Women’s Entrepreneurship Driving Emerging Future in Africa
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 […]
A Very Nigerian Opinion on E-Commerce and Online Fashion Startups
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; […]
Launching Our Digital Documentation Project: Ibadan’s Tailors, Traders, and Textiles by Nigerian/British artist Folake Shoga
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 […]
Mirror-Mirror, Who am I? The rise of African doll brands that empower Black girls
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 […]
“Made by Ethiopia” is so much more than manufacturing goods in Ethiopia
* 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 […]
Tailors, the overlooked actors of the value chain
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 […]
Promoting local designers: brick and mortar vs. online
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 […]
5 examples of the breadth of African led human-centered design and thinking and planning
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 […]
What will it take for African-made clothing to become available for mass market?
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 […]
Democratization of value in emerging markets
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 […]
