For 10 years, Brand Africa has been working to mobilise Africans and the diaspora to proactively drive a brand-led African agenda. Its founder and chairman ThebeIkalafeng tells us how Africa can build more successful brands
When you look at African brands today, would you say they are stronger than they were 10 years ago?
As was the case at the turn of the decade, there remains a stronger enthusiasm for building African brands. But the rhetoric doesn’t match the reality. There is not as much progress in the narrative about creating great brands. If you look at some of the stalwart brands, whether it is the MTNs, the Safaricoms, the Dangotes, those have consolidated their strengths and their brands remain a staple across the continent. But these are a minority: we need to see a lot more brands coming to the fore.
In this past decade, we’ve seen a greater presence of African talent globally, be it in fashion, music, the arts. Doesn’t that reflect a stronger ‘Brand Africa’?
Africa has never lacked talent and the world has never stopped looking to Africa for inspiration. What we haven’t seen emerge prominently are global African brands, even as “essential” as the likes of Zara and H&M or luxury such as Hermes and Goyard. Where the likes of Zara and H&M and others lead isn’t just in fast fashion but in fast thinking to adopt or adapt to trends and consumer insights.
There are many examples of African talent out there. The young South African designer, Thebe Magugu, the first South African to win the prestigious LVMH Prize for fashion design. The ready-to-wear African fashion retailer, KISUA, founded by Ghanaian Sam Mensah to challenge the likes of Zara and H&M. Alara, the high-end Nigerian retailer founded by Nigerian businesswoman Reni Folawiyo. We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of enthusiasm, we have a lot of excitement and drive but unfortunately we don’t see enough resources, patience and patronage that will support their growth.
Are you saying we need to invest more in brand building or do we need to think about brands differently, in terms of what a brand stands for, in terms of what a brand represents and making that brand go global?
There’s two parts to it. Generally speaking, millennials are less forgiving of and loyal to brands than the older generations. They will move on to the next brand if that brand does not live up to its promise in terms of what it does functionally, but also in terms of how it fits into society or how they see themselves, what it does for the environment. In Africa we’re too forgiving and we have often returned to the very brands that have been less than benevolent or respectful to us – often because of a lack of alternatives.
Two decades ago, while I was marketing director for Nike for the continent, on my first trip to Cannes in France, for the biggest advertising gathering in the world, I was quite astounded to see that a lot of the brands from England were inspired by and leverage their English heritage. The French were selling France. But the brands from Africa were trying to be American, British or French.
It was a woke moment for me. African brands cannot and should not compete with the French on how to be French. They don’t have the authority or the authenticity. We need to take a distinctive African narrative to the world. It’s what at Brand Leadership we call “thinking locally and acting globally”. In other words, we should be inspired by our African identity and heritage but deliver to a global standard.
Where do you think Africa is going to be piercing through? Is it going to be in fashion, the arts, music, culture or is it going to be in tech, innovation, banking, logistics?
The greatest opportunity and low hanging fruit for African brands is in technology and the arts. If you look at a brand like EVC in Somalia, Wari in Senegal and leading the pack, M-Pesa, technology has enabled us to leapfrog many Western nations with bricks and mortar legacy issues. Mobile money is where Africa has probably shown its greatest leadership. They are being referenced. Thus, Rwanda and Kenya are fast-tracking their initiatives to build world class technology cities to leverage technology to drive development not just for Africa but the world.
When it comes to arts and culture, we’ve always been present with a global influence from South Africa’s Miriam Makeba collaborating with Harry Belafonte in the 60s, or the most successful broadway production, the Lion King, or Mantsho, the South African designers collaborating with H&M for their first global Africa-inspired range. Luxury fashion brands are continuously looking to Africa for inspiration.
The problem isn’t our talent, it’s the ownership of our creative output. We are often invited rather than owning the space and dictating our own terms. Thus Stella McCartney can charge $1,000 for an item we sell for $5 or Louis Vuitton can overtly reference a Lesotho blanket and we’ll be the first in line to pay the 3000% premium.
We can reclaim our space because there’s already an appreciation of “African” aesthetic or rather, an appreciation of the design aesthetic that makes Africa different and admired.
We’ve got a Ghanaian and Kenyan at the helm of British Vogue and another Ghanaian at LVMH, so we are seeing these guys in the high profile places in global fashion. Yet African fashion remains a very small component of global fashion.
Unfortunately, while we have assumed those global positions which in theory are influential, the most transformation we’ve seen are the faces on the covers and names behind the titles. It has not yet translated to African-inspired creativity, African sourcing and African wealth. While Virgil Abloh has brought street cred inspired by hip-hop and rap culture to Louis Vuitton, he has yet to bring a compelling Africa narrative. But it’s a good start.
One thing that stands out from the survey: Africa has got tech brands we consume daily, the Googles and the Facebooks, and yet they’re not as prominent as your traditional brands. Why is that?
People’s relationship with brands is quite instructive. Some brands become part of a person’s identity and affiliation and others a necessary evil, so to speak.
Generally, media and financial “brands” aren’t viewed as a “badge of identity” but a necessary evil. They are viewed as essential commodities rather than “brands” that reflect their status or standing. That’s the difference.
Finally, right now, we are going through a crisis, a health crisis and an economic one. People say crises make reputations. How do you build brands through a crisis?
As our Africa’s Best Brands initiative shows, we have mostly relied on non-African brands for luxury but on African brands for essentials. During this crisis, where the non-African and other luxury brands have been put on pause, we’ve relied ever more on the essential brands, mostly African, for our day to day.
