The 11th edition of Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) commenced on 31 October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, reaffirming the continent’s rising prominence in the global textile, leather and apparel industries. As Africa’s largest fashion and sourcing platform, the event is offering more than a showcase of style—it reflects a deeper movement towards industry transformation, sustainability, and economic empowerment across the continent.
Running from Thursday through to Sunday, the ASFW has brought together 210 exhibitors from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. The annual exhibition presents a wide array of garments, textiles, leather goods and accessories, but more significantly, it offers a platform to discuss the strategic role of the African textile and apparel industry in fostering inclusive industrial development and employment creation.
According to Skander Negasi, founder of ASFW, the event’s scope transcends aesthetics. “The exhibition not only displays fabrics, boots, handbags and dresses, but serves as a platform to show how Africa’s textile, leather and fashion industry could be an engine of sustainable growth and employment opportunities,” he remarked during the opening address.
Negasi further underscored that the sector is entering a new phase defined by “modernisation, sustainability and global competitiveness.” He emphasised that textiles in Africa are not merely commodities—they are bearers of history, identity, and intangible cultural heritage.
The economic significance of the fashion and textile sector in Africa is far from marginal. The African Development Bank notes that the continent’s textile and clothing industry is estimated to be worth over $31 billion, employing more than 2 million people, primarily women. Despite persistent challenges—ranging from infrastructure deficits to policy bottlenecks—the continent’s potential remains largely untapped.
As Kebour Ghenna, Executive Director of the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted, “Africa has a population of 1.4 billion people, and over 60 percent are under the age of 25. This is not just a market; it is the world’s next great consumer base and most dynamic workforce.” His statement reflects a broader regional ambition to turn demographics into dividends through job creation and industrial development.
The event’s momentum is indicative of a wider regional shift. Nicholas Mudungwe, Executive Director at the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute, noted that African countries are increasingly reforming their industrial frameworks to make textile and garment production more viable. “African countries are taking bold steps to improve the garment and textile business environment through cutting red tape, streamlining logistics and supporting better working conditions in factories to increase exports and create more jobs,” Mudungwe observed.
According to data released by ASFW, the textile and apparel market in Africa is growing at a rate of 5 percent annually, contributing approximately 1.2 percent to the continent’s gross domestic product. While these figures are modest in comparison to global textile powers, they indicate a steady upward trajectory underpinned by policy shifts and youth-driven entrepreneurship.
Moreover, events such as ASFW serve not just as market spaces but as discursive arenas where African creativity, industrial potential, and self-representation are advanced on the continent’s own terms. These are not merely reactions to global supply chain demands but proactive engagements that demonstrate Africa’s agency in shaping a future-forward narrative—one not constrained by extractive economic models or reductive media portrayals.
The 2025 ASFW positions itself not only as a regional business hub but also as a symbolic gesture of the resilience and innovation within African industries, often underrepresented in global fashion and sourcing dialogues. By convening stakeholders from across borders and disciplines, it underscores the relevance of African design, craftsmanship, and production in redefining the parameters of the global fashion ecosystem.
While Ethiopia remains a central hub for this annual gathering, the issues addressed are continental. From Dakar to Durban, Cairo to Kigali, the implications of a revived and competitive African textile industry are significant, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to foster intra-African trade and value chain integration.
As Africa continues to assert its industrial and cultural relevance, platforms like ASFW help dismantle linear narratives that have historically framed the continent in terms of lack or dependence. Instead, they reflect a dynamic, diverse and forward-looking Africa—one where garments are not just products, but powerful expressions of agency, identity and economic sovereignty.
