By CultureBanx Team
- Revenue in Africa’s apparel market is expected to reach $70.5 billion in 2024
- Almost all of the major African cities have fashion weeks
Once Vogue Arabia was released, supermodel Naomi Campbell used her platform as a contributing editor to British Vogue to implore the company to create a Vogue Africa. The publication has yet to credit African designers for their impact on the global fashion industry, all while creating a central platform for them to attract more consumers.
Why This Matters: Revenue in Africa’s apparel market is expected to reach $70.5 billion this year, according to Statista, which represents a small fraction of the global market size.Teen Vogue reported the apparent hesitancy to introduce a magazine for the region could be a result of widespread misconceptions about Africa lacking an adequate luxury market. There’s also a false narrative the country does not have the appropriate infrastructure and staff to properly maintain luxury institutions.
Almost all of the major African cities such as Cairo, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lagos have fashion weeks, yet African designers are still struggling to find consistent customers. Many African designers credit their international success to social media, since they cannot rely on mainstream publications to advertise for them. Not to mention that Statista reported the largest segment in the African market is Women’s Apparel, with a market volume of $29.6 billion.
Situational Awareness: Although having a Vogue Africa could benefit African designers, some believe having one publication to address the fashion industry of an entire continent simply isn’t enough. Regardless of whether or not this publication comes to life, the only way to make African designers and their work become mainstream is to have influential retailers and consumers investing in them at the same rate they do for U.S. and European brands.
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