Out of this crisis those essential brands that have delivered with empathy, urgency and necessity will be rewarded. The time out of the global spotlight due to the pandemic has created an opportunity to deepen local brands’ engagement with African consumers in their time of need beyond just their functional needs and has laid a foundation and an opportunity once more for African brands to rise to the challenge
The African Development Bank’s Fashionomics Africa initiative on Tuesday launched its first webinar series to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry. In total, 136 fashion entrepreneurs, digital innovators and creative minds joined the discussion. The theme of the first episode of the series was: “What does the COVID-19 disruption mean for Africa’s Fashion Market? Opportunities and Threats for Fashionpreneurs and Investors.”
Supporting investment for the micro, small and medium enterprises in the creative and cultural industries, creating the right environment for the financial sector to play its full part in powering growth, lies at the heart of the African Development Bank’s agenda,” said Vanessa Moungar, Director of the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department at the African Development Bank.
The participants exchanged ideas and shared lessons learned on how to take advantage of online tools to strengthen businesses. Panelists included representatives from supply chain giant Maersk, the HEVAFund for financing creative industries, the founder of made-in-Africa online brand Tongoro, and Afrikrea – an African e-commerce platform specializing in fashion and crafts.
“African fashion is rising right now. African designers need to develop their unique business model and have to be innovative. To do so, digital is key,” said Sarah Diouf, founder of Tongoro. “It’s a tool that we can truly leverage to our advantage. Africa has many stories to share and tell.”
Wakiuru Njuguna, Investment Manager and Partner at the HEVA Fund, said sustainability was going to be key to the future of fashion. “Going forward, sustainable fashion is going to be the way to go. The African fashion brands need to be ready to answer the questions they will be asked,” she said.
Subsequent Fashionomics Africa webinars will be available on the Fashionomics Africa Digital Marketplace and Mobile App (available both on IOS and Android). The platform aims to help Africa’s fashion designers, textile and accessories professionals connect with regional and global markets. Sign up on Fashionomics Africa here.Registration is free.
Fashionomics Africa leverages data and communication technologies to help entrepreneurs access business skills, finance and other tools.
Content courtesy of The African Development Bank & Fashionomics Africa
A South African e-commerce fashion retailer has received a vote of confidence from an international private equity firm, which has invested R100-million into the business.
RunwaySale, which operates out of Cape Town, received the funding from SPEAR Capital which invests in consumer-based businesses supported by the spending of the African middle class. It has offices in Scandinavia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Exclusive Online Shopping Society
RunwaySale positions itself as an ‘exclusive online shopping society’ – a members-only private online shopping club. It offers 300-plus high-end fashion brands to an exclusive community of shoppers who check the site, mobile app and social media platforms daily in order to take advantage of the latest offers.
Explaining how the Runway Sale business model works in an interview with The Money Show, co-founder and CEO Karl Hammerschmidt said: “We obviously have a lower cost base to work against, so we can pass value on to the consumer and our various brand partners… at the end of the day it helps them to earn revenue… it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Sells Designer Brands At Discounted Prices
Founded in 2012 by the husband-and-wife team of Karl and Elmien, who is now the COO, RunwaySale describes itself as South Africa’s largest such shopping club. It notes on its website that it “sells designer brands at discount prices by hosting flash events”. It claims its prices may be discounted by up to 70%.
“E-commerce accounts for one percent of all retail in South Africa and, even before the coronavirus pandemic, was set to grow exponentially,” said Karl. “The synergies between the SPEAR Capital team and our own gives us the confidence and practical support we need to develop RunwaySale into a leading player in the local and regional e-commerce market.”
Former Tj Maxx Executive Appointed As Advisor
As part of this new partnership, Christophe Gaigneux, who was online chief executive for the European division of American department store chain TJ Maxx, has been appointed to the RunwaySale advisory board.
“The potential for e-commerce to contribute meaningfully to the local economy has never been greater and RunwaySale will be key to meeting the demand we know is building up in consumers across all demographics in South Africa,” Gaigneux is quoted as saying by Business Tech.
When African Business carried out their survey of Africa’s most admired brands for the first time in 2010, things were looking optimistic for African brands, but since then their representation in the ranking has dropped by nearly two-thirds. What will it take to allow African brands to compete with the global giants that dominate the table? Brand Africa founder Thebe Ikalafeng examines the results of the 2020 survey and reflects on what they tell you.
In the midst of the euphoric and successful staging of the first FIFA World Cup in Africa when internal pride and admiration of Africa was arguably at its highest, African brands also enjoyed their most dominant position in the inaugural Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands ranking. Back in 2010/11, when we launched the ranking of Africa’s best brands, African brands accounted for 34 of the 100 most admired African brands, following a continent-wide poll.
The then president of the African Development Bank, Dr Donald Kaberuka, stated that “Africa’s private sector is poised to become the main engine of growth for the African continent.” Following a decade of growth driven by public investments, the advent of technology, rising exports to China and a fast-growing consumer class, the private sector, the engine of brands, was predicted to fuel the growth of the continent.
With the rise of new African private sector champions, many anticipated the emergence and rise of African brands. Growth was projected to reach 6.2% by 2020. A decade later, in the midst of a global health and economic pandemic, the optimism has been tempered. Growth projections at the start of the year hovered around 3.9% but now there is talk of Africa’s first recession in 25 years.
Africa’s Top 100 Brands 2020
How is this reflecting on African brands? It’s a bleak outcome. This year’s ranking shows a further decline for African brands, representing 13% of this year’s list, little more than a third of their showing a decade earlier. This is their lowest performance to date, down 2% from last year. Asia (16%), Europe (42%) and North America (29%) have all managed to increase their share.
