A new Netflix documentary series centered on the design by African artists will debut today, Sunday, December 26. The first season of Made by Design is dedicated to Nigerian design, highlighting African creative talent and artistry.

Cut into thirteen parts, the first season of the docu-series, created and produced by Titi Ogufere, founder of Design Week Lagos, and co-produced by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Abiola Matesun, gives viewers a look into the multi-faceted world of Nigerian design. Each episode is a drive into the complexities and knowledge reservoir of what makes a Nigerian design tick. The audience is taken on a journey through the creative process of some of the country’s most prominent talents in art and design.

“The story about African design has been told for so long I decided to create this project to take back our narrative and showcase the true meaning of African design,” says Ogufere, who founded Lagos Design Week in 2019 and is the current president of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers.

The casual viewer is introduced and immersed into the life of thirteen Nigerian designers, who boast comprehensive portfolios. Each of the featured artists has forged their legacy in a diverse range of works as they traversed the realities of designing in Africa, which is heavily dependent on functionality.

“I think it’s great to be able to tell our stories and share the diversities of our culture through a contemporary lens,” one of the featured designers, Lani Adeoye, said. “It is important to dispel the myths of a singular language connected to African design.”

A designer, artist, and consultant who works in furniture, fashion, stage, installation, interior, and experiential design, Adeoye is the founder and principal of Studio-Lani where she creates sculptural lighting and furniture pieces that express an organic rhythm and a sense of visual harmony.

For Demi Samande, the founder and creative head of furniture company Majeurs Chesterfield, the series is important in “finding our voice and stripping away the replicas we created of the West.” Samande’s company specializes in upholstery and in the restoration and production of fabric and leather furniture to create an empire of homemade furniture to serve all Africans.

“Africa’s growth and authenticity lie in designing with the agency to solve African problems whilst being globally inspiring. As we develop confidence with this resolve, innovation within our authenticity is inevitable. I want my work to be a catalyst in showing Africans what is possible. To demonstrate in every piece of furniture, we make sure that we have the talent in Africa to build Africa,” she added.

The show’s disquisition addresses the misconstrued narrative of Nigerian design, not because of lack of notoriety, but rather amplifying the voices of the designers and how they believe the narrative should be told.

‘We as African designers need to celebrate our rich cultural heritage and appreciate the global influence it has, and make a conscious and concerted effort to take charge and direct the narrative. Nobody can tell our stories better than us,’ says veteran designer Moni Shonibare, founder of IO Furniture, a full-service interior design manufacturing company in Nigeria.