Though Africa often serves as inspiration for fashion collections, the fashion scene is beginning to get the much-deserved attention from the key players in the industry writes Tunde Renner.
Michael Kors, H&M, ASOS, Zara, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gap, Mango, Nike, Adidas, Swatch, Levi, etc. are few of the international fashion brands that have taken bold strides in opening retail outlets in the ever-growing African fashion market.
The story does not end there. High profile fashion brands are increasingly looking to African countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, Rwanda, Ghana, etc. for garment manufacturing. ASOS outsources the manufacture of its Made in Kenya men’s and women’s wear line to SOKO, a company based in Kenya; Zara the Spanish fashion brand sources from Morocco; supermarket giant, Asda, manufactures its fashion brand, George, in Morocco and Tunisia; Primark also sources from Tanzania; PVH, owners of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger produces in Ethiopia. In a survey conducted by management consultancy McKinsey, 13% of respondents included Ethiopia in a reply to the question “What will be the top three sourcing destinations over the next five years?” Remarkably, apart from being the first time an African country will make it to the McKinsey list, Ethiopia out-performed Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
The reasons for these ‘love stories’ are not far-fetched. If you look beyond the deafening tales of woe, and growing instability, the African continent is rife with opportunities. Much of the attraction is hinged on the burgeoning middle class in terms of numbers and spending power. A brand conscious middle-class, with a population estimated by media reports to be about 170 million people, is a sure catalyst for Africa’s economic and social development. This makes Africa a juicy fruit for both international and home-grown fashion brands.
The Fashion Weeks across Africa, and the Lagos Fashion and Design Week are pivotal in promoting African designers, as well as providing a platform for industry experts to meet in one place to build relationships and share ideas.
With the incident in Bangladesh (where 1,000 workers were killed in the Rana Plaza disaster), buyers are beginning to be increasingly concerned about the ethical and sustainability values of the brands they patronize. This, as well as the rising cost of production why fashion brands are shifting their gaze away from Asia, and looking to Africa for production.
Geographical proximity, and a duty-free agreement between the US and Sub-Saharan African countries, under the AGOA (African Growth Opportunities Act) that covers textile and clothing, has made setting up shop in Africa more attractive than Asia.
The slow, but steady mobile technology and internet penetration in Africa has given birth to a thriving e-commerce sector. Jumia is the first unicorn, and by far the largest player in this sector provides a global platform for local fashion talents to export their products to a global market. The research firm Statista predicted that revenue in this sector will reach $27.7bn in 2020, and rise to $47bn by 2024. According to Statista, ‘the wider African e-commerce landscape is being pushed by sales in fashion. Now, this is ‘food for thought’.
With the good, comes the bad. This alludes to the fact that the African fashion industry is not without its fair share of challenges. Some of which are lack of wide access to capital and low production capacities of local brands; logistics problems; intermittent power supply; erratic transportation system; lack of skilled workers; erratic government policies; low quality products, etc. limits the industry’s growth potential. The continent Africa is truly, ‘where eagles dare’.
Tech Startups in Africa have been the toast of venture capitalists, with a considerable number of them receiving ‘booster shots’ from investors to engender accelerated growth. The success stories are endless.
With Africa’s clothing and footwear market estimated to be worth more than $31bn, now is the time to invest in Africa’s fashion space.
Author’s Bio
Tunde Renner is a consummate fashion/style writer and analyst, and the head consultant of Evolve Integrated Service, a perception management company based in Lagos, Nigeria. His hobbies includesreading, traveling, swimming,sketchnotingand music.
Instagram: tunderenner
Facebook: Sartorial Digest