Overall, out of the top 100 most admired brands from our first ranking in 2010/11, only half still appear in this year’s list. This is due to mergers, acquisitions and the obsolescence of many brands. The most prominent changes are in the technology category with the demise of Blackberry (#32 in 2010/11); the consolidation of Vodafone (#54 in 2010/11 and now #13); which acquired Vodacom in 2008 and rebranded in 2011; Etisalat (#40 in 2010/11) rebranding to 9 Mobile in 2017; and Motorola (#39) being acquired by Lenovo in 2014. We’ve also seen the rise of Chinese brand Tecno, which has raced up the ranking from #33 to #5 – a dominant performance for one of China’s premier global brands that’s not even sold in China!
Mergers and acquisitions will impact the rankings in different ways. Following a merger it will take time for a brand to rebuild its presence and this appears to be the case for Absa as it asserts its brand beyond South Africa. Despite rebranding back to Absa in 2018 after UK-based Barclays sold back its shareholding in Barclays Africa to the South African banking group, it has dropped out of this year’s rankings as it rebuilds its brand across the continent, having featured at #76 in 2010/11. The same is true for former South African brewer, SAB Miller, since the multi-billion dollar merger between AB InBev and SAB Miller in 2016. It took the #31 spot in 2011, with its iconic beer Castle at #67, but neither feature this year.
The goddess of victory
American sports brand Nike retained its top spot for the third year in a row as the #1 most admired brand in Africa. Ranked #9 a decade ago, the brand today reigns supreme, buoyed by partnerships with record-breaking African athletes such as Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, the sub-two-hour marathon runner, and also by global collaborations such as the ones with South Africa designer Poppy Karabo and Nigeria’s music sensation Wizkid on his Starboy brand.
Nike also sponsors the shirts of the Nigerian and South African football national teams, thus being ever visible throughout sub-Saharan Africa. As a result of these high-profile actions, Nike continues to reign as an aspirational and go-to brand for sports, fitness and lifestyle.
What is African?
The dominance of non-African brands is unabated. In the survey question to determine the most admired African brands (see our methodology), a host of non-African brands are identified as African. Brands such as Coca-Cola (#2 in 2011 and #4 in 2020) top the list of such brands. The company has been on the continent for almost 100 years and through innovative distribution and engaging localised campaign strategies tailored to African markets, it has achieved ubiquity and a certain Africanness. Where else would you have someone ordering a warm coke, as is often the case in East Africa?
A common theme among the top 10 such brands is their deep local insights, localised marketing and outsize marketing budgets. As a result they have managed to create an intimate and infectious relationship with the African consumer. The strategy for these global brands has been, as Brand Leadership terms it, to “think locally and act globally”.
This is the case for brands such as Vlisco, the Dutch wax fabric designer, which is dominant in its sector, and Guinness, consumed by more people in Africa than its own domestic market in Ireland. The same is true for Vodafone and Airtel.
Africans don’t prefer local
Among the 27 countries surveyed, which account for over 85% of the continent’s population and GDP, only in Zimbabwe (through Econet), in Zambia (through Trade Kings) and in Tanzania (with Azam) do we have a local brand taking the country’s #1 spot.
In Liberia, an African brand from another country, MTN, takes the #1 spot, but in all the other countries, it is a non-African brand: Nike (11 out of 27), Samsung (4/27), Coke (3/27) and Adidas (2/27) lead the way, with Tecno, Orange and Airtel each dominant in one country.
Powerhouse African brands, such as Dangote in Nigeria, Safaricom in Kenya and MTN in South Africa, don’t even make the top spot in their domestic markets, and in North Africa, all the Top 10 most admired brands in Egypt and Morocco are non-African.
Kings of finance
GTBank claimed back the #1 spot this year, in a specific question and ranking of brands in financial services, after falling out of the top five in 2019. Its clever marketing, global presence and some of its flagship food and fashion events have undoubtedly helped make it a fixture of daily life in some of its key markets, especially its home base Nigeria. The bank has taken banking and finance to the people, and associating this with something fun and useful.
Interestingly, every brand in last year’s top five (FNB, Bank of Africa and Standard Bank) has lost ground in the rankings, with only Ecobank and Absa managing to stay within the top five. The industry is dominated by African giants. International brands do feature in some cases but these are payment companies as opposed to traditional banks – Paypal, Western Union and Visa. We expect to see mobile money and other disruptors muscle their way up the ranking as we see an increase in digitisation and digital-led economies, something which this pandemic has only accelerated.
Where’s the African media?
As part of the survey, we also ask media-specific questions. The top 25 media is once again dominated by international groups, led by the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera. Only seven of our top 25 originate from Africa which begs the question how much of our narrative do we control.
The major shift has come as non-traditional media have entered the sway. Streaming giant Netflix comes in at #10, ahead of traditional media stalwarts such as SABC, France24 and Sky News. Just outside the top 10, at #12, social media juggernaut Facebook also ranked above traditional media brands such as Sky (#21), France24 (#15) and Fox (#23). Making up our list are other digital players: YouTube comes in at #20, Google at #24 and Instagram at #25. These non-traditional players have increasingly positioned themselves as, and are, preferred media channels among African consumers.
Made in Africa
When prompted to choose their favourite African brand, the split is pretty even between South, East and West Africa. Compared to last year, East Africa increased its contribution by 4% to 36%. West Africa came in with 28% of those brands represented and Southern Africa with 36%. A key driver for East Africa’s growth is the Tanzanian conglomerate Azam, with a diverse portfolio that spans media and consumer goods, and a rebranding that has started to reap rewards and endearment from the region’s consumers.
