Hello again, fashion friends 👋

So where's the newsletter been?
Me:

I broke down what I could a while back on Instagram stories (not going to dig through the archive now) but the gist of it is:

- Like many, my mental health seriously suffered at different points in the past 2 years, including around the time I sent my last one of these (July 9th, 2020. Geez.) I cut out pretty much anything that wasn't key to survival and focused on rebuilding my hope, savings, and broken brain. I'm happy to report that by God's grace all three survived.

- I'd already started taking a turn toward news & business analysis content in here, and looked around and could no longer ignore the need for more in that space. It literally kept me up at night, as did the question of whether I was the right person to address that need. Eventually I decided (hands shaking) that whether or not I was right for it, and since I don't really see anyone else executing the same vision for it, I would try. More on this later, in...

- African Fashion Weekly. The new thing. Finally launching this month, after SO. MUCH. DELAY. As in, last September to now. [If you type it anywhere, be sure to include the 'www.'; I'm still bugging afrihost to figure out why.] It'll be home to the newsletter I'm hoping to build into a bigger media brand, and also to this newsletter's archives (the tinyletters and the mailchimps), if you ever feel like taking a trip down memory lane. It's on Twitter and Instagram, and I'm on Twitter (again, basically for this) and Instagram (a new work account, because ✨balance✨).

Yes, I missed it and I missed you and I missed how much fun this was. But in trying to revive it (and believe me, I did), I found myself trying to recapture a version of reality and a version of me that simply no longer exist. The dead and gone 'old normal'. I have to focus on the future now, and if this can be something new in that future, that would be awesome. We'll see. I'll eventually catch you up on the work that's paid the bills between then and now, but that's my update, and this is my new baby, and I hope you like it. If you'd like to subscribe, and get a welcome email next week that explains points 2 and 3 in much more detail, step right up. If you definitely work in fashion (in/with African countries), I also have an AF Weekly survey for you, if you have a minute?

With love, gratitude, and an awkward covid half hug,
Modupe Oloruntoba.