of contemporary design, but her hands demonstrated skill, judgement and an understanding of materials that could not be acquired from a photograph alone.

That experience shaped my appreciation of making as a form of knowledge. It also helped me recognise the importance of documenting the people, processes and cultural contexts behind the things we create.

For me, preserving textile heritage is not simply about keeping old fabrics or recording patterns. It is also about recognising the people who hold the knowledge, respecting their experiences and creating opportunities for that knowledge to be shared responsibly with future generations.

From Making Clothes to Exploring Heritage and Sustainability

Making clothes has been an important part of my creative journey since childhood. Over time, I developed my skills in working with African fabrics, transforming them into garments that bring heritage textiles into contemporary life.

My practice has taught me to look closely at materials: their texture, character, possibilities and limitations. It has also encouraged me to think about the relationship between making, meaning and value.

These experiences inform my interest in sustainability. I believe that a more thoughtful creative future requires us to look beyond the finished product and consider the knowledge behind our materials, the people involved in making, the stories attached to what we wear and the value of skills passed between generations.

My work explores how cultural heritage can contribute to conversations about responsible creativity, textile knowledge and the future of fashion. I am particularly interested in how African textile traditions can be documented, interpreted and shared in ways that encourage learning, respect cultural context and create meaningful connections between heritage and contemporary practice.

Sustainability, in this context, is not just a statement about materials. It is an invitation to think more carefully about what we make, what we value, what we preserve and what we pass on.

Communications, Research and Creative Practice

Before establishing my creative practice in the United Kingdom, I worked in public relations in Nigeria, developing communications across different platforms and engaging with varied audiences and stakeholders.

That experience taught me that meaningful communication is about more than making information visible. It is about helping people understand why something matters, who it matters to and how its story can be communicated accurately and effectively.

In September 2022, I came to the United Kingdom to study at Teesside University. I graduated in 2024 with an MA in Multimedia Public Relations and became a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

My postgraduate studies strengthened my understanding of research, digital communication, audience engagement, multimedia production and strategic storytelling. They also helped me see how these skills could support my interest in cultural heritage.

I began to consider how photography, interviews, writing, digital media and public engagement could help document African textiles and make their stories accessible to people who might otherwise encounter only their visual appeal.

This combination of communications expertise and hands-on making now informs my approach to cultural documentation, education, creative projects and consultancy.

NKEM: Bringing African Textiles into Contemporary Design

During my studies at Teesside University, I took part in an Exit into Industry project through which our fashion group developed a collective design label called NKEM.

Within the group, I designed a men’s contemporary clothing range for adults aged 18 to 50, including hoodies, coordinated sets and everyday pieces combining Ankara with plain fabrics. The wider group developed complementary women’s designs, bringing our individual contributions together in a shared collection.

The collection was presented publicly at Pineapple Black in Middlesbrough, and several of my men’s designs sold at the exhibition.

NKEM, an Igbo word meaning “mine”, represented a personal connection to the fabrics I was working with and the heritage they carried. The project allowed me to explore how African textiles could be translated into contemporary garments while introducing new audiences to their visual and cultural possibilities.

It also reinforced an important principle in my practice: creative work can open the door to cultural conversation. A garment can attract someone’s attention, but thoughtful interpretation can help that person begin to understand the material, its context and the people connected to it.

The experience strengthened my interest in connecting design, storytelling and education, and in creating opportunities for African textile heritage to be encountered, discussed and appreciated in the North East of England and beyond.

Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio and DECODE Africa

Founded in January 2026, Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio is the home of my evolving creative and cultural practice, based in Stockton-on-Tees, North East England.

The studio brings together my experience as a maker, my background in public relations and multimedia communication, and my interest in African textile heritage and sustainability.

Through the studio, I am developing work that explores how heritage textiles can inform contemporary creative practice, how cultural knowledge can be documented and shared, and how education and strategic storytelling can connect people with the stories behind the materials they encounter.

DECODE Africa is the cultural documentation and storytelling dimension of this vision.

Its purpose is to explore, document and share African heritage, beginning with textiles and the knowledge, people, techniques and histories associated with them. Through research, interviews, photography, writing, digital storytelling and educational engagement, DECODE Africa aims to create accessible resources that support greater understanding of African cultural heritage.

The work is grounded in a simple principle:

What we document can help preserve.

Documentation cannot preserve a living tradition on its own. It must be approached with care, informed by research, attentive to the people who hold the knowledge and respectful of cultural context. But when carried out responsibly, it can help make knowledge more visible, support learning and contribute to the transmission of heritage across generations.

I see opportunities to bring this work into conversations with educators, museums, cultural organisations, creative practitioners and communities interested in heritage, sustainability and inclusive cultural engagement.

My ambition is to develop projects that connect research with public understanding and transform cultural stories into meaningful learning experiences.

Education, Consultancy and Collaboration

As my practice develops, I am interested in working with organisations, educators, cultural institutions and creative businesses that want to communicate their work more meaningfully, engage audiences and explore the relationship between heritage, creativity and sustainability.

My background in public relations and multimedia communication provides a foundation for consultancy and collaborative projects involving cultural storytelling, content development, audience engagement and the communication of creative initiatives.

My textile practice brings a maker’s perspective to these conversations, while DECODE Africa provides a developing platform for cultural documentation, research-led storytelling and educational engagement.

I am particularly interested in opportunities to:

Support cultural documentation: Develop stories and resources that record textile knowledge, creative processes and cultural perspectives.
Contribute to education: Explore workshops, talks and learning resources that help audiences engage with African textiles and heritage.
Inform sustainable creative practice: Encourage thoughtful conversations about textile knowledge, making, cultural value and the responsibilities involved in representing heritage.
Collaborate through consultancy: Help creative and cultural organisations communicate their projects, develop engaging content and connect their work with relevant audiences.
Build inclusive cultural experiences: Create opportunities for African heritage to be represented and explored in ways that are accessible, respectful and relevant to different generations.

These are connected areas of practice, united by a belief that creativity becomes more meaningful when it is informed by knowledge, context and purpose.

What I believe

I believe African heritage textiles deserve to be understood, not simply admired or worn.

I believe the knowledge held by makers, craftspeople and communities is an important part of cultural heritage and deserves thoughtful documentation and recognition.

I believe sustainability involves asking deeper questions about materials, making, cultural value and the knowledge we carry into the future.

I believe education and storytelling can help people build stronger connections with cultures and creative practices beyond their own experiences.

And I believe that preserving heritage is not about keeping it separate from contemporary life. It is about understanding its significance, respecting its origins and creating responsible ways for its knowledge to continue to inform the present and future.

These beliefs guide my work through Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio and DECODE Africa.

My journey began with fabric and the desire to create. It continues through research, communication, learning and the exploration of how cultural heritage can contribute to a more thoughtful and sustainable creative world.

Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio | DECODE Africa

Documenting African heritage. Connecting knowledge and creativity. Inspiring a more sustainable future.

Ann-Aniedi Asikpo
Founder, Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio and DECODE Africa
MA Multimedia Public Relations, Teesside University (2024)
Member, Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR)
Stockton-on-Tees, North East England

contact@ann-aniediasikpo.co.uk
https://ann-aniediasikpo.co.uk

Ann-Aniedi Asikpo Studio

Based in North East England, United Kingdom. Working to connect African textile knowledge with wider audiences.

What we document can help preserve