Backstage image from Dakar Fashion Week. Screenshot from the video “Dakar Fashion Week 2025 TRY-ON” on the FA Channel TV YouTube channel

Although African fashion has long been reduced to wax prints, boubou (long, loose-fitting dresses), and handicrafts, another story is unfolding on this continent. African designers now dress global stars, like Michelle Obama, Rihanna, and Beyoncé. African brands have also won the LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) Prize, and the Dakar and Lagos Fashion Weeks are setting their own trends.

Ramata Diallo, a Fashion Management graduate from Kedge Business School, has made it her mission to report on this thriving, creative Africa through her Africa Fashion Tour initiative, a media platform dedicated to the continent’s fashion professionals. A far cry from clichés, she talks more about the economic success stories, ethical and efficient models, and luxury know-how that rivals that of major international fashion houses. In an email interview with Global Voices, she explains how cultural visibility translates into economic viability, why African authenticity doesn’t need to adapt to Western markets, and how this continent may well become a leader in more sustainable and inclusive fashion.

Joel Hevi (JH): When travelling across the continent for the Africa Fashion Tour, what techniques or styling impressed you most? Why does it remain largely unknown internationally?

Ramata Diallo (RD): Mes voyages à travers les capitales de la mode en Afrique et mes interviews de professionnels de la mode m’ont permis de comprendre les spécificités des savoir-faire uniques du continent africain. Le caractère luxueux des tissus tels que le Leppi de Guinée ou le Kente du Ghana qui nécessitent plusieurs heures de travail manuel comptent parmis les éléments qui m’ont le plus marquée. Le relation particulière entre le créateur de mode et ses clients qui jouent à la fois le rôle de designer et de styliste est un autre élément qui place l’écosystème de la mode en Afrique dans le segment haut de gamme.

Ramata Diallo (RD): My trips to Africa’s fashion capitals and my interviews with fashion professionals helped me understand the specifics of the African continent’s unique know-how. The luxurious nature of fabrics like Guinea’s Leppi or Ghana’s Kente, which require several hours of handwork, is one of the features that impressed me most. The special relationship between fashion designers and their clients, who serve as both designer and stylist, is another factor that puts Africa’s fashion ecosystem in the high-end category.

Backstage image from Dakar Fashion Week. Screenshot from the video “Dakar Fashion Week 2025 TRY-ON” on the FA Channel TV YouTube channel

JH: The image of African fashion is often limited to boubou and wax prints. Is it a conscious move on your part to look beyond these symbols? Do they still retain strategic value for the continent’s branding?

RD: L’Afrique est composée de 54 pays et ne saurait être réduite au boubou, au wax et à la djellaba (longue robe ample répandue comme vêtement traditionnel au Maghreb). L’ambition du média Africa Fashion Tour est d’aller à la rencontre de ceux qui font la mode et de présenter leur travail. Le vestiaire de la femme africaine est multiple. Loin d’être uniforme, la mode africaine est tantôt traditionnelle, tantôt occidentale, tantôt hybride. Inclassable si on utilise une grille de lecture occidentale. Le consommateur de mode africain est volatile, son style évolue au gré des cérémonies. Tous les excès sont permis et chacun peut utiliser la mode comme moyen d’expression du plus classique au plus extravagant.

RD: Africa is made up of 54 countries and should not be limited to boubou, wax prints, and djellaba (a long, loose-fitting robe that is traditional attire in the Maghreb region). The Africa Fashion Tour media platform aims to reach out to those involved in fashion and showcase their work. African women’s wardrobes are diverse. Quite mixed, African fashion is sometimes traditional, sometimes Western, and sometimes a combination. It is unclassifiable when using a Western frame of reference. African fashion consumers are unpredictable; their style changes depending on the occasion. Anything goes, and everyone can use fashion as a means of expression, from the most classic to the most extravagant.

Photo of Ramata Diallo, used with permission

JH: Storytelling is an integral part of your approach, especially through the articles and podcasts you publish on your platform. How do you choose the stories to showcase? What criteria do you use to tell these stories?

RD: L’objectif du média est de donner la parole à des professionnels du secteur de la mode basé en Afrique afin de leur donner l'opportunité de raconter leur propre histoire. L'idée est de raconter des success story africaines, de montrer à quel point les modèles économiques sont à la fois éthiques et performants, de sortir des clichés et des idées reçues pour montrer à quel point le business de la mode en Afrique est florissant.

RD: The media platform’s objective is to make the voices of Africa-based fashion industry professionals heard, giving them the chance to tell their own stories. The aim is to tell African success stories, show how efficient and ethical the economic models can be, and look beyond clichés and misconceptions to illustrate how Africa’s fashion industry is thriving.

