Model Adesuwa Aighewi’s New Legacy Project Aims To Unite The African Diaspora Through Art

Adesuwa Aighewi knows what it’s like to feel rootless. As a member of the African diaspora, and as someone who moved from place to place often growing up — and continues to do so today as a globetrotting, in-demand model — Aighewi’s desire for the feeling of home pushed her to begin work on a creative endeavor in 2018. It would take four years and a great deal of international travel for field research to launch her Legacy project, which connects the talented artisans she’s met in her travels with a global audience, this past October. Available via an online made-to-order marketplace, the pieces themselves will depend on the specialties of the local craftspeople she brings into the fold, but fashion and jewelry have proved comfortable entry points for the model to realize her goal.

“I love jewelry, and as a model, I understand the power of it,” she says. “I understand the process. I’ve seen people sell rocks for literally millions of dollars.” Aighewi knew she wanted Legacy’s debut to center around jewelry not only because it’s a marketable category but because she feels strongly about its capabilities: These adornments speak a language of symbolism, bringing the scattered populations of the African diaspora back to their roots through totems of metal and gemstones. She sees it as a springboard to boost the project into the multidisciplinary artist collective she envisions. And while the pieces are merely an initial step in introducing the masses to…