THE AFRICAN FASHION CALENDAR
The ultimate events and collections calendar of Africa's fashion industry.
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South African Menswear Week (SS'22)
July 9-10
south africa
Africa’s only stand-alone platform dedicated to menswear, South African Menswear Week provides a platform for menswear designers and brands to showcase their collections. Established in 2015 by Simon Dein and curated by leading industry experts, the biannual event is held in Cape Town and consists of a series of runway shows that take place over 3 days. Modeled off of London Men’s Fashion Week, SAMW has proven pivotal in the development and promotion of menswear designers from the region.
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African Fashion Week London
August 9-10
Freemasons' Hall, London, UK
Europe's largest fashion event aimed at promoting African design talent from the diaspora, Africa Fashion Week London is a social enterprise and annual fashion event established to introduce a UK audience to African designers and dispel misguided narratives that have long informed the West’s view of fashion from the continent. Founded in 2011 by Ronke Ademiluyi, AFWL is focused on encouraging trade for African designers within the global community and helps to nurture them on a global scale.
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Kampala Fashion Week
September, TBD
uganda
Uganda's most influential fashion platform, Kampala Fashion Week promotes Ugandan designers and fashion designers from across the continent to a global market. Produced by the Fashion Council Uganda and founded by CEO Gloria Wavamunno, it was created with a core mission of strengthening the region’s design voice and industry, as well as fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship. KFW’s annual program includes the SEED Project Showcase, a talent search for emerging Ugandan designers.
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Hub of Africa Addis Fashion Week
October, TBD
ethiopia
Held annually in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Hub of Africa Addis Fashion Week (HAFW) was established to highlight the growing pool of high caliber African designers and brands, make them visible to an international market hungry for new talent, and foster connections between the various sectors of the continent’s growing garment industry. Founded in 2010 by Linda Murithi and Mahlet Teklemariam, the event has played host to brands including Maison ARTC, Kahindo, Mataano, and ROOOI.
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Lagos Leather Fair
October, TBD
nigeria
An annual retail showcase created in 2017 by entrepreneur Femi Olayebi—founder of FemiHandbags—and the first event of its kind in Africa, the Lagos Leather Fair aims to promote and raise awareness of the value of the leather industry within and outside of Nigeria. The initiative provides a platform for designers who work closely with the material to showcase their goods to buyers, consumers, and retailers, the ultimate goal being to highlight the value of the neglected West African leather industry.
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October 2021
Founded in 2011 by Omoyemi Akerele, Heineken Lagos Fashion Week is a prestigious annual multi-day event that aims to support the growth and promote creatives in the African industry, featuring traditional runway shows and presentations, new talent discovery initiatives, as well as business masterclasses and other opportunities for knowledge building. Over the years, designers including Orange Culture, Kenneth Ize, and Emmy Kasbit have utilized the event as a launchpad for their brands.
Founded in 1996 by Lucilla Booyzen, South African Fashion Week is held seasonally in Johannesburg and Cape Town and is seen as a driving force behind the growth of the country's vibrant fashion design culture. South Africa’s only Business-to-Business fashion platform, it comprises runway shows, incubator programs, and a trade show, and in 2020 was celebrated by South Africa’s museum of contemporary art, the Zeitz Mocca, in an exhibition titled “Making Histories with South African Fashion Week.”
November 2021
An annual four-day event that aims to showcase home-grown Namibian designers, Windhoek Fashion week was founded in 2015 by Kalistu Mukoroli and Luis Munana. Having recognized the power of the fashion industry in terms of stimulating the economy, creating jobs, and bringing increased international attention to Namibia, WFW was established to do just that; the event gathers designers with local buyers, customers, media, and creatives in an effort to foster connections between them.
Established in 2012 by Glitz Africa Magazine and Glitz Style Awards founder and publisher Claudia Lumor, Glitz Africa Fashion Week is one of Ghana’s biggest fashion events, and every year it provides a platform for emerging and established designers to showcase their collections to a diverse fashion community. Through the provision of strategic exposure and mentorship opportunities, the initiative is dedicated to grooming the next generation of Ghanaian fashion talent.
Founded in 2007 by Precious Moloi-Motsepe, African Fashion International is a seasonal showcase of African fashion brands aimed at propelling them onto a global stage. The event has been instrumental in growing the careers of a number of local designers, presenting them with the opportunities to gain exposure and experience through their popular Fast Track program, while it’s AFI boutique offers the designers who show a way to connect directly with the consumer as their collections are revealed.
A consumer-focused fair and free business platform created to represent the best of Africa’s fashion industry, The GTBank Fashion Weekend began in 2016 and every year presents a carefully put together ensemble of designers from across Africa. The event comprises fashion and entrepreneurial masterclasses as well as curated shopping experiences that help to promote commerce for small businesses in the fashion industry, the ultimate goal being to uplift communities and grow the Nigerian economy.
