From indigenous knowledge and fibre innovation to decentralised manufacturing, the final day of Africa Textile Talks 2025 explores how care, culture and circular thinking are shaping the continent’s textile future.
From life cycle assessments to textile recycling and policy reform, Day 1 of Africa Textile Talks 2025 examines how circularity could reshape South Africa’s fashion and textile industry.
This year Africa Textile Talks extended its offering with an exhibition titled Threads of Renewal curated by Twyg’s fashion editor, Tandekile Mkize. Open for the duration of the talks programme, 29 July – 2 August, the exhibition created a space...
When Nisha Kanabar founded Industrie Africa in 2018, the global conversation around African fashion felt stagnant with repetitive tropes, heritage clichés, and little space for evolution. This motivated her to challenge Western perceptions of African design, and to boost international...
Afrocentrism lies at the heart of KWA’s design philosophy. The jewellery brand was founded to honour the culture and traditions of the Batswana people, using materials like cowrie shells and indigenous beads and handcrafting every piece in Botswana. Its founder,...
For Mozambican designer, healer, and storyteller Wacy Zacarias, textiles are more than materials: they’re tools for healing, remembering, and regenerating. “I don’t just design with aesthetics in mind,” she says. “I design with purpose, ritual, and relationship.” Sustainability is woven...
Luxury redefined: R’Frique is making high-end African fashion more accessible and sustainable—one rental at a time. In this Q&A, founders Ceejay Ndlovu and Lebi Barfour-Osei share how their platform champions slow fashion, celebrates African design, and challenges the norms of...
Jamie Kimani is the founder and creative director of Sevaria, a Nairobi-based brand that includes upcycled and deadstock materials to produce genderfluid pieces. His collections feature made-to-order or limited edition garments, finding inspiration from African cultures and religions. “We’re keen...
A husband-and-wife design duo were inspired by a chair. A simple, curved wooden design with red upholstery fabric that survived decades in Osione Itegboje’s family home was formative to their Nigerian brand This is Us. What is unique about this...
In an industry dominated by fleeting trends and fast fashion, Ella Buter has carved out a space where timeless design, inclusivity, and thoughtful craftsmanship take centre stage. Her approach—slow, deliberate, and deeply personal—led to the creation of Superella, a brand...
Having grown up in Nairobi with a conservationist father and a botanist mother, Louise Sommerlatte has always had an appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. She founded her brand Hamaji − named after the Swahili word for ‘nomadic’ −...
Fast fashion tricks us into thinking clothes are cheap – but if they fall apart after a few wears, they actually cost us more over time. Enter cost per wear (CPW). This is a simple way to rethink clothing value...