Business Leaders

Africa Inspires is part of the Ethical Fashion Programme of the International Trade Centre – a new approach to both fashion and poverty reduction in disadvantaged Africa communities.

The project focuses upon the high value, designer and luxury goods sector, in order to allow international fashion companies to develop product lines that incorporate skills and materials from Africa, its communities and its designers.

Role of Ethical Fashion Forum and Consultancy

The Ethical Fashion Forum and its consultancy arm engaged with the project in the following ways:

• Consultation with the UK fashion community and associated project development

• Research into the market for ethical fashion including focus groups, focused interviews and comprehensive literature studies and reports

• Marketing workshops in Africa to the UK fashion and buyer community and securing attendance by a range of leading and pioneering business representatives

• Business liaison with leading UK fashion designers and businesses to secure their involvement with the project, including sampling and production in Africa. Businesses engaged ranged from Vivenne Westwood to Liberty’s and Topshop.

About Africa Inspires

VISIT THE AFRICA INSPIRES WEBSITE

For African designers the programme provides:

• An opportunity to partner with international fashion companies by supplying components of high-value, ethical fashion items
• Opportunities to develop their existing markets in Africa and outside Africa
• Potential to acquire know-how on fashion trends which can be applied in domestic and regional African markets
• Access to training and capacity building

For African informal manufacturers and community groups the programme provides:

• Potential to work in an industry requiring small-scale production, where African companies have a competitive advantage
• An opportunity to partner with international fashion companies by supplying components of high-value, ethical fashion items
• Creation of new and sustainable jobs, based on local skills and supply chains
• Improved livelihoods and poverty reduction

Programme Components

To meet its goals, Africa Inspires comprises the following lines of work:

Market research and information
Carrying out market research and extensive consultation with project stakeholders, including fashion industry players, on all aspects of the ethical fashion market. Results will be incorporated into a formal information service, available to all project participants.

Product specification and design support
Compiling information on various ethical fashion materials from Africa and their availability; testing and determining technical specifications of fabrics and raw materials.

Support for manufacturing in community groups
Creating a network of intermediaries and support structures in selected African countries to facilitate the design and manufacturing process, by working with organisations and communities to develop raw materials, components, and product lines, and to assure quality control and delivery times.

Access to domestic, regional and international markets for African communities
Linking African communities to African designers and to international designers, fashion houses, distributors and retailers through a number of initiatives.

Programme sustainability
Building capacity within local intermediaries and Trade Support Institutions to anchor key components of the programme to the market of fashion and therefore ensure long-term sustainability.

Marketing and certification
Providing support for marketing and communication with customers, through appropriate certification and labelling schemes and specific promotional activities.