Written by Nosmot Gbadamosi, CNN
Contributors: Henrik Pettersson, CNN
An increasing number of
designers on the continent are morphing from small tailor businesses into
recognized and respected fashion houses, thanks to the internet.
In 2014, when Beyoncé was
spotted wearing a skirt and jacket from South African brand Kisua,
it sold out in days. The musician's stylist had come across the brand online.
The internet is a great
leveler," says Kisua's Ghanaian founder Samuel Mensah. "The speed
with which you can access markets and can generate awareness about your brand
is unprecedented in the history of fashion."
The e-commerce platform,
launched in 2013, sells its own clothes and collaborates with other designers
to create collections for its label. It was born out of Mensah's travels around
the continent as an economist.
When overseas, friends
would create wish lists for him. "Next time you are in Senegal or Nigeria
or Kenya please buy me this, that I saw so-so wearing," he explains.
"It always intrigued
me why the [African] fashion was so inaccessible. I couldn't understand why
nobody was doing this because consumers obviously wanted the products."
E-commerce seemed the
logical solution.
A
billion dollar market
If estimates by
Mckinsey's Global Institute prove fruitful, Africans could be buying $75
billion worth of goods and services online by 2025, taking into
account the region's recent economic slowdown. In Nigeria, the continent's
largest consumer market, revenue has doubled each year since 2010.
The country has the
largest online apparel market in Africa, expected to grow from an estimated
$104m in 2014 to nearly $1.1bn in 2019 according to research by Euromonitor International.
The sheer size of
Nigeria's population of 180m mean
its consumers spent $400 billion in 2014, McKinsey estimates.
Currently 75% of people
in Africa are still offline. But internet access increasingly via mobile phone
subscription is growing and predicted to reach 41 percent
of Africa's population by 2020.
A further survey by Ipsos
Mori and PayPal reveals 89 percent of Nigeria's
internet users shop online or expect to do so in the future.
Overseas
interest
Last year saw the launch
of New York based ONYCHEK, an e-commerce site selling luxury apparel from
Africa to customers in the US, Canada and UK.
"We are trying to
make fashion made in Africa available to everybody," says founder Chekwas
Okafor.
Okafor's father
historically exported textiles from China into Nigeria, and by naming the brand
after his dad's company he aims to do "the reverse".
"African Americans
are excited about supporting African brands and then there are those consumers
who are just excited about ethical and sustainable fashion. Those are our
customer base," he adds.
It's a logic shared by
the creators of fellow New York based OXOSI, also launched in 2016. Nigerian founders Akin
Adebowale and Kolade Adeyemo aim to connect emerging brands from the continent
with global consumers especially those who value the heritage behind designs.
Initial capital for its
launch came from private equity firm Kupanda Capital known to seed fund
companies with a pan-African interest. It also recruited market guidance from
Zara Okpara, brand consultant for Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW).
Currently 25 African
based designers make up the site's roster with Amaka Osakwe's Maki Oh line its
biggest. The Nigerian designer has been worn by former first lady Michelle
Obama and is a known favorite of celebrities like Solange Knowles.
"Our team met with
Maki during fashion week Lagos [LFDW] and we had a conversation on what we
could do together ... not just showcasing the clothes but the cultural
importance of what she's doing," says Adebowale.
"There is a clear
void in retail channels that cater to the Africa-made and designed
products," he adds
Rapidly
growing outlets
Nigerian Olatorera Oniru
left a corporate career in banking and tech to set up Dress Me Outlet. The
online shopping site based in Lagos sells around 85 to 95 percent of its
products to Nigerians.
Nigeria is recovering
from a recession, after a steep drop in oil prices but for some this represents
an opportunity, as imported goods become less affordable.
"Last year we led a
very aggressive campaign in Nigeria," she says. "We offered free
shipping and competitive rates on our site."
Dress
Me Outlet launched last year with just five full-time staff but
now employs 30. It believes smart promotion has allowed it to build quickly,
despite facing stiff competition from Jumia and Konga, major online marketplace
retailers operating within Nigeria and other countries in the continent.
The
road to global success
Jumia Group became
Africa's first unicorn last year, a name given to companies surpassing a
billion dollars in market value. Enabling payment on delivery in some
transactions has allowed it to pull in non-banking consumers, a model Dress Me
Outlet among many have adopted.
"Really currently
the market is big. It's a new market that is developing especially for the
fashion segment of things," adds Oniru.
For global success
however better infrastructure is needed. Many roads within the continent are
unpaved curbing the ability to deliver products cheaply.
"There's a lot of
ground work that you need to do to be able to operate successfully and that
groundwork hasn't been laid," says Mensah, but, "this is changing,
there is investment that is happening across the fashion supply chain."
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Source: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/africa-e-commerce-fashion/index.html
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