While its peers are on their knees, the crown jewel of the African skies, Ethiopian Airlines, continues to grow its brand, moving 14 spots to #7. Increased market share from a bigger fleet and new routes, an ambitious growth strategy and its status as an airline that actually manages to make money have turned it, it appears, into the “Pride of Africa”, as it likes to call itself.
Zimbabwe’s stalwart brand, Econet, has slid eight places to #13. It is hard to pinpoint exact reasons but it’s been a tough year for the group which last year pulled the plug on its pay-TV venture, Kwese media. The group has an important African footprint through Liquid Telecom, an internet solution provider, and its reputation will only increase if it manages to acquire a telecoms licence in Ethiopia, which is opening up its market to foreign entities.
Jumia, dubbed “The Amazon of Africa” at its audacious launch on the NYSE, has struggled to match expectations, dropping five spots to #18. Jumia, and many e-commerce brands in Africa have their work cut out, especially with e-commerce giants Alibaba (#92 in the main table) and Amazon (#56 in the main table) lurking in the background. The African consumer may be their next battle ground. Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba, launched the Africa Netpreneur Prize last year to support the next generation of African entrepreneurs, with the understanding, as he sees it, that “a digital revolution, will make it possible to turn Africa into a global hub”.
One company trying to create a hub in motor manufacturing is Nigeria’s Innoson. The brand, which comes in at #10 in our most admired African brand category, whose ambition is to eradicate tokunbo (used foreign automobiles) from Africa, manufactures cars and motorbikes in the industrial heartland of Nigeria in Anambra state. Our main top 100 list, however, only features non-African automobile majors such as Toyota (#11), Mercedes Benz (#19) and BMW (#40).
Winners and losers
In the main table, one of this year’s big winners is Indomie, which comes in at #34. An Indonesian based company that entered the Nigerian market over 30 years ago has today managed to turn instant noodles into a staple food in Africa’s most populous country, challenging jollof rice for main billing in Nigerian households. It controls 74% of the market and the brand is so popular that the Indonesian trade minister Enggartiasto Lukita said that most Nigerians make the common mistake thinking of Indomie as a local product. To many Nigerians, all noodles are Indomie!
The second highest mover is Vlisco, moving 50 places to #45. Vlisco is arguably the most dominant brand representing African fashion. Its success has shone a light on African fashion and undoubtedly inspired other global brands, such as LV Basotho’s range of blankets or Christian Louboutin’s collaboration with Senegalese artists to launch the Africaba Tote Bag incorporating bold Ankara prints that originated in West Africa.
The world of fashion has helped African style go global. More recently we saw English designer Stella McCartney also use Ankara inspired prints in her Paris show and Thai-American designer Thakoon taking inspiration from the Maasai for his latest collection. In a resurgence and appreciation of “African fabrics” most of which are inspired by Vlisco, among the “brands” mentioned by respondents were Mozambique’s “Capulana”, Ghana’s “Kente” and Zambia’s “Kitenge”.
The company that has moved most in our rankings is French dairy company Danone, moving up 60 places to #30. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, however, for this brand that celebrated its 100th birthday last year. In Morocco, a major market for the company, it suffered a wide boycott in 2018. However, following some consumer engagement sessions and nationwide awareness-raising it has managed to build back this brand equity. The brand won an award at the Peace and Sport Awards in late 2019 and the year saw the return of the Danone Nations World Cup, with Danone taking kids from all around the world to Barcelona to compete in this prestigious competition.
One brand that has dropped significantly since we compiled the first rankings is Dolce & Gabbana, dropping from #58 in 2010 to #98 today. In a YouGov survey in the US conducted in February 2020, it was the least popular luxury brand in the rankings. This slide of the popularity of the former global trendsetter in America appears also to be the case in Africa.
Another brand that seems to have lost its lustre is Turkey’s LC Waikiki, falling 32 places to #99. Its higher position last year coincided with a campaign they ran as they expanded their footprint in Kenya and South Africa. This year’s ranking is probably a truer reflection of its position.
Conclusion
So what does this year’s ranking tell us? After an exciting early start to the decade, and despite a vibrant entrepreneurial environment with pockets of excellence, the scramble for the much trumpeted value and size of the African consumer spend is still taking place between brands from outside the continent rather than from within.
What Africa isn’t short of are ideas, blueprints and enthusiasm. But they require financial and government support to really grow and take off. We appear to be moving in the right direction: the African Continental Free Trade Area will help our brands reach new markets; the removal of travel barriers with the African Union Passport will also enable Africans to discover new brands as they travel the continent.
But to compete with the global behemoths will require greater ambitions for our brands to be the ones our people aspire to and respect – “top-of-mind” brands that we don’t only consume but which represent the lives we want to live. That will require a change of mindset from the top down. It can’t be someone else’s story or success. It needs to come from within. The next decade cannot be another promise for an “Africa rising”, an “African renaissance” or “Africa’s time”. Africa’s time is NOW.
Contributors: Tshepang Makofane, Reahile Ramathesele (Brand Leadership), Karin du Chenne (Kantar) and Thabani Khumalo (Malo & Fynn Group).
This article originally appeared on African Business
In an effort to further curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Kenyan government has directed all citizens to wear masks when in public spaces.
On March 30th, Kenya Fashion Council put out an appeal on social media, requesting designers and fashion industry members to share information on their capacity to produce face masks and PPEs.
