Nigeria has been experiencing financial instability in recent years, marked by inflation, rising living costs, and currency depreciation. As a result, the naira has become an indicator of a national burden. A collective anxiety. Given the context, Nigerian artist Tosin Sam teamed up with handmade brand SleepHammer for a conceptual project that reflects the currency’s tiredness, turning this economic struggle into a wearable product.
This is how the “Even the Naira Needs Sleep” project was born; a limited-edition sleep mask that carries the nation’s economic stress in its design. A sleep mask is a comfort item we use to create a mini sanctuary where everyday life — with its stress and worries — is shut out, even for a brief moment. However, in this context, the silk-cotton mask becomes a communication tool that speaks about the currency’s fatigue, symbolically pointing out to a pause the nation needs in these financially turbulent times.
Each mask is embroidered with the portraits of two recognizable political figures: Obafemi Awolowo and Benjamin Franklin, whose faces can be seen on the 100 Naira and the 100 US Dollar bills. Their eyes, once filled with confidence, are now replaced by a tired, bloodshot gaze, silently suggesting economic instability triggered by the unequal pressures in exchange rates. The message starts to make more sense when worn; with eyes covered by these, the wearers become silent protesters of this restless economy.
The packaging accompanying the masks is crafted to be more than just a box. According to the artist, “it’s an experience,” one that can be enabled via the drawer-style structure, the two die-cut windows, and the AR filter, which allows the tired eyes to come to life.
The message printed on the back strap of the masks not only reflects the current economic reality but also suggests digital wallets and cryptocurrency as a modern solution to face the physical currency instability.
“In a country where the economy feels like it’s unraveling, even the Naira deserves rest. This project reimagines the sleep mask as a quiet protest — a stitched story of exhaustion, resilience, and hope. In collaboration with SleepHammer, each mask becomes a personal artifact of resistance and beauty,” said Sam on his Behance page.
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