Moving African Fashion Forward

The state of African fashion

‘African fashion is now recognised in the international fashion scene,’ states Ramata Diallo at the start of our conversation. She explains how the Africa Fashion exhibition in the Brooklyn Museum and the V&A Museum has introduced it to a wider audience with gravitas and prestige.

Several African fashion designers, such as Kenneth Ize, Thebe Magugu and Lagos Space Programme, have won or been shortlisted for the LVMH fashion prize.

At Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2024, MaXhosa Africa presented its work for the first time as the only Africa-based brand on the official schedule. ‘I believe we, the African continent, stand a good chance to play a big part in the global value ecosystem of the fashion business,’ said Laduma Ngxokolo, chief creative director of MaXhosa Africa.

Western luxury brands are also getting more involved in creativity on the African continent. In 2022, Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show in the Senegalese capital of Dakar was the first European luxury brand to host a fashion show in Sub-Saharan Africa, while Dior’s 75th-anniversary show was held at the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Fashion buyers and insiders are also encountering more African designers at events such as the Tranoï Trade Show in Paris or during the haute couture shows where Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi was invited as a guest designer on the official schedule in 2020. As indicated by the 32 annual fashion weeks across the continent, Africa is rich with talent in haute couture and design techniques. Projections suggest a 42% surge in demand for African haute couture in the 2030s (source: Unesco).

It’s not just about culture, sales are also following the buzz. In 2024, the revenue in the apparel market in Africa is valued at £56.3bn ($70.58bn, €65.5bn) and is projected to grow annually by 5.16% between 2024 and 2028 (source: Statista). Women’s apparel is leading this growth as the largest segment in the market.

The evolving African consumer

By 2050, one in four global inhabitants will be African (source: United Nations), representing opportunities for the fashion industry. Products that are made in Africa are being embraced by the continent’s youthful demographic (50% of the total population is under 25) and the burgeoning middle class (35% of the population) (source: Unesco).

According to Diallo, fashion brands have even more people to dress because the African consumer has three different wardrobes. ‘One of them is definitely the Western wardrobe. Everything from a French luxury brand to Zara,’ she explains. The second wardrobe is traditional fashion inspired by pre-colonial styles for ceremonial events such as weddings, baptisms or funerals where people dress up: ‘From the children to the grandparents, everybody is going to be dressed up and dressed very well.’ Fashion is taken very seriously, Diallo explains, to the extent that fashion designers aren’t always allowed to say for whom they work or to post about it on social media. It’s not even possible to wear the same outfit twice. The third and last wardrobe is a blend of contemporary and African-inspired fashion with a modern twist.

Diallo credits Lagos-based designer Atafo for embracing this concept of a triple wardrobe for each client. The brand offers different ranges of clothes from impeccable British tailoring to contemporary hybrids of Western and traditional clothing such as African kaftans made in chambray cotton and worn with denim wide-leg trousers – all designed, made and produced in Lagos.

Retail strategies

‘We need to avoid comparing fashion business in Western countries and Africa,’ states Diallo. Retail strategies, for instance, must be adapted to local consumer behaviours. She describes the strong customer-designer relationships formed through real-life interactions in showrooms, shops and workshops and personalised communication channels such as direct WhatsApp video calls and voice notes. If live-streaming is only emerging in Europe and North America, it has been a standard for digitally savvy African consumers for a while.

Diallo also observes that the key performance indicators for success in African fashion differ from Western standards. She says: ‘Our criteria for looking on Google or Instagram in order to know if the business is going well or is going bad is not the right one for the African fashion business. Designers don’t have time to work on SEO for Google because they are working on a major wedding or events for VIPs.’

Smartphones and apps like Orange Money and WhatsApp Business are facilitating business transactions and fostering direct connections with customers. In her view, the emphasis is on nurturing existing multigenerational relationships rather than expanding reach through digital platforms.

One significant challenge for retailers lies in the transition from made-to-order to ready-to-wear. Diallo insists on the need to ‘develop expertise in terms of fitting and sizing to produce in a more efficient way’. But designers must navigate this shift while maintaining the integrity of their craft and resisting the lure of mass production.

What’s next for African fashion

Diallo envisions a future where African fashion emerges as a structured industry: ‘I feel like we are going to see more African fashion schools and more fashion weeks in Africa and more fashion federations. We’re going to see labels protecting the tradition, the know-how and the craftsmanship.’ She said cultural appropriation will be less of a conversation as the African fashion industry will be organised enough to protect and promote the tradition itself.

Culture will also be paramount. She anticipates the rise of African media platforms dedicated to promoting the continent's creative industry. ‘We are always discussing Vogue and why we don’t have Vogue Africa. It won’t be like an African version of a franchise of something happening in the Western world, it’s going to be African media.’ She parallels the burgeoning influence of African musicians like Burna Boy, Rema and Tyla, the success of afrobeat and the filmmaking scene on the continent with what she foresees for fashion. ‘People are interested in African stories. It will be the same for fashion.’