December 2021
Held annually in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa Sourcing & Fashion Week is known as Africa’s biggest textile trade show. ASFW offers the opportunity for investors and designers to leverage the value of the African textile industry through the creation of a space for networking and knowledge sharing. Founded in 2014, it comprises brand showcases, a conference, and an expo that sees hundreds of local manufacturers presenting their goods and expertise to thousands of international trade visitors.
One of the largest annual fashion events in East Africa, Swahili Fashion Week was founded in 2008 by Tanzanian couturier Mustafa Hassanali, and is held annually in Dar es Salaam. Comprised of traditional runway shows, pop-up shops, trade shows, and new talent discovery initiatives, as well as other opportunities for knowledge building, it’s aimed at emphasizing to the region that fashion made in Africa can be a valuable income-generating creative industry.
Launched in 2006 by Nana Addo Tamakloe with the aim of establishing a world-class fashion week in Ghana, Accra Fashion Week is organized annually by fashion media and management outlet FashionGHANA. Held every October, AFW’s main objective, besides promoting designers from the continent, is to impart valuable business knowledge to the emerging who participate.
A platform for discovering, encouraging, and promoting Mozambican fashion, Mozambique Fashion Week was founded in 2004 in Maputo, with the aim of placing the country on the radar of the international fashion community. The largest fashion event in the southern African nation, runway shows are the predominant attraction. MFW has also been known to host pop-ups and live performances, as well as panel discussions in the areas of culture, art, fashion, and entrepreneurship.
One of Nigeria’s biggest fashion events, Arise Fashion Week was founded in 2008 by Arise Magazine founder Nduka Obaigbena to showcase the work of African designers. It was one of the first design initiatives to bring major brands including Lisa Folawiyo and Tiffany Amber to a global audience and has since grown in scope and influence, after relaunching its platform in 2018 in partnership with supermodel Naomi Campbell. AFW's 2020 edition marked a turning point in its history with the launch of the Arise Fashion Week 30 Under 30 competition.
Founded in 2002 by Senegalese creative entrepreneur Adama Ndiaye, Dakar Fashion Week is one of the continent’s longest-running fashion weeks, and an event that strives to highlight the best of local design and celebrate Senegalese fashion and creativity. Underpinned by an embrace of Pan-Africanism that aims to counter the global stereotypes of the continent, the event has seen designers from across the continent presenting their collections.
February 2022
Established in 1995 with its globally acclaimed conference that attracts thousands of attendees from all over the world, the Design Indaba brand has evolved into a multidisciplinary platform that champions all creative sectors. Founded in 1995 by Ravi Naidoo, DI is powered by an ethos of creating a better world through creativity, and their initiatives most notably the Emerging Creatives Program, have served as a launching pad for some of South Africa’s most promising young design talent.
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Woven Threads II: Moving in Circles
April 22-24
nigeria
Launched in 2020, Heineken Lagos Fashion Week’s Woven Threads is an annual event aimed at spotlighting designers that demonstrate innovative, holistic, and sustainable practices that take into consideration elements of community, pollution, and waste. This year, Woven Threads will feature the work of designers working to close the product life-cycle with an emphasis on waste and recycling. Featuring designers include: Awa Meite, Bloke, Chiip O Neal, Emmy Kasbit, IAMISIGO, Nkwo,
Pepper Row, This is us, amongst others. The event will be a hybrid of physical and digital presentations and emphasizes the need to work toward a circular fashion economy in Africa.
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South African Fashion Week (SS'21)
April 29-May 1
south africa
Founded in 1996 by Lucilla Booyzen, SAFW is held seasonally in Johannesburg and Cape Town and is seen as a driving force behind the growth of the country's vibrant fashion design culture. South Africa’s only Business-to-Business fashion platform, it comprises runway shows, incubator programs, and a trade show, and in 2020 was celebrated by South Africa’s museum of contemporary art, the Zeitz Mocca, in an exhibition titled “Making Histories with South African Fashion Week. Now in its 24th year, this season’s digital event will see 28 designers show collections, including the finalists of the New Talent Search 2021 Competition.
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AFF Creative Industry Retreat
May 19-23
Accra, Ghana
Established by the African Fashion Foundation, their Creative Industry Retreat was established in 2021 to mark the United Nations’ International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. The aim is to convene in a single space to cultivate and collaborate with thought leaders and key players of the African creative sector. Held in May in Accra, Ghana and co-hosted by Roberta Annan and Arieta Mujay-Barg, the event hopes to spark a dialogue amongst attendees and expose them to opportunities for growth.
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Rwanda Fashion Week
June, TBD
rwanda
Rwanda Fashion Week (formerly known as Collective Rw Fashion Week) was established in 2016 by a group of East African creatives known as Collective Rw. Made up of designers and brands like House of Tayo, Haute Baso, Inzuki, K’tsobe Jewels, Moshions, Sonia Mugabo, and Uzi Collections, the collective hosts a series of runway shows, seminars, and pop up events in Kigali annually with the aim of showcasing Made-in-Rwanda fashions to a diverse audience and encouraging collaboration amongst African designers.
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