In Search of a Dark Star: A 10 Year Retrospective by Olubiyi Thomas
26th June - July 1st 2026
In Search of a Dark Star is an immersive exhibition that celebrates 10 years of the independent fashion label Olubiyi Thomas. Like dark stars, believed to have existed long before conventional stars and although made up of dark matter would have been dazzlingly luminous, Olubiyi’s work has been consistently inspired by the concepts of transition, contradiction and reinvention.
While the legacies of his Nigerian and Scottish backgrounds are regularly foregrounded in his utilisation and transformation of both West African textile traditions and tartan, Olubiyi’s work is unashamedly eclectic; a result of his meticulous and diverse research. Dogon mythology, late 18th and early 19th century tailoring traditions, the 1968 cult classic Highlander, alchemy and the communication of ‘hidden’ knowledge enshrined in the concept of mystery schools, are just some of the subjects that have informed his work both as a fashion and performance designer.
Underpinning his conviction in the necessity of interrogating fixed cultural and artistic positions, is his passionate belief in sustainability. Material and conceptual recycling is at the heart of Olubiyi’s work as textiles are reworked, existing garments repurposed, and traditional cultural assumptions challenged.
In Search of a Dark Star will give visitors a unique insight into Olubiyi’s career and design aesthetic alongside presenting an immersive space in which Post Nigredo, his latest collection will be presented.