Libaya Reading Picks
Delve into the reading choices of fashion brand owners, uncovering the books that fuel their creativity and inspire their designs.
LIBAYA
Libaya, derived from the Lingala term for a customized women's top, embodies Nsimba Valene's inspiration from her mother and aunts' vibrant fashion and joyful Congolese rumba dance.
Launched in 2017, this project aims to fill spaces and hearts with love, sun and joie de vivre.
The brand creates, curates and collaborates between Africa and Europe in connecting a vivacious community through the vision : The future is female and African.
a powerful exploration of the wellness industry through the lens of colonialism, capitalism, and systemic inequality. The book blends memoir, cultural critique, and investigative journalism to ask important questions about who benefits from wellness trends—and who is left out.
Róisín examines how wellness practices, often rooted in Indigenous, South Asian, and African traditions, have been commodified by the West, stripping them of their cultural significance and making them inaccessible to the very communities that created them. She addresses the ways in which trauma, racial identity, and societal marginalization intersect with self-care, shedding light on the ongoing struggle for true healing.
By drawing from her personal experiences as a queer Muslim woman of South Asian descent, Róisín unpacks the complexities of seeking wellness in a world that often excludes or exploits marginalized groups. The book ultimately advocates for a more inclusive, decolonized approach to health, healing, and well-being.
It’s an essential read for anyone interested in the intersections of race, identity, mental health, and the broader wellness movement.
