LOS ANGELES  –   In recent years, African designers have found support from international celebrities including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Naomi Campbell. Now a growing number of the continent’s fashion brands are preparing to make inroads into global fashion markets. Among this wave of talent is South African designer Thebe Magugu, who was awarded the 2019 LVMH Prize for young designers, which comes with a €300,000 ($315,000) grant, and opened his first fashion house in Johannesburg last year. His style combines modern designs with the continent’s cultural identity, an approach he hopes will help African fashion go global. “I think the world is really hungry for stories that are outside the European gaze or the American view,” he told CNN. “I think the storytelling we have in Africa is so nuanced …when they see it for the first time, they really respond to it.” He’s not alone in that belief. Serge Carreira, director of the emerging brands initiative at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the governing body for the French fashion industry, says he has seen an increased appetite for African designers globally. Carreira says many are intrigued by African fashion because “it represents so many realities, so many expressions, so many cultures that are so different as a whole continent,” and that its designers have found a way to combine culture with contemporary styles.  “I strongly believe that within the next 10 years you will have at least two or three African houses that will be standing as independent houses next to big independent European brands,” he added. A 2023 UNESCO report on Africa’s fashion sector predicted demand for African haute couture will increase by 42% by 2033, driven partly by the growth of e-commerce. But it found that a lack of funding, infrastructure, and training programs are holding the sector back.

Magugu has experienced this firsthand. He says importing fabric into South Africa means paying a 45% duty and that a lack of access to capital makes it hard for small businesses.  One way to bolster the industry is for the continent to utilize its raw materials rather than having to reimport them as processed goods. The report found 37 African countries produce cotton yet the continent imports $23.1 billion of textiles each year, including clothing and footwear

Kenyan designer Katungulu Mwendwa launched her brand Katush in 2014, with sustainability as a key pillar. “We try to create items that are 100% made on the continent,” she said, even down to the buttons which are hand carved in Kenya.