In a rare moment, Daniel Obaweya steps in front of the camera.
The Anonymous, Influential Archivist @NigerianGothic Reveals Himself at James Veloria
@Nigeriangothic is one of the most information-packed archive accounts on Instagram. On the feed, you’ll find an old Jansport ad from the early 2000s, Missy Elliot smoking a joint from a 2000 issue of Vibe magazine, the animated opening of Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough for Me”, and a black and white photograph of a Hajendoa warrior from Sudan that dates back to 1938. Dazed editor-in-chief Ib Kamara, the fashion label Wales Bonner, editor Dan Thawley, and model Paloma Elsesser are all followers, though the mysterious owner of the account has never revealed himself, preferring to let the images speak for themselves (a rarity in the fashion industry). But the account is run by Daniel Obaweya, a 24-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria who spends hours on the Internet, clicking through and amassing stellar images. His curation has gained him gigs, too: He’s worked with the London label Mowalola, Dazed, and researched extensively for a shoot about auntie culture in Nigeria that was styled by Gabriella Karaefa-Johnson and published in the November 2020 issue of Vogue.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Liana Satenstein
