When the creators of Afrochic dreamed of the type of city they wanted to live in, they realized something was missing. Toronto was filled with a strong black artists and entrepreneurs, but they existed in silos and didn't always have the avenues to connect with each other.

The founders wanted to create a multi-faceted space that celebrated the vibrant culture and artistic expression of the African-Canadian diaspora. As executive producer Amoye Henry put it: "We still saw very few and limited spaces that were speaking to our Afropolitan experiences — so naturally, we created a space for ourselves." So in 2010, Afrochic was born.

After a successful five-year run, providing a platform for many underrepresented artists, they hosted what seemed like it would be the final show. But now, following two years of hiatus, the event — which has featured over 30 black designers from across Canada, as well as numerous musicians, spoken word performers, visual artists and dancers — has re-emerged to continue the important work that had been started.

Hosted by CBC Arts' own Amanda Parris and headlined by Grammy-nominated musician Jidenna, the night featured a multitude of artists from aerial silk dancers to spoken word poets to body painters — and it became clear that the event had returned not a minute too soon.