Within 24 hours, the Kenya Fashion Council had received more than 800 emails from individuals and businesses. By the following day, there were 1,520 emails in total. KFCO also went ahead and created a manual for public use on the creation of a reusable cloth face mask. The same was shared with designers and tailors, enabling them to continue with a form of production and income generation in a time of crisis.
Kenya Fashion Council is working with all the relevant stakeholders to not only provide safe masks for the population but income generation strategies for its designers and tailors whose businesses have been hit hard during this pandemic.
Sterilization Centre – The Safe Masks For All Initiative Kenya Fashion Council has created an opportunity for its members to produce safe masks for the public by partnering with a sterilization centre. This partnership allows members to drop their cloth face masks at the centre where quality check is performed before sterilization, packaging and labeling.
The already tested, state of the art sterilization centre is well equipped and has the capacity 10 sterilize 4,800 face masks per day.
A customer in receipt of the KE-2 mask can rest assured that it is safe for use and free from contaminants. Designers who would like to use the sterilization centre should have the capacity to deliver a minimum of 120 labeled masks. The quality assurance step ensures that only quality masks are accepted for this process, upholding excellence in production.
The masks produced illustrate the KFCO spirit of innovation and excellence as every mask is individually sterilized, packaged and labeled. KFCO has partnered with Brand Kenya and these high quality, safe, reusable cloth face masks are proof that as Kenyans, we are more than capable of impacting, innovating and producing quality goods! We have the answer to our problems and creative strategies are within.
Get Your Ke-2 Face Mask Delivered To You! The Kenya Fashion Council team has been working day and night to not only coordinate production efforts of face masks but also seek distribution channels to ease accessibility of the same. Kenyans can now conveniently place an order online via JUMIA Kenya and receive the high quality KE-2 masks at their doorstep.
The council has negotiated rates for its members with JUMIA Kenya , which means Kenya Fashion Council Members can now set up shop and sell their masks online, automatically increasing their customer reach. KFCO is working towards multiple distribution channels to ensure Kenyans have access to quality reusable cloth face masks.
Kenya fashion council mask available here on Jumia link
Are You A Member? Due to the current global situation as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kenya Fashion Council has extended its introductory offer on 90% off membership till 31st May 7020! Membership registration starts from as little as KES 2,500. As a member you can access the great rates KFCO has negotiated with JUMIA Kenya and reach your customers online with just a few steps!
SIGN UP TODAY Website: kenyafashioncouncil.co.ke to access discounted membership and join the family! Begin your journey to your online store!
Join The Fight Kenya Fashion Council is committed to reach every comer of society and provide safe masks to all Kenyans. We have partnered with NYS to enable mass face mask production. NYS engaged a total of 53 tailors from Jericho, Ngara, Taveta court, Kibra and Nairobi Textile.
The work commenced on 28th of April and as at 4th of May 16, 122 masks had been produced. We are looking into further developing patterns for other PPEs as well. The community spirit has been strong and a good example of this is David Juma, pictured below.
Mr Juma received support from the Kenya Fashion Council family who donated cloth and elastic materials totaling 30 meters. Mr Juma also received the KFCO manual which has guidelines on face mask creation and uses this to train others.
Get in touch if you would like to join us in our community efforts! Lets join hands and fight this pandemic together. We are stronger together.
Dubai Design District (d3) has joined the Arab Fashion Council in a campaign to combat COVID-19, with seven partners poised to create thousands of protection gowns and surgical face masks for frontline medical workers.
The campaign calls on UAE-based fashion designers to use their craftsmanship and haute couture flair to make surgical attire for the UAE’s health care industry, demonstrating the value of fashion and design in Dubai.
d3, Dubai’s heart of creative design, home to more than 9,000 people and 385 companies, has pledged its support to #AThread4Cause a campaign calling on UAE-based fashion designers to use their craftsmanship and haute couture flair to make surgical attire for the UAE’s health care industry.
Seven business partners with more than 50 tailors and pattern makers, will make the medically certified garments. To facilitate logistics, d3 is set to host a unified distribution center, to store and deliver the protection gowns and surgical masks produced by d3 designers as well as other designers based in the UAE.
This will turn the d3 community into a strategic hub for personal protective equipment (PPE) made by luxury brands.
Khadija Al-Bastaki, executive director of d3, said: “As the fashion capital of the Middle East, d3 is both humbled and delighted to support #AThread4Cause. With six d3-based designers, we aim to aid the lifesaving work of vital medical staff by contributing to the UAE’s stockpile of gowns and face masks. d3 is well placed to be able to cater to the needs of the local population, as well as export to the rest of the world, heralded by the strong logistics and infrastructure of Dubai.
This will enable #AThread4Cause to quickly receive the PPE carefully produced by highly skilled, luxury fashion designers across the emirate.”
“The Arab Fashion Council is proud of d3’s remarkable support to #AThread4Cause campaign by joining forces with us and its readiness to strengthen the emergency network of creative force,” said Jacob Abrian, founder and CEO of the Arab Fashion Council.
Michael Cinco’s ‘The Impalpable Dream of SWAN LAKE’ collection is the fulfillment of the fashion designer’s dream to create a collection based from the popular folk tale. Photos by Bethoven Filomeno.
Dubai-based couture label, Michael Cinco, is among the seven d3 business partners taking part in the initiative. Cinco and his business partner Sayed Ali said in a joint statement: “We need to demonstrate the sense of belonging, community spirit and light that only fashion can bring to our world.
We are proud to be part of d3’s response to #AThread4Cause and believe it demonstrates the value of fashion and design in Dubai.”
Yasmine Yeya, founder and creative director of Maison Yeya, added: “The UAE has worked extremely hard to address the current situation and the creative community stands ready to support these efforts because it’s our duty to stand united against this challenge.”
