Africa news and archive

From waste to runway: Kenyan designers transform used clothes into art

In a dusty alley in the heart of Kenya's largest open-air market, fashion models strut down a makeshift runway in bold, upcycled outfits made from waste collected at dumpsites and market cast-offs -- proof that even trash can dazzle. Every year, thousands of tonnes of used clothes from Europe, the United States, and beyond make their way to...

Retail

US-Africa AGOA agreement on the line: What is the future for African textiles?

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been a cornerstone of trade relations between the US and sub-Saharan Africa since its adoption in 2000. This agreement offers preferential access to the US market for nearly 7,000 products, including textiles and apparel, provided that beneficiary countries meet strict political and economic...

Fashion

Thebe Magugu expands into hospitality with Belmond

South African designer Thebe Magugu will make his debut in luxury hospitality design this December with an exclusive partnership with A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, bringing his distinctive Afro-modernist vision to the property. In a statement, the Belmond group owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said Magugu would be...

Fashion

Nigerian designer pushes 'Afro-lux' onto the global fashion scene

Its modern architecture complemented by latticework inspired by local Yoruba textiles, Alara, west Africa's first fashion and design "concept store", is an imposing sight in Lagos, Nigeria's bustling economic capital. Founder Reni Folawiyo is now 10 years into forging what she calls "Afro-lux", Alara serving as a homebase for designs that "play...

Fashion

'It's a microphone': Nairobi slum pageant gives platform to voiceless

A stone's throw from Kenya's largest informal settlement, a young woman glides down a spotlit catwalk, her delicate white dress at odds with the fake blood splattered across it and the tape covering her lips reading: "Stop, silence, gender-based violence". The annual "Mr and Ms Kibera" pageant in Nairobi, gleefully attended by hundreds, is about...

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Business

Africa's secondhand clothing market balances economic promise and pressures

Africa has become a critical player in the global secondhand clothing market, offering a fast-growing outlet for pre-owned apparel exports while highlighting tensions between economic necessity and industrial ambition. Driven by affordability, style diversity, and sustainability concerns, the continent’s demand for secondhand garments—often...

Fashion

Floor-length and horns: Namibia's Herero dress endures

Windhoek, Dec 18, 2024 (AFP) - From his humble Windhoek workshop, Namibia's leading fashion designer is keeping alive the love for the Herero people's traditional dress with horned headgear, a full-length skirt and a link to German colonisers accused of genocide. McBright Kavari's sewing room is piled high with seemingly ordinary fabric that he...

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Business|REPORT

Seven billion euros for European GDP: Second-hand sector calls for legislative support to maximise impact

The second-hand fashion industry has emerged as a key player in the global circular economy, making a significant contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Europe and Africa and generating thousands of jobs, particularly for women. This was revealed in a report by Oxford Economics, commissioned by Humana People to People and Sympany+,...

Fashion

From South Africa to Ivory Coast: These are the winners of Africa Fashion Up 2024

The five winners of the Africa Fashion Up competition have been announced. They hail from Ivory Coast, South Africa, Senegal and Mali, and will receive support from professionals. They will also take part in a fashion show in June, and will be able to showcase their creations in a pop-up store in the city centre of Paris. Selected from over 200...

Culture

The Museum at FIT to present ‘Africa’s Fashion Diaspora’ exhibition

A new exhibition highlighting fashion’s role in shaping international Black diasporic cultures is set to make its way to New York’s Museum at FIT (MFIT) this September, where 60 ensembles and accessories from global Black designers are to be put on display. Dubbed ‘Africa’s Fashion Diaspora’, the exhibit looks to explore how such designers take...

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Business

Tunis Fashion Week 2024: A platform for international business and artistic dimension

By bringing together institutional delegations from China and Russia, potential private partners from Algeria and brands from Tunisia, Portugal, Italy, Russia and France, at the gateway to the Sahara, in the phantasmagorical setting of an arty, industrial salt lake, the producer of Tunis Fashion Week, Anis Montacer, presents Tunisia with a...

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Business

Labels To Watch: 5 South African brands that reflect the richness of Africa’s fashion

South Africa Fashion Week (SAFW) has enjoyed a good reputation for decades. Founded in 1997 by Lucilla Booyzen, the biannual event takes place in both Johannesburg and Cape Town and presents an important opportunity for retailers to discover the richness of African fashion. South Africa is a breeding ground for fashion talent. According to...