African luxury design is taking the entire world by storm and it's not by mistake.
Over the years, designers from across the continent have been breaking boundaries and creating masterpieces, and finally, the world is starting to take notice. As the popular Butter Pudding T-shirt so aptly notes, "Africa, Your Time Is Now".
Let's take a look at five African luxury brands that you should know about:
Thebe Magugu (South Africa)
Thebe Magugu, founded by a designer of the same name, is a South African luxury fashion brand.
“We offer ready-to-wear collections while exploring parallel concepts through multidisciplinary capsule projects. Between pillar practices of cultural honour, novelty and uncompromising quality, we are establishing an identity marked by self-evolving timelessness,” their website reads.
Thebe Magugu garments have featured on Beyonce’s Black Is King visual film, Vogue’s Italia magazine editions as well as worn by Hollywood actress and producer, Issa Rae on Insecure.
Don Morphy (Cameroon)
Designed for those who intend to turn into a Don, Don Morphy is a Cameroon brand which specialises in custom suits and t-shirts. The luxury brand has dressed clients which include T.D Jakes, rapper Mike Jones and Emmitt Smith.
Rich Mnisi (South Africa)
Founded in 2015, Rich Mnisi is a South African multi-disciplinary contemporary brand.
"Initially, a creative outlet for Mnisi, hoping to unearth Africa’s hidden treasures while also being youthful, contemporary, and modern. The brand was born from Mnisi’s yearning to connect deeper with his unique culture and heritage and tell a compelling story through his art – a story of a mysterious past, intriguing present, and reimagined future," their website says.
READ MORE | [WATCH] MaXhosa Africa showcases new collection at New York Fashion Week
Lisa Folawiyo (Nigeria)
Lisa Folawiyo is a Nigerian designer and her brand encompasses women’s wear and accessories. Her West African textiles are colourful, bold and beautiful and have received the attention of Lupita Nyong’o as well as Solange Knowles.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, Lisa revealed that some of her designs are hand beaded.
“The Lisa Folawiyo label is centred around hand embellishment. Certain garments in the collections are hand-beaded by artisans. Each season, I find inspiration from different cultures of Nigeria and my personal travels,” she said.
Tongoro Studio (Senegal)
Having only been around for three years, the Senegalese brand, Tongoro has managed to grab the attention of Beyonce. She has been seeing wearing five different pieces from the designer, including in her Black Is King visual album.
Tongoro also caters for menswear and the owner of the brand, Sarah Diouf draws inspiration from her African and Parisian experiences.