Queen of bridal couture, Yasmine Yeya, Gowns ranged from the straight up lavish meringue-esque creations to slinky stunners with appliqués and elaborate backs, to that signature Yeya hi-lo style.
Cinco and Yeya are joined by Furne One of couture label Amato, Emirati designer Yara bin Shakar, Egypt’s Marmar Halim, Arab/American designer Zaid Farouki and women’s clothing retailer Si Fashion.
To provide the designers with ample material and to support local suppliers, d3 has established a partnership with a Dubai-based Saudi fabric manufacturer who will supply over four tons of technical fabric to the participating brands.
It’s now official: There will be no Met gala in 2020. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has been closed since mid March, announced today that the Met gala, often called the party of the year, has been canceled for 2020.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the museum said that the gala had been canceled “due to the global health crisis.
In a statement to Vogue, the Met said fashion’s big night has officially been called off “due to the global health crisis.” The Met Gala typically happens on the first Monday in May.
The Met gala, typically held on the first Monday in May, is both the most star-studded social event of the spring and a critical fundraiser for the Costume Institute, acting as the main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and capital improvements. Last year, the gala for the exhibition “Camp: Notes on Fashion” raised a reported $15 million.
This year’s exhibition at the Costume Institute, “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” will trace a century and a half of fashion from 1870 to the present on the occasion of the Met’s 150th anniversary. It is scheduled to open on October 29 and run through February 7, 2021. The majority of objects in the show will be drawn from the Costume Institute’s collection, including major gifts from designers as part of the Met’s 2020 Collections Initiative.
In addition to today’s announcement about the Met gala, the museum updated its status on its planned reopening, saying it would now take place in mid August “or perhaps a few weeks later.”
Daniel H. Weiss, president of the museum, said: “The Met has endured much in its 150 years and today continues as a beacon of hope for the future.
This museum is also a profound reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of art to offer comfort, inspiration, and community. As we endure these challenging and uncertain times, we are encouraged by looking forward to the day when we can once again welcome all to enjoy the Met’s collection and exhibitions.”
The days and hours that the Met will be open to the public will likely be reduced at first. And to maintain social distancing requirements, the museum will not have tours, talks, concerts, or events through calendar year 2020. The museum said it expects to resume these activities in 2021, “including a belated celebration of its 150th anniversary.”
Moulaye Taboure, founder of Afrikrea, a e-commerce marketplace for African fashion designers. Even though the platform predominantly services clients in Europe and the US, Taboure says orders from customers on the continent tripled on the platform over the past two months.
Further, Taboure says more designers in African cities with tougher movement restrictions are now signing up to the platform.
“This is definitely a game changer in Africa,” says the founder of Afrikrea, a fashion e-commerce marketplace in Abidjan.
Much of the demand shift is due to lockdown restrictions which have left brick and mortar retail outlets closed as governments attempt to curb the spread of Covid-19. In addition, reduced vehicular traffic also means deliveries can happen much faster in cities known for notorious traffic jams a boon for customer retention.
Put together, these coronavirus induced effects are “already positively impacting” e-commerce players in Africa, says Maxime Bayen, company builder at startup investment firm, GreenTec Capital. “The companies we are talking with in that space have seen their sales gone up clearly.”
It’s an effect that plays out even for business-to-business (B2B) enterprises. Sokowatch, which operates in in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda and supplies informal shops and kiosks in low-income communities with products, is signing up more shop partners and reporting a higher share of stock in local shops compared to traditional suppliers. “We are a technology-enabled supplier that provides same day delivery to their shop, it’s not an option that they have with traditional suppliers to the store,” says Sokowatch founder Daniel Yu.
Taking advantage
The dominant view among e-commerce players on the continent is the boon will last a while longer even after lockdown measures are eased. With physical distancing measures likely to remain in place in different forms, there’s a strong possibility of a drop in foot traffic at normally crowded shopping malls and stores. Taboure says Afrikrea is already tweaking its model to make it cheaper for designers based in Africa to sign up so as to cater for an expected growth in orders from across the continent.
And he’s not the only betting on riding the wave, Only the flexible will survive. Every business has to learn how to do things very differently.”
Pan-African payments giant Flutterwave has set up an e-commerce portal that allows merchants set up online shops that it will power payments for. Essentially, Flutterwave is positioning to facilitate and take advantage of any recourse to e-commerce by offline stores and merchants.
In Kenya, Twiga Foods, a marketplace which supplies retailers with fresh produce from farms, has partnered with Jumia to widen the scope of its reach, allowing households order and receive foodstuff without visiting supermarkets.
Similarly, FarmCrowdy, a Nigerian agri-tech platform that allows people invest in existing farms for a share of profits, has also launched a e-commerce platform for fresh produce. In addition to expanding the scope of market access for farmers within its network, the platform is also an obvious play to provide middle-class Nigerians with an alternative to crowded open-air markets that are likely viewed as high-risk for Covid-19 infections.
Established traditional businesses are also turning to e-commerce out of necessity. Eko Hotel, arguably the biggest hotel brand in Nigeria, has launched an online food delivery service, ostensibly to shore up revenue deficits given the impact of the pandemic on hospitality businesses.
“Only the flexible will survive,” says Victor Asemota, veteran tech investor. “Every business has to learn how to do things very differently. Those who have gained will want to sustain the momentum and those who have lost will die if they don’t change drastically.”
It’s not entirely a home-run for e-commerce businesses though. Supply chain disruptions could yet result in an inability to fulfill orders, especially in countries with strict lockdown measures. For instance, Jumia suspended delivery of all fashion items in South Africa last month. Poignonnec has also admitted to challenges being faced with fulfilling orders particularly for products sourced from China.
