Sinawo Jack|Published
African fashion designers are looking for ways to build sustainable businesses while preserving the traditional craftsmanship and local practices that have long shaped the continent’s fashion industry.
Twyg director Jackie May believes the answer lies in building on what African designers already do well, rather than copying fast-fashion systems.
“Africans are leaders in sustainable fashion,” May said.
She said the continent’s slow and decentralised approach to fashion-making already provides a strong foundation for sustainable practices. However, she warned that African countries needed to guard against introducing industrial practices that could harm the environment.
May was speaking ahead of the eighth Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards in 2026, which places a stronger focus on artisanal fashion and designers from across Africa.
The Pan-African Award is in its second year and gives designers from across the continent an opportunity to be recognised for their work.
African craftsmanship at the heart of sustainable fashion
May said craftsmanship was a practice found across different parts of Africa.
“Slow, artisanal practices are implemented by many fashion designers,” she said.
She pointed to designers such as IAMISIGO, Hertunba and Yoshita 1967 as examples of designers using artisanal approaches.
For May, supporting artisanal fashion is also a way of preserving African crafts and cultural history.
“It’s a way of sharing cultural histories using fashion as a medium,” she said.
African materials offer opportunities for designers
African designers are also finding ways to work with materials available on the continent.
May highlighted designers working with Nigerian adire fabrics and Ugandan barkcloth. In Tanzania, KelTex is using seaweed to make a leather alternative.
She said Africa also had cotton, wool, mohair and jute that could be used in fashion.
More work was needed to process these materials locally, she said.
However, access to materials is not the only challenge facing African designers. Access to funding and markets can also make it difficult for sustainable fashion businesses to grow.
May said designers could look at textile waste as a more affordable source of material, pointing to the work being done by African upcyclers.
She also highlighted organisations helping designers gain exposure to international markets.
In South Africa, boutiques such as Africa Rise, AKJP and Merchants are helping connect local fashion brands with consumers, she said.
Consumers have a role in supporting artisanal fashion
May said consumers needed to understand the skills and labour involved in producing artisanal garments.
Although artisanal fashion can cost more than mass-produced clothing, she said each piece was unique and buying it also supported artisans and their communities.
Twyg aims to expand its impact across Africa
Twyg is also looking to provide support to designers beyond the awards.
This year, winners will take part in a year-long impact programme aimed at helping them improve their sustainable practices.
After eight years of building a platform for sustainable and circular designers in South Africa, May said Twyg was now looking to expand its impact across the continent.
“We have built a platform, and now it’s time to grow our impact,” she said.
Looking ahead, May said African fashion should continue developing its own strengths instead of trying to copy fast-fashion systems.
“We need to focus on what we are good at, for instance, artisanal fashion and excel at that,” she said.