But Why African Fashion Designers?

Hey Friends,

In this month's newsletter I wanted to let you in on a somewhat unexpected conversation I had at a startup meet-up I recently attended in Dublin. Moments after the standard 'Get to know me intros', a fellow attendee walked up to me and said "But Why Just African Fashion" (what happened to hello, how are you?), puzzled as I was I had to assume the question was in response to my "...A Co-founder at Umoja linn, a digital platform for African Fashion Designers and community for all things African Fashion" intro. I proceeded to tell him exactly what I'd like to share with you today: 

But Why? 

When we founded Umoja linn (formerly Umoja production), we envisioned a community, a unity of African brands under one umbrella (hence the name Umoja which translates to 'Unity' in Swahili). We were passionate about serving African Designers and empowering them to scale, as well as passionate about overcoming the issue of inaccessibility  to culturally influenced clothing. We wanted to overcome this for ourselves and other Africans in the Diaspora. While not much has changed in our mission, over the years a few things have been fine-tuned. So let's dive in, But Why African fashion?

Cultural representation 

You've heard it before, It's not just clothing, it's a medium of expression. In as much as styles may evolve, African designers have successfully managed to interweave history and culture with modern inspirations to bring us the master-pieces we see today. These fabrics and attires are full of stories, they bring a piece of history and culture that we so passionately celebrate and share. 

Championing Key Players

African Designers are among the most talented creatives, yet not until recently have we seen an intentional push to celebrate and champion them on the international stage. In our work, we are dedicated to empowering and championing African designers, giving them the tools, the knowledge, and the platforms to be able to scale on a global level. 

Sustainable Business Practices

Taking into account the cultural significance and importance for cultural expression, we also recognise that while African designers are among the most talented, there's often a lack of sustainable and scalable infrastructure, our mission is to help them sell more efficiently while making the purchase experience stress free for buyers globally.

Home Away From Home

As noted above, it's not just clothing. The heartbreak that can often come with being away from one's home, is the lack of access or connection to culture. Within various African cultures, clothing plays a significance and is worn for special events be it weddings, graduations and so on. We all deserve to have easier access to a piece of home, even away from home.

Unexpected as it may have been, I was actually glad to receive such a question and hope you too have enjoyed this read.  

 As always, if you have any feedback do not hesitate to reply directly to this email.

 Stylishly Yours,

Umoja linn