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‘Fashion Can Change Africa’: The Pioneering Designers Chasing a World of Opportunity

Global interest in African-made goods has grown in recent years but designers on the continent continue to face production challenges.
Two models pose in pink gowns in front of a boat.
Global interest in African-made goods has grown in recent years but designers on the continent continue to face production challenges. (Courtesy)
By
BoF PROFESSIONAL

At a small fashion studio in Lagos, the designers and tailors are busy cutting clean lines through the swathes of fabric. “Cotton T-shirts were the first item we produced,” says designer Oroma Cookey-Gam, co-founder of This is Us, which makes contemporary Nigerian designs, from oversized shirts to jumpsuits and kaftans, using locally produced cotton.

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Further Reading

How E-Commerce and SMEs Are Transforming Africa’s Fashion Industries

The potential of the African continent as both a manufacturing hub and consumer market is still largely untapped. BoF shares key insights from sector specialists on the driving forces behind the evolution of Africa’s fashion industry and identifies what opportunities exist for local and international businesses.

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