Backstage image from Dakar Fashion Week. Screenshot from the video “Dakar Fashion Week 2025 TRY-ON” on the FA Channel TV YouTube channel

JH: The fashion industry is also an economic arena. How do you see the link between cultural visibility and economic viability for African designers? Have you identified any particularly inspiring economic models?

RD : Les professionnels de la mode en Afrique ont parfaitement compris le jeu de l'influence et des collaborations. Récemment Ciara, artiste américaine a défilé à la Lagos Fashion Week pour la marque Fruche. Tongoro et Sisters of Afrika ont habillé Beyoncé une star internationale que l'on ne présente plus. La visibilité des marques africaines sur les podiums et les médias internationaux est un enjeu majeur pour changer le regard sur la mode africaine et placer les designers du continent africain au même niveau que les autres. Cette visibilité sur les réseaux sociaux a un impact direct sur les commandes et la viabilité des marques.

RD: Fashion professionals in Africa have perfectly understood the role of influence and collaborations. Recently, Ciara, an American music artist, walked the runway at the Lagos Fashion Week for the Nigerian brand Fruche. Tongoro and Sisters of Afrika have also dressed Beyoncé, an international star who needs no introduction. The visibility of African brands on catwalks and the international media is central to changing perceptions of African fashion and putting the continent’s designers on the same footing as others. Visibility on social media directly impacts orders and the brand’s viability.

JH: The Western market values authenticity and handicrafts, but also requires difficult-to-meet production, delivery, and volume standards. How does Africa Fashion Tour help designers navigate this gap? Are there brands that have successfully found the perfect balance between their artisanal identity and the global market demands?

RD : L'authenticité et le fait-main sont des valeurs totalement africaines. En 2025, la réussite du Pop up Africa now aux Galeries Lafayette a été une réussite. Il a réunit 15 créateurs sur un espace dédié pendant trois semaines. C'est un exemple concret de la capacité des professionnels de la mode la mode en Afrique à présenter des collections et atteindre les standards occidentaux. Le marché mondial est déréglé avec des acteurs qui produisent des quantités en masse qu’ils ne parviennent pas à vendre. Le temps est à la rationalisation et à la production de collections en éditions limitées, ce qui correspond totalement aux modes de fonctionnement des marques africaines.

RD: Authenticity and handicrafts are quintessentially African values. In 2025, the Africa Now pop-up at Galeries Lafayette in Paris was a success. It brought together 15 designers in one dedicated space for three weeks. This is an excellent example of the African fashion professionals’ ability to showcase collections and meet Western standards. Those who produce mass quantities but fail to sell disrupt the global market. The time has come to streamline and produce limited-edition collections, which aligns entirely with African brands’ way of working.

JH: Aside from your platform, how could mass media change the perception of African fashion, especially on social networks and in visual productions like film and TV series?

RD: L’explosion de l’influence africaine au-delà des frontières du continent à travers Nollywood, Marodi TV ( une société de production de contenus audiovisuels), l’afrobeat notamment n’est plus à prouver. En 2025, la marque ghanéenne Boyedoe a été démi-finaliste du concours LVMH. Le succès de la Foire Akaa (Also Known As Africa) à Paris qui a fêté ses 10 ans en 2025 est une autre preuve de l’attrait grandissant pour les industries culturelles et créatives africaines qui ne se limitent pas à des likes sur les réseaux sociaux, mais se traduit concrètement par des films et des événements tels, que les fashion week à Dakar ou Lagos.

RD: The success of the AKAA (Also Known As Africa) contemporary art and design fair in Paris, which marked its 10th anniversary in 2025, is further proof of the growing appeal of African creative and cultural industries. This is not limited to likes on social media, but is reflected in films and events such as the Dakar and Lagos Fashion Weeks.

Models stage a photoshoot on Dakar's iconic long boats. Screenshot from YouTube. Free use.

JH: African fashion is often seen as an emerging industry or a source of inspiration for the rest of the world. Does the continent have the potential to become a true pillar of innovation and leadership, setting tomorrow’s global trends, especially in terms of durability and inclusion?

RD: Sur le continent à travers les Fashion Week à Dakar, à Lagos, à Casablanca, la mode afrcaine a déjà ses propres tendances, ses propres codes et ne doit pas chercher à s’adapter à un marché occidental. Il y a un fort intéret pour les créateurs du continent et des consommateurs issus de la diaspora, du marché local et du reste du monde.

RD: Through the Dakar, Lagos, and Casablanca Fashion Weeks, African fashion already has its own trends and codes on this continent, and must not try to adapt to the Western market. There is strong interest in the continent’s designers, with consumers in the diaspora, the local market, and the rest of the world.