African Fashion Leaders Meet to Grow $31bn Industry
Core Fashion Kenya, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), has brought together leading designers, manufacturers and policymakers at the Hub of Africa Fashion Week to accelerate growth across Africa’s fashion industry, valued at an estimated $31 billion.
The Fashion Roundtable and Fashion Sourcing Tour, held on 15 January at the Addis Ababa House of Culture, highlighted the need for stronger collaboration, transparency and strategic investment across the continent’s fashion value chain.
The Fashion Sourcing Tour, which ran from 13 to 16 January, enabled designers and industry leaders including Ejiro, Ugo Monye and Tumi Buys to engage directly with East Africa’s manufacturing, artisan and sourcing ecosystems. The initiative aimed to strengthen intra-African supply chains while unlocking cross-border business opportunities.
The roundtable discussion, organised with support from ECA, brought together prominent figures such as Sheila Kingori, Waridi Schrobsdorff, Shaldon Kopman, Ejiro Tafiri, Lydia Steele, Nursema Cil, Mahlet Teklemariam and Mastewal Alemu. Discussions focused on the structural and strategic challenges facing African fashion as it scales to global markets.
Participants stressed the importance of transparency in pricing, sourcing and quality standards as a foundation for attracting international buyers and investors. They also emphasised the need for African brands to invest in strong visual media, storytelling and brand positioning to compete globally.
Manufacturing constraints, including high minimum order quantities, infrastructure gaps and limited access to power and water, were discussed alongside opportunities for African-led innovation and collective solutions.
Designers also shared expansion plans across the continent. Nigerian designer Ugo Monye outlined intentions to grow operations in Kenya and Ethiopia, while Ethiopian designer Mastewal Alemu highlighted efforts to scale production, improve quality control and address skills and financing gaps.
The discussions further explored logistics and sustainability solutions, including partnerships aimed at reducing shipping costs and improving access to global fashion hubs.
Key proposals emerging from the roundtable included a pan-African promotional campaign for designers, the creation of a continental manufacturer directory, a shared showroom platform, and a membership model to support long-term collaboration.
Closing the session, Core Fashion Kenya founder Linda Murithi called for a shift from dialogue to action, with plans to pilot collective production and logistics models by August 2026 and expand sourcing tours to Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa.
ECA’s Head of Communication, Mercy Wambui, welcomed the initiative, noting that Africa’s demographic dividend depends on creating viable economic opportunities for young creatives. She added that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents a major opportunity for African fashion brands to scale within the continent.
