One of the world’s fastest growing industries is fashion. As a result, you can find fashion designers from almost every continent and each of them has their own fashion style. This leads to the development of fashion houses and, as you might have guessed, too much competition. There are 10 African fashion designers who have put the African continent on the global fashion map with their work and have already become icons of hope and admiration around the world. They are discussed below.
1. Duro Olowu
This African fashion designer was born in Nigeria and trained as a lawyer to become a fashion designer. He is based in London and since 2004 he has consistently risen in the fashion industry. He is best known for his love of bright colors, highly finished cuts and vintage prints on his designs. In fact, his designs and creativity have attracted powerful women, including US First Lady Michelle Obama. He’s not everything as he won the Britain Fashion Awards’ Designer of the Year award.
2. Korto Momolu
This is another one of the African fashion designers that is making a name for itself. She is a Liberian citizen who moved to Canada after the 1990 civil war. She immediately enrolled in a fashion school. She moved to the United States and continued her education as a fashion designer at the Parson School of Design. Her start shone further when she landed a spot on the 5th season of The Project Runway Show. Not only did she appear on the show, but she was also the runner-up. This gave her more reason to pursue her design further. Since then, she has been interviewed by numerous magazines and appeared on many shows. She is an icon for many emerging African fashion designers.
3. Jewel – Lisa
Jewel debuts on this list for the creativity evoked by her designs. The design involves mixing Ankara skirts with jewels and the designer also makes jeweled accessories. She uses Swarovski crystals along with Ankara fabric to create fun and simple designs that are a hit with lively people. Her designs are usually worn by celebrities and global icons and she has multiple awards behind her as well.
4.David Talale
David is best known for his unique and bold designs. He has been described by many as one of the most creative fashion designers of our time as his designs are not easily predictable. One of the best things about his designs is that they are easy to wear, which is why he features on this list of the best African fashion designers.
5. Deola Sagoe
If you are looking for an African fashion designer who has caught the attention of global bodies like the UN, here she is. The haute couture pieces designed by this woman are known worldwide in terms of fashion. Like the others, she has won numerous awards and taken part in fashion shows alongside fashion legends such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. As well as appearing in international shows and magazines, she is also known for designing Naomi Campbell’s clothes. The Nigerian fashion designer is sure to advance Africa in fashion.
6. Kofi Ansah
He lives in London and is from Ghana. He’s so aggressive that not only has he created some of the world’s best fashion designs, he founded the Federation of African Designers . He’s served as President and designed the costumes for [email-protected] celebrations in addition to the costumes used at the Africa Cup of Nations 2008 were used.
7. Lanre Da Silva Ajayi
She is a Nigerian fashion designer known for sophisticated designs that are loved by modern women. She creatively uses traditional African fabrics and adds patterns to make her clothes stand out. As a result, many celebrities and media houses have used her label. She has made her presence known by showcasing her designs in Africa and abroad.
8. Mataano
Mataano means twins in Somalia and as you can guess the fashion house is owned by the two, Idyl and Ayaan. What is unique about her designs is that they are multicultural. Once Oprah featured them on her show via Skype and that opened the door for them. They keep turning heads with their unique designs, earning them a place at the top of the African fashion designers list.
9. Tiffany Amber
Tiffany is a Nigerian fashion designer whose dream is to revolutionize the African fashion industry. She launched her brand in 1998 and since then the lawyer by training has won award after award. It is worth noting that she became the first African fashion designer to be invited to New York Fashion Week two seasons in a row.
10. Aisha Obuobi
Aisha is a beautiful Ghanaian designer best known for her fusion of Ankara prints, kente and bright fashion pieces. Her brand was launched in 2008 while she was in her final year of college in Ghana. She is considered a luxury designer and has received several awards for this.