There is a fashion renaissance going on in Africa – from street clothes to luxury wear.
Recent years have seen a flurry of new design collections from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Diane von Furstenberg, Junta Watanabe and more, all inspired by Africa’s vibrant colours. Increasingly, designers create collections locally in Africa, ranging from the ASOS Africa apparel collection, through to Vivienne Westwood’s bag collection made in ethical workshops in Kenya, to the collaboration between denim urban street brand Diesel and Edun (the brand label of Bono and wife Ali Hewson). And more designers are sourcing and manufacturing their work in Africa, selling them locally and in international markets.
In Fashion Africa Jacqueline Shaw showcases 40 of these designers, across the whole continent from Kayobi in Ghana to Brother Vellies in South Africa and Namibia, with specially commissioned photographs and revealing interviews.
The designers are honest about the challenges of producing in Africa; poor infrastructure, especially transportation; lack of specialized machinery; gaps in the supply chain that mean, for instance, that Africa grows 12% of the world’s cotton but exports 95% of this because there are not the mills and factories to process it.
But they also enthuse about Africa’s potential: on a creative level, the variety of fabrics, colours, craft techniques, and artistic and cultural influences. At a business level, the fashion industry can be an engine for economic growth because it’s relatively cheap to set up shop, and the brand values can centre around ethical standards that compare well to the world’s image of sweatshops in Asia.
At a time when Africa is enjoying unprecedented economic growth and a rapidly expanding middle class, fashion offers both a creative and a business opportunity.
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