Africa’s “high fashion” bets on global retail presence

When Kenya’s Vivo Fashion opened its first US store in Atlanta earlier this week it was the latest step in a push by African brands to expand the “high fashion” value chain on the global stage.

Vivo, co-founded by Wandia Gichuru and Anne-Marie Burugu already has 26 stores spread across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. For its launch at Atlantic Station in Atlanta it brought along Kenya-made brands including Anjiru, Ikwetta, and Soko.

It follows in the footsteps of brands like Lagos-based menswear specialists Deji & Kola which opened its first UK store in March following the opening of a store in Canada last year. South African knitwear brand MaXhosa in February also revealed plans to open a New York retail base as it launched a six-month pop-up store in the city.

An African fashion industry report by Unesco from last October noted that developing retail distribution with e-commerce and physical stores would be essential for boosting the high fashion sector which accounted for around a fifth of Africa’s $6 billion luxury goods market in 2022. Overall demand for African haute couture is projected to increase by 42% over the next decade.

“Many high fashion designers operate from small outlets or studios in the suburbs of major cities in Africa, but the lack of organized retail spaces impact brands’ visibility and reach in a competitive market,” wrote the authors of the report.

Kate Mayeye, CEO of Nairobi-based African Fabrics and Design, told Semafor Africa that the global rise of fast fashion -— where mass market retailers flood the market with inexpensive clothing to keep up with trends — had helped raise demand for unique, high-quality pieces, which African fashion houses are happy to provide.

“International buyers are looking for quality, authenticity and uniqueness,” she explained. Mayeye also noted that Africans in the diaspora were helping create a buzz around fashion from the continent, much in the same way they aided the rise in global popularity of African music genres including Afrobeats and Amapiano.

The Unesco report places the current value of African fashion exports at $15.5 billion per year and calls for increased investment and improved policymaking to support the fashion industry in Africa, highlighting its potential to strengthen economies.

Vivo’s Atlanta store was unveiled by Kenya’s President William Ruto during his ongoing state visit to the US. “This is not just a win for Vivo, but for Kenya and Africa as a whole. It showcases the global potential of African brands and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our continent forward,” he said.

Nigerian fashion designers and brands are increasingly earning international acclaim with their designs taking center stage at fashion events around the world - including at the Brooklyn Museum’s “Africa Fashion” exhibition where popular Lagos concept store Alara opened a pop-up shop in 2023.

“Currently the global fashion community is looking to the African continent for more than inspiration,” Ernestine White-Mifetu, the Sills Foundation curator of African art at the Brooklyn Museum, told the New York Times in April. “The fashion world at large is finally ready to pay attention.”