Then there are also concerns over the sustainability of the company’s reliance on groceries as an anchor for sales. “It’s not a very profitable vertical for a general merchandise e-commerce platform without specialized value chain for groceries,” says Laolu Sameul-Biyi, former financial analyst at Jumia. For his part, Poignonnec hopes that ongoing consumer adoption amid the outbreak “will accelerate the long-term shift to e-commerce” among local users.
Given the short-term boon amid a lack of options for customers, “the main question is whether or not this trend will stick in a post-COVID era,” Bayen says. For Taboure however, it’s up to e-commerce companies to ensure that answer is affirmative by solving problems around ease of use and building trust. “If it’s not easy to buy online [then] we need to find solutions,” he says.
The first commerce under an Africa-wide free-trade pact will provide new stimulus to countries on the continent to overcome the economic damage of the coronavirus, even if it could be delayed for around six months, according to the most senior official of this agreement.
The secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area is exploring the feasibility of moving talks involving more than 50 countries and real-time translation into four languages online. However, full border closures by some 30 nations aimed at limiting the spread of the virus is likely to restrict trade flows over the coming months, Wamkele Mene, the secretary-general said in an interview.
While the agreement entered into force legally last year, protocols for trade in goods, including tariff concessions, need to be agreed for its implementation and commerce to start on July 1. Disruptions caused by the pandemic have set negotiations back by two and half months.
“The consideration for postponement doesn’t mean that there no longer is political will and that there is no longer political commitment,” Mene said by phone from Addis Ababa on Wednesday. “We have to adjust to conditions that unfortunately nobody could have anticipated and we have to give the space to governments to solve the public health crisis as a matter of priority.”
Customs Union Africa lags other regions in terms of internal trade, with intracontinental commerce accounting for only 15% of the total, compared with 58% in Asia and more than 70% in Europe. The agreement is meant to help change that, aiming to lower or eliminate cross-border tariffs on 90% of goods, facilitate the movement of capital and people, promote investment and pave the way for the establishment of a continent-wide customs union.
When fully operational by 2030, it will be the world’s biggest free-trade zone by area, with a potential market of 1.2 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of $2.5 trillion.
The pandemic underscores the need for regional value chains across Africa and enhanced manufacturing capacity on the continent, Mene said.
“If anything, this crisis has demonstrated the need for us to reconfigure our supply chains, to reconfigure our trade links and to establish regional value chains in Africa that will advance our own African industrial development capacity without completely disconnecting from the rest of the world.”, he said. “The reliance on global supply chains presents one with challenges/ When you have a global supply chain disruption, you actually become very very exposed.”
The outbreak has also highlighted the need to address the extent to which intellectual property rights on the continent allow it to respond to a pandemic and set up a generic drug industry that can service industrial development and public health priorities, he said.
Photo courtesy of IOL Africa Business Chief , The Times of Africa & Bloomberg
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has proven she’s not only talented in front of a camera, but also behind one with her latest cover work for the 50th-anniversary issue of Essence Magazine dressed in a Ghanaian fashion designer Stevie Frenchie a African attire.
On Tuesday, May 5, the 49-year-old supermodel, who has been a powerhouse in the modeling industry since the age of 15, posted a tweet featuring a history-making photo shoot she did for the magazine with her iPhone while being self-isolated at home dressed in African attire design by African attire.
Naomi Campbell was also responsible for her own styling, hair, and makeup #ESSENCE50.
It was a very special honor and unusual experience for me to be able to shoot and style my own cover for Essence’ 50th anniversary issue.
The cover featured Campbell wearing a flowing white dress accented with triangular and circular patterns in black, red, green, and brown. The garment also had a loosely tied black bow that resembled a satin material that sat below her bosom.
In the cover photo, Campbell was sitting on a light wood set of stairs with a backdrop resembling a cloudy blue sky. She noted that the vintage garment was designed by Karl Lager-field for the luxury Parisian fashion brand Chloe in an Instagram post.
The cover also included the title of Campbell’s feature in the issue – “Self-Portrait In Isolation.”
Through an Instagram video posted on Essence’s profile, fans learned the magazine’s Chief Content and Creative Officer MoAna Luu and Campbell collaboratively video chatted through Face Time to work on the shoot.
The issue will also feature an article titled “The New Normal: How COVID-19 Shifted Our Reality.”
According to the Essence Instagram post, Campbell shot other looks for the anniversary issue as well which included a layered tangerine-colored dress with red and black patterns throughout and a navy blue, periwinkle, aquamarine, and white headdress.
Campbell’s announcement tweet, in which she mentioned that she was honored to participate in the shoot, received over 2,000 retweets and over 13,000 likes, with many comments rejoicing the creativity, innovation, and overall hard work she has displayed throughout her years in the modeling industry.
Sudanese Model, Nyakim Gatwech is the latest in the Guinness Book of Records,Nyakim is known for her naturally dark skin color and has been nicknamed the Queen of the Dark, Nyakim has faced self-esteem issues and comments from people who promote bleaching to lighten skin color, but learned to embrace her beauty and pigmentation with love and support from her fans.
While millions of women across the globe are paying the high price for bleaching, Nyakim Gatwech got recognized by the Guinness book of World records for having the darkest skin tone on earth.
The model has graced covers of countless magazines as her alluring and uniquely black yet divine skin tone redefines the very definition of beauty, Nyakim has set the standard for many African ladies who have felt insecure about their different skin tones and whenever she walks the red carpet or runway, she commands the attention of everyone and steals the moment without an apology.
