As emerging nations have evolved into international power players over the last decades, robust fashion talent from these newly developed economies have also emerged as part of this growth. We now see burgeoning fashion industries in every corner of the earth, from major fashion awards in the Middle East to IMG-hosted fashion weeks in India to international editions of magazines like Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar in almost every nation.
In spite of this amplification of local fashion talent through these powerful platforms, there is still no such thing as a unified global fashion industry. Making it difficult for international editors and buyers to keep up with and support these young designers and their careers.
Enter Industrie Africa.
Created by Nisha Kanabar and Georgia Bobley, the two founders have developed Industrie Africa as an online showcase for the best fashion talent from all over the African continent. While their site is only focused on Africa, the platform has positive implications for the emerging markets as a whole; it presents a solution to the problem that many countries have in there is no unified place where people can discover, research and contact emerging fashion talent. As such, Industrie Africa’s concept has the potential to disrupt the entire system and shift the disjointed international fashion industry towards a more global entity.
“Industrie Africa was born from a need to craft an infrastructure that navigates the vast African fashion space, and the immense talent that drives it. Whether you’re an industry insider or consumer of emerging labels, the biggest question that plays on peoples minds is: Where to start?” says Kanabar.
The platform is an online showroom of carefully curated fashion designers, showcasing over 80 designers from 24 African countries. It’s a resource for editors, buyers and enthusiasts alike who want to discover new fashion talent while simultaneously giving African designers a platform to help boost their presence on the global scene. Each designer has a profile which has on it images from their collections, contact details, backgrounds and other pertinent information to encourage connections.
Industrie Africa also exists to support interconnectivity within Africa. “Within the continent itself—there’s very little cross-border conversation,” Kanabar says. “How would a retail buyer in Nigeria learn more about the scene in Ethiopia? How would a potential customer in South Africa get the scoop on what’s cool in Ghana? Industrie Africa is the starting point that bridges that gap. It positions Africa as this connected, fashion frontier.”
Both Kanabar and Bobley have the fashion and digital credentials to bring Industrie Africa to the forefront. Kanabar was formerly on staff at Vogue India and style.com/Arabia while Bobley helped to launch PopSugar in the Middle East.
“What people need to realize is that fashion from Africa more than just a trend reduced to tribal or indigenous detailing—a wax print, or some Masaai beading. The contemporary design scene is a powerfully burgeoning industry, and there there’s an incredible amount of talent—and diversity—that people just don’t see,” says Kanabar.
“Our goals are simple,” she continues. “To make Africa a bigger, and more seamless part of the overall fashion narrative by creating an infrastructure that allows for increased connectivity and ease of access. The idea is to facilitate and accelerate the conversation between stakeholders and Africa’s fashion designers—which will hopefully, in turn, perpetuate demand and real follow-through.”
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