In 2014, when Beyoncé was spotted wearing a skirt and jacket from South African brand Kisua, it sold out in days. The musician’s stylist had come across the brand online.
An increasing number of designers on the continent are morphing from small tailor businesses into recognized and respected fashion houses, thanks to the internet.
According to estimates by McKinsey’s Global Institute, Africans could be buying up to $75 billion worth of goods and services online by 2025.
And currently, Nigeria’s online fashion market is the biggest in Africa, and is expected to grow from an estimated $104m in 2014 to nearly $1.1bn in 2019, helped by large e-Commerce platforms like Jumia and Konga.
A growing number of pan-African online-based fashion stores are taking on the challenge of connecting emerging brands from the continent with global consumers, especially those who value the heritage behind designs.
Currently 75% of people in Africa are still offline. But internet access increasingly via mobile phone subscription is growing and predicted to reach 41 percent of Africa’s population by 2020.
As Africa’s internet population grows, so will the size, scale and depth of its fashion industry.
It’s a very exciting future ahead indeed!
Read the full article on the CNN website
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