Africa, World’s Next Fashion Destination?
From the Africa Fashion Week, to interests from foreign investors, Africa is now fashion-forward.
“Ankara,” a popular African fashion fabric made from 100 per cent cotton and designed with tribal prints following a regular pattern, is commonly associated with poor Africans.
Last year, international pop icon Rihanna, whose net worth is reportedly around US$120 million, wore an Ankara print dress for an engagement in the White House, according to a column on news website AllAfrica.com.
Many other celebrities and icons before Rihanna have tried the Ankara fabric, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, Amber Rose, Nicole Parker, and many more, According to Ojo Maduekwe’s column on AllAfrica.com titled, “Nigeria: One Woman’s Drive To Satisfy Europe’s Craze For African Fashion.”
“The news is stale that African fashion has caught the attention of the world,” Maduekwe wrote.
This only goes to show that Africa is on its way to become the world’s next fashion capital. A Reuters report said African designers were able to recently showcase a wide range of creations in stores based in New York, London and Tokyo.
“The showcasing of clothes from home-grown African designers… is a sign of a broader change of attitude towards a continent which is earning a brighter reputation beyond stories of war and disease,” the Reuters report said.
It added that the dream of African fashion breaking into the mainstream fashion market is difficult because of the notion that products from the “world’s poorest continent” are of low quality.
This did not stop renowned fashion designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, and brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior from taking inspiration from African fashion, the report further said.
“It was a good thing to see international designers putting African fashion on the map,” said Ghanaian entrepreneur Samuel Mensah told Reuters. “Now we’re starting to see Africa taking ownership of its own cultural assets. African designers are being noticed. They are stocked in international stores.”
Light and airy, this model wears an outfit by designer MAUFECHI.
A model displays a unique creation by designer FAW COUTURE.
This stylish pant suit is by designer LINES by CHAAB .
For instance, the African fashion industry provides a better alternative to Asian finds because of Africa’s cheaper labour costs, a report by Just-Style.com said.
African country Ethiopia reportedly takes pride in its cheap labour costs and its potential to become a centre of cotton cultivation, causing international brands and retailers such as Walmart to do business with Ethiopia’s textile sector in the past two years.
Foreign investments are also pouring in from India, Turkey, China and South Korea, Just-Style.com added.
Fashion One reported that the continent recently held its Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2015 in which notable international fashion labels such as Tina Lobondi, Marco Martinez and Zeeno Dee featured their designs.