African fashion designers need greater access to mainstream retail channels if local creativity is to translate into sustainable businesses, according to Stephen Manzini, founder and CEO of Soweto Fashion Week and president of the South African Fashion Association.
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Speaking at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow, Manzini called for closer cooperation between designers, retailers, boutiques and international partners to make African fashion more accessible to consumers and create new routes to market for emerging brands.
His remarks highlighted a central challenge for the continent’s fashion industry: while African designers are increasingly visible at fashion shows and cultural events, that exposure does not always translate into shelf space, consistent sales or access to international markets.
“The BRICS+ Fashion Summit is creating a new global platform where emerging fashion markets can connect, collaborate and do business,” Manzini said. “It moves the conversation beyond traditional fashion capitals and gives countries like South Africa an opportunity to contribute to the global fashion agenda.”
The summit brought together retailers, fashion association leaders, investors and industry representatives from more than 60 countries. Its business programme examined production costs, access to retail channels and the requirements for entering international markets.
Retail access remains a commercial hurdle
Manzini argued that the cultural diversity showcased at fashion events should be reflected in everyday retail, where consumers can buy clothing that expresses local identity.
For emerging designers, however, establishing their own stores can be costly, while securing space in established retail environments can provide a route to a broader customer base.
Colleen Eitzen, co-founder of South African retail chain The Space, outlined one model for connecting independent designers with consumers. The retailer stocks local designers’ collections in its stores and takes a commission on sales, allowing brands to access physical retail without having to operate their own outlets.
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According to Eitzen, real-time sales data also helps designers understand which styles, colours and sizes are selling, enabling them to respond more quickly to customer demand.
Sales consultants build relationships with customers and notify them when new pieces from designers they follow arrive in store.
The model illustrates how retailers can provide more than shelf space: they can also offer sales insights, customer relationships and a physical platform through which independent brands can test and develop their products.
For South African designers seeking to scale, such arrangements could offer an alternative to the substantial investment required to establish a standalone retail presence.
Export costs and compliance complicate growth
Beyond domestic retail, summit participants highlighted the practical barriers that can prevent small fashion businesses from entering international markets.
Brian James Kihindas, director of Nairobi Fashion Week and the Kenya Fashion Council, pointed to the cost of certification and the administrative burden of compiling production data required for international trade.
Smaller brands often lack the resources to navigate different markets’ compliance requirements, limiting their ability to export even when there is demand for their products.
Kihindas proposed greater cooperation between countries, regional product-testing laboratories and support to help designers understand the requirements of different export markets.
Such measures, he argued, should take the financial and operational constraints of small businesses into account.
For African fashion brands, the issue extends beyond design and manufacturing capability. Export growth also depends on meeting market-specific requirements and managing the costs of getting products to international buyers.
International markets offer an alternative growth route
Nana Addo Tamakloe, founder and CEO of Accra Fashion Week in Ghana, highlighted the competitive pressures facing local manufacturers in domestic markets.
He argued that large-scale imports of second-hand clothing make it difficult for local producers to compete on price, while designer garments remain affordable mainly to higher-income consumers.
Access to international markets is therefore an important growth opportunity for brands seeking customers beyond their domestic markets.
However, expanding internationally requires more than exposure at fashion events. Designers need commercially viable production models, access to distribution, the ability to meet market requirements and relationships with retailers that can bring their collections to consumers.
Manzini said participation in the Moscow summit had already helped Soweto Fashion Week establish business relationships with colleagues and retailers from Brazil and Sri Lanka, illustrating the potential for industry forums to create cross-border commercial connections.
Building a more connected African fashion industry
The summit also brought together representatives from across Africa, including Mahlet Teklemariam of Ethiopia’s Hub of Africa Fashion Week, Mmantlha Sankoloba of the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association, Kalistu Ramos Mukoroli of Namibia’s MTC Windhoek Fashion Week, Rick Anderson of Mauritius Fashion Festival Week and Tery Carola of Seychelles Fashion Week.
Their participation reflected the range of markets and industry structures represented across the continent, as well as the potential for greater cooperation between fashion organisations, manufacturers and retailers.
For African designers, stronger regional and international networks could help create opportunities to exchange expertise, build retail relationships and navigate export markets. The practical challenge is turning these connections into repeat orders, sustainable distribution and long-term commercial growth.
The discussions at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit point to a broader requirement for the industry: African fashion needs routes to market that extend beyond fashion weeks and showcase events.
For South Africa, that means creating stronger links between the country’s design talent and the retailers, production partners and international buyers that can help local brands grow.
The opportunity is not simply to increase the visibility of African fashion, but to ensure that consumers can buy it — and that the businesses behind it have the commercial infrastructure to keep producing it.
