Africa Has the Potential to Influence Global Fashion in the Future.

Despite a number of obstacles, the continent offers a number of distinctive qualities that might help it succeed.
Editor’s Note: As African designers become more well-known for their distinct aesthetic and creative application of regional materials, fashion weeks and trade exhibitions serve as venues. China Daily examines the prospects and difficulties confronting the rapidly expanding sector.
Award-winning Kenyan designer Aulga Nato was thrilled to present her works during this month’s Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week in Ethiopia.

Models wearing creations by Nato and her other designers walked an outdoor catwalk at the Skylight Hotel during the four-day fashion spectacle in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. 5,150 people attended the event, which is regarded as one of the best fashion exhibitions on the continent, according to the organizers.

“African fashion is just now becoming more well-recognized. I have witnessed African aesthetics that are radically unlike global examples,” stated NATO. “Africa is bringing new and innovative ideas, while the rest of the world is merely copying designs. Additionally, I think that we are in right now.”

Nato is well aware of this, having won the African Icon Hope Awards’ African Emerging Designer of the Year title the previous year. Africa, in her opinion, will serve as the center of the world’s fashion in the future.

The fashion industry in Africa is poised to take the lead in the world fashion scene, according to a UNESCO research published in October titled “The Fashion Sector in Africa: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for Growth.”

“The African fashion industry is being driven by a number of causes, including the continent’s youthful, inventive, and expanding population, a burgeoning middle class, fast urbanization, and more government assistance. The study said, “The potential is enormous, not just for the economy but also for the inclusion of young people, the empowerment of women, and the global resonance of African culture.”

The majority of fashion businesses in Africa are micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises that cater to the hyperlocal market by offering ready-to-wear and made-to-order clothing. However, the report also noted an increasing number of high-end brands that are centered in important markets like Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. These cater to a select clientele of wealthy local and foreign consumers by offering luxury goods.

One such company is owned by Grace Mbugua, who concurs that the African fashion market has the potential for expansion.
Mbugua, who was present during the Addis Ababa fashion week, stated that occasions like this will significantly contribute to drawing attention to African design globally.
“Business growth is one of the advantages of these fashion fairs; this is achieved through partnerships, exposure, and learning about current trends and global demand.
Mbugua, who owns J-Lo Collections, a company that produces leather, textiles, and home décor items, stated that Ethiopia is one of the world’s top producers of leather goods.
“I have had the chance to see some of the leather they have,” she added. “They have beautiful and refined leather, and I am looking forward to getting to Kenya.”

Ducks in a row
Even though she was impressed by Ethiopia’s leather business, other attendees of Fashion Week said that in order for Ethiopia and Africa as a whole to fully profit from the fashion industry, they must first get their houses in order.
The quality of leather goods such as shoes, purses, and gloves has improved over the past ten years across Africa, according to Mishamo Wakaso, CEO of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Leather Research and Development Center. With exports worth over $140 million, Ethiopia ranks as Africa’s fifth-largest exporter of leather and leather goods.
But supply, according to Wakaso, is the biggest issue confronting the leather sector in Africa.

Animal skins are sourced from Africa’s vast cattle population, but there are issues with access to the chemicals, equipment, and supplies needed to process the skins.
“Europe, China, and India import the majority of the chemicals used in leather manufacturing that are utilized in Africa. Due to this, there is a severe shortage on the continent and high demand, according to Wakaso.
According to Wakaso, African governments must make investments in the sector to raise the caliber of goods if they want to see Africa take its rightful place in the world of fashion.
He thinks African fashion has the potential to expand rapidly despite its early setbacks, particularly if the continent’s 1 billion people were to seek inside for a market.

“We as Africans must integrate and foster market integration in order to lessen these difficulties. Because of our trade restrictions, we are selling to Europe and India but are not taking advantage of the enormous market in Africa,” he stated.
“The African Continental Free Trade Agreement needs to be fixed in order to draw in investors. For instance, a business that manufactures chemicals may locate its plant in Ethiopia and engage in business with Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, and other African nations.”

According to Wakaso, 37 of Africa’s 54 countries grow cotton, making the continent a key supplier of raw materials for the fashion industry. The average annual value of textile exports from the continent is $15.5 billion.

According to Mbugua, African governments need to play a more significant role in facilitating local commerce in the leather and textile sectors by integrating markets and building the required infrastructure.

“African governments have the ability to facilitate cross-border travel by making it easier for individuals to move between their countries. Even if travel and visa restrictions between nations continue to be problems, I hope that things will improve. Rwanda has eliminated the need for Africans to have a visa, and Kenya has committed to doing the same by December. These developments thrill me,” Mbugua stated.

According to Mbugua, occasions such as Ethiopian Fashion Week provide African business participants with a chance to establish networks and cooperate on a continental scale.
With these gatherings, we hope to develop as individuals and to create Africa and East Africa together, since there are a lot of amazing opportunities right now. Our goal is to help our members build themselves in order to access markets and ensure that we are competitive in unity; therefore, we would love to create African Fashion Week chapters throughout Africa and then grow our companies,” she stated.
The fact that Africa’s textile imports, including apparel and footwear, are valued at $23.1 billion annually, nearly double the value of exports, indicates that African fashion entrepreneurs do not have access to the continent’s market.

“Trade exhibitions, industry gatherings, and joint ventures are being organized by African nations more and more.
One such instance is Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week, according to the article.
According to NATO, occasions like Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week provide a platform for the global community to engage with the finest of African culture.
“Authenticity and individuality are what set African fashion apart. You can see that most fashion firms throughout the world have done so much that their current offerings lack originality. Africa, on the other hand, produces a lot of fabric, grows a lot of cotton, and is wealthy in every manner.

That’s how we dress. “I believe we are the next big thing if the world will focus on us,” stated Nato, who owns the upscale brand Nato Design House.

Market-oriented
She counseled industry participants to put their all into their work and strive to become masters, notwithstanding the difficulties encountered by young designers on the continent.
“As an upcoming designer, you should strive to learn and understand your clients,” Nato said. “Listen to your clients, listen to what the market wants as opposed to what you want.”

The majority of those involved in the African fashion business also think that the continent can set the standard for sustainable practices and fashion worldwide. Because Africa is not a wasteful continent, NATO thinks that little actions like gathering rubbish and repurposing or redesigning it might help cut down on waste.

“Personally, I get to check back on some of my designs that did not move and redesign them before putting them back on the market,” Nato said.
“Some of my clients purchase dresses from me for certain events, and after they wear them, they are unable to reuse them. When this occurs, I am able to persuade my clients to return the dresses, and I then resell the gowns to buyers who can afford to purchase and wear them once again.”

Mbugua thinks that by enacting laws to create secure tannery systems for the leather sector, African nations are setting the standard for sustainability.

“We employ vegetable tannins to preserve, reinforce, and color our hide in Kenya, for example. This practice is known as vegetable tanning. Chemicals are harmful to the environment and have an impact on water systems, which is why this is.
According to her, we also want our suppliers to have the same degree of environmental consciousness.
Exhibiting at the Ethiopian Fashion Week and Fair is Ghanaian Solomon Dodoo, who claims that a tour of the booths highlights how colorful and dynamic African fabrics are, as well as how they embrace the richness of African culture.

“Going through the items on display at this fashion event, you notice that every single fabric is unique, and there are no two fabrics that look alike,” said Dodoo.
“Africa is providing the world with exquisite textiles, and I hope that people would take advantage of this and believe that Africa truly has a wonderful culture when it comes to textiles.
We are the designers of tomorrow.”

Content courtesy of China Daily & NFH