Nyakim Gatwech is best known as a Model. Model known as Queen of the Dark who found acclaim with her distinctive dark complexion. She was born on January 27, 1993 in Sudan. Another model named Shaun Ross shattered beauty expectations in the world of fashion with his skin pigment. She has faced discrimination for her skin since moving to the United States.
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She is one of the successful African Model , She has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on January 27, 1993. She is one of the Richest Model who was born in Sudan.According to Trending Celebs Now, Nyakim Gatwech’s estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & much more details has been updated below. Let’s check, How Rich is Nyakim Gatwech in 2020?
Estimated Net Worth in 2019
$1 Million – $5 Million (Approx.)
Previous Year’s Net Worth (2018)
$100,000 – $1 Million
Annual Salary
Under Review.
Income Source
Primary Income source Model (profession).
According to Boredpanda, African model and fashion icon, who now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nyakim Gatwech she proud and not shame about her melanin, and she makes sure the world is aware. She once said while captioning one of her photos on Instagram that her Chocolate is elegant and she represents a nation of warriors.
Content courtesy of Nairobi fashion hub Digital Team
Thirty-two-year-old Gambian economist Marie Ba used to buy most of her clothes online from British fashion retailer ASOS. But when she wanted to update her closet with some tailored wax print African dresses, she took a chance ordering through Ghana’s KIKI Clothing platform.
“I was looking for something well designed and fitted, and it’s lovely to support brands based in West Africa, while looking quite unique in their pieces,” she says.
Online revenues for the African fashion sector are predicted to grow by over 14% annually over the next four years.
Within five working days the clothes were delivered by DHL from Accra, to her door in Gambia’s largest city, Serekunda. And Ba became part of a growing ecosystem of fashionistas purchasing their clothes within the expanding African e-fashion market.
African fashion has revelled in tremendous media interest recently. Beyoncé helped propel Senegalese designer Sarah Diouf’s Tongoro brand to international fame when the singer wore a patterned dress and wide-leg pants on holiday last year. Naomi Campbell and Alicia Keys are other megastars spotted wearing African-designed clothes.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s clothing and footwear market is worth $31bn, according to Euromonitor. The growth has prompted the expansion of foreign and local brands into the African clothing market. Companies are fulfilling increasing orders from the African diaspora, particularly in Europe and America, while sales of Ankara gowns and African print dresses are also popular among non-African consumers. This has led to the creation of African-based e-fashion platforms.
“We export African culture no matter where you are,” says Malian-born Moulaye Tabouré, the CEO of Afrikrea, an online marketplace that allows users to sell African clothing to over 100 countries. The Abidjan-based tech startup secured an additional $1m funding round in February, money Tabouré says will allow the business to grow its developer team, and expand its mobile technology and marketplace.
The company boasts a minimalist and user-friendly website, and says 5000 designers use its platform. These designers build an online “shop” with digital tools provided by Afrikrea. They then set the prices and communicate directly with customers, who are able to stagger their payments.
Afrikrea then deducts a commission of 10-15% per sale, and says it has facilitated over 4m sales since the company’s 2016 inception. The biggest market is the US, followed by France and the rest of the EU.
“Our target is to get the infrastructure growing, so we get at least 50% of our sellers from Africa,” says Tabouré. “The idea is to get people in Africa to say, ‘Maybe this is the best place to set up my business.’ But the biggest issue is to be able to organise, and sustain the growth.”
E-commerce in sub-Saharan Africa is in its nascent stage but it’s showing enormous potential as smartphones proliferate across one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations.
A 2017 report by Statista estimated the e-commerce sector in Africa generated $16.5bn in revenue that year. The research firm currently predicts that revenue in the sector will reach $27.7bn in 2020 and rise to $47bn by 2024.
Online growth is being driven by the under-35s. Rubab Abdoolla, senior analyst of beauty and fashion at Euromonitor, says the e-commerce sector is being driven by “the increasing number of working mothers who are being supported by rapid adaptation to internet retailing”.
The wider African e-commerce landscape is being pushed by sales in fashion. Statista predicts revenue at $8.3bn in 2020 and projects an annual growth rate of 14.2% between 2020 and 2024. But this expanding e-fashion market faces major challenges.
Overcoming challenges
West Africa is a major cotton-growing region, but its textile industry struggles to compete with cheap clothes made in Asia. Since the 1980s, most of Africa’s textile industries have been wiped out and a generation of skilled workers have been lost.
Textile manufacturing in the region is estimated to have fallen by more than 75% in that time. Transporting clothing within the continent and beyond can be problematic, with expensive export costs and border difficulties.
“The number one business constraint I have is definitely the customs,” says Tabouré. “If African governments would realise the potential of having free trade between African countries, and facilitating customs for people shipping outside of Africa – especially with Europe – then there would be an extremely good advantage.
“In the US, we have an agreement [the US’s African Growth and Opportunity Act] that allows us to ship without customs up to $700. If we could have the same agreement with Europe, then that would change the game.”
These challenges are not stopping self-taught Ghanaian designer Felicia Parker. The Afrikrea user is able to sell her La Mode Afrique brand of kente cloth styles and other items to a growing customer base in London, Paris and elsewhere on the continent.
“When an order is placed, DHL will come to pick up the clothing from my door, and take it to most places in the world,” she says.
“The internet has made it really easy for anyone to purchase whatever designs they want, in the comfort of their home and workplace In the next five years, I hope I’ll have a big factory here in Ghana, and shop branches worldwide, that are full of African print fashion.”
