African fashion can command attention on the runway. But what happens when the show ends and shoppers want to buy the clothes?
Stephen Manzini, Founder and CEO of Soweto Fashion Week and President of the South African Fashion Association, wants to close that gap. Speaking at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow, Russia, he called for closer cooperation between designers, retailers and international partners to make African collections more accessible to everyday shoppers.
His message highlights a key challenge for the industry: celebrating African creativity is not enough if consumers struggle to find local brands in stores.
Taking African fashion beyond the runway
The BRICS+ Fashion Summit brought together retailers, fashion association leaders and investors from more than 60 countries. The forum focuses on the fashion industries of fast-growing economies and creates opportunities to discuss business challenges, partnerships and international markets.
African voices featured prominently in discussions about production costs, retail access and the requirements for selling products internationally. The business programme also included representatives from the International Apparel Federation, PT Pan Brothers Tbk, FARM Rio and Wildberries, alongside experts featured on the BoF 500 list of influential figures in global fashion.
The summit took place alongside Moscow Fashion Week.
For Manzini, one issue deserves particular attention: the difference between the cultural diversity celebrated at fashion shows and festivals and the products shoppers can actually find in stores.
Consumers looking for clothing with a distinctive local identity should have the opportunity to purchase it. Achieving that goal, he argued, requires stronger relationships between designers, retailers, boutiques and craft stores.
International partnerships could also help brands exchange products and expertise, creating more opportunities to reach customers beyond their home markets.
Manzini said the summit was already helping build those connections.
“The BRICS+ Fashion Summit is creating a new global platform where emerging fashion markets can connect, collaborate and do business. It moves the conversation beyond traditional fashion capitals and gives countries like South Africa an opportunity to contribute to the global fashion agenda”.
Making retail more accessible to local designers
Getting a collection into a physical store can be expensive for an emerging fashion business. Retail partnerships offer one way to reach shoppers without taking on the full cost of operating an independent outlet.
Colleen Eitzen, co-founder of South African retail chain The Space, shared practical insight into how this model works.
The Space stocks local designers’ collections and takes a commission on sales. This arrangement gives designers access to physical retail space without requiring them to run their own stores.
It also provides valuable sales information. According to Eitzen, designers can track sales in real time and see which styles, colours and sizes are selling, as well as which items remain unsold.
That information helps brands respond to customer demand more quickly.
The relationship with shoppers matters, too. The Space’s sales consultants maintain personal connections with customers and let them know when new pieces from their favourite designers arrive.
This model illustrates how retailers can do more than provide shelf space. They can also help designers understand their customers and make more informed decisions.
The cost of taking African fashion global
Retail access is only one part of the challenge. For smaller brands, international trade can bring additional costs and complex requirements.
Brian James Kihindas, director of Nairobi Fashion Week and the Kenya Fashion Council in Kenya, highlighted the difficulties associated with certification and international market access.
He explained that small brands can struggle to compile the required production data and pay for the procedures needed to sell abroad.
Kihindas called for greater cooperation between countries, regional product-testing laboratories and support to help designers navigate different markets’ requirements.
His position recognises that international expansion must account for the resources available to smaller businesses. Without practical support, the cost of meeting market requirements can become a barrier to growth.
Competing in local markets
Nana Addo Tamakloe, CEO and founder of Accra Fashion Week in Ghana, raised another concern: competition from imported second-hand clothing.
In his assessment, large-scale imports make it harder for local manufacturers to compete. Smaller brands face pressure at the lower end of the market, while designer pieces remain accessible mainly to more affluent consumers.
Tamakloe described access to international markets as essential to the survival of many local brands.
Together, these perspectives show that expanding African fashion requires more than promoting designers. Businesses also need viable routes to market, practical trade support and ways to reach customers at different price points.
A continental conversation about fashion’s future
The summit also brought together representatives from fashion organisations and business associations across Africa.
Participants included Mahlet Teklemariam, founder of Hub of Africa Fashion Week and a BoF 500 member from Ethiopia; Mmantlha Sankoloba, CEO of the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association; Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli, director of MTC Windhoek Fashion Week in Namibia; Rick Anderson, director of Mauritius Fashion Festival Week; and Tery Carola, president and CEO of Seychelles Fashion Week.
Their participation reflected the range of national industries and economic conditions represented in the discussions, from eastern and southern Africa to the islands of the Indian Ocean.
A shared platform gives these stakeholders an opportunity to exchange perspectives on common challenges while recognising that each market has its own needs.
For Soweto Fashion Week, participation has already helped establish business relationships with colleagues and retailers from Brazil and Sri Lanka.
Turning visibility into opportunity
The discussion in Moscow points to a wider question for African fashion: how can the industry turn creative recognition into sustainable commercial opportunities?
Manzini’s call for more retail space places access to consumers at the heart of that conversation. Eitzen’s retail model demonstrates one way designers can reach shoppers and use sales data to guide decisions. Kihindas and Tamakloe, meanwhile, highlighted the financial, regulatory and competitive pressures that can limit growth.
Together, these contributions underline the importance of connecting designers with retailers, customers and international partners.
The ambition is clear: African brands need opportunities not only to showcase their creativity, but also to sell their work, build relationships with customers and compete in wider markets.
For South African fashion, stronger retail access could help bring more local collections within shoppers’ reach.
