Category Archives: Fashionomics

Women’s Entrepreneurship Driving Emerging Future in Africa

By Niti Bhan | Published: January 25, 2018

We’ve been silent of late on this blog due to work deadlines and end of the year paperwork, however this will change. I’ve promised to write one blog post every day – even if its a few lines – for the next 30 days. I realized it was habit and discipline that was missing, not […]

Also posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Afrique francophone, Business, Compétitivité, Consommateurs, Consumer Behaviour, Design, Emerging Markets, FMCG, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Mama Biashara, Marchés africains, Mobile platform, Perspective, Platforms, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Retail in Africa, Sub Saharan Africa | Tagged entrepreneurship, informal traders, mama benz, nana benz, togo, trade, woman, women | Leave a comment

A Very Nigerian Opinion on E-Commerce and Online Fashion Startups

By Niti Bhan | Published: August 17, 2017

Folake Shoga shares her opinion on the recent spate of tech startups and apps mean to serve Nigeria’s fashion and fabric industry. Two recent articles in Techpoint, the Nigerian online technology magazine, feature initiatives dealing with aspects of the clothing business. One is a startup letting studio space and equipment to makers, 360 Creative Hub; […]

Also posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Biashara Economics, Business Models, Commerce en ligne (e-commerce), Consumer Behaviour, Ecosystem, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Innovation Planning, Mama Biashara, Marchés africains, Marketing, Mobile platform, Nigeria, Perspective, Technology | Tagged design, fabrics, fashion, fashionomics, nigeria, startups, technology, textile | Leave a comment

Launching Our Digital Documentation Project: Ibadan’s Tailors, Traders, and Textiles by Nigerian/British artist Folake Shoga

By Niti Bhan | Published: April 14, 2017

After months of hard work, I am very honoured and proud to announced our new digital documentation project by my friend Folake Shoga, a Nigerian/British multidisciplinary artist with more than three decades of experience. She went on a journey of discovery through the twists and turns of the informal value web that holds together West […]

Also posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Biashara Economics, Business, Consommateurs, Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Design, Ecosystem, Emerging Markets, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Mama Biashara, Marchés africains, Marketing, Nigeria, Perspective, Photography, Prepaid Economy & Informal Sector, Projects and Reports, Research, Retail in Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, Systems, User research, Value | Tagged adire, design, documentary, fashion, folake shoga, ibadan, informal economy, informal sector, nigeria, portfolio, textile, textiles, trade, value web | Leave a comment

Mirror-Mirror, Who am I? The rise of African doll brands that empower Black girls

By Yacine Bio-Tchane | Published: December 23, 2016

During the past few years, people of color all over the world have started challenging their absence in a positive light in the media, entertainment, books and toys. Black people, and Africans more specifically, feel invisible or highly under represented. The lack of visibility has severe effects on image, self esteem and success. Experts say […]

Also posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Afrique francophone, Business, Commerce en ligne (e-commerce), Consumer Behaviour, Culture, Distribution, Retail in Africa | Tagged africa, African Consumer Market, design, dolls | Leave a comment

“Made by Ethiopia” is so much more than manufacturing goods in Ethiopia

By Yacine Bio-Tchane | Published: November 2, 2016

* This post is based on the article “Made in Ethiopia: Fashion’s next sourcing hub”. When factories producing for the likes of J Crew, Harbor Footwear Group, Calvin Klein, H&M, PVH, Aldo, Under Armour, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and Caleres are turning their attention to Ethiopia for large scale apparel and footwear production, it’s because Ethiopia […]

Also posted in African Consumer Market | Leave a comment

Tailors, the overlooked actors of the value chain

By Yacine Bio-Tchane | Published: October 3, 2016

According to Ibifagha Cookey, a Lagos-based financial analyst, custom-made apparel from self-employed tailors generates $8.2 billion annually out of the clothing industry’s $19 billion in sales. In other words, half of the earnings in the custom-made clothing industry in Nigeria is generated by tailors. This finding highlights two important points : • Tailors alone represent […]

Also posted in Africa, Perspective | Leave a comment

Promoting local designers: brick and mortar vs. online

By Yacine Bio-Tchane | Published: September 24, 2016

Retailer Woolworth has had a history of collaborating with South African local fashion designers, selling collections in their department stores. This is how I discovered South African designers and managed to incorporate a few items in my wardrobe during my stay in Pretoria from 2007 to 2009 (sidenote: flea markets are also a good place […]

Also posted in Africa, African Consumer Market, Perspective | Leave a comment

5 examples of the breadth of African led human-centered design and thinking and planning

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 15, 2016

The other day I was searching for news on design from the African continent and noted on Twitter that it seemed as though only the South Africans were consistently talking about their various creative outputs. Having long been part of the crowd that believed in the indigenous creativity and innovation in the less visible parts […]

Also posted in Africa, Design, Innovation Planning, Kenya, South Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, UCSD, User research, Value | Tagged africa, architecture, creativity, design, design for development, design for government, design for policy, design planning, design thinking, fashionomics, innovation, namibia, people centred, rwanda, urban planning | Leave a comment

What will it take for African-made clothing to become available for mass market?

By Yacine Bio-Tchane | Published: September 9, 2016

When we talk about fabric in West Africa, there is no doubt that wax (also called ankara) is one of the first thing that comes to mind. Vlisco, the Dutch fashion textile brand, has been for long THE fabric par excellence bringing prestige and elegance to those who wear it. As 2016 marks the 170th […]

Also posted in African Consumer Market, Afrique francophone, Analysis, Business, Consommateurs, Consumer Behaviour, Design, Ecosystem, Marchés africains, Marketing, Perspective, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa | Tagged apparel, cost of clothing, design, fashion, fashionomics, manufacturing, mass production, textile, west africa | Leave a comment

Democratization of value in emerging markets

By Niti Bhan | Published: September 7, 2016

There’s something interesting happening in West Africa. Known for its fashion sense and style, exuberantly patterned textiles dominate men’s and women’s apparel. Until now, the impact of cheaper Chinese imports had been felt by the traditional manufacturers, in Ghana particularly. But this is not where the story ends. Today, the majority of Dutch designs available […]

Also posted in African Consumer Market, Design, Perspective | Tagged design, fashionomics, west africa | Leave a comment