Author: Teresa Lubano
Edited: Dr. Francisca Odundo
Date: 2nd October 2023
The vision for UndaMeta is not just to limit itself to being a mere marketplace but rather extend itself beyond. We aspire to become a platform where African textiles and fashion ignites conversations and sparks discussions about its significance. In the context of African fashion, the term carries a profound meaning, encompassing a need to reclaim an identity that has been impacted by colonization, globalization, fueled by cultural appropriation and other external influences. This perspective emphasizes the urgency to comprehend the essence of African fashion and embrace its uniqueness – and own it!
Embracing Authenticity and Unearthing Potential
The prevailing dilemma lies in the fact that African fashion, particularly in Kenya, is still grappling with discovering its true essence. To date, Kenya has yet to adopt her own national dress. This crisis of identity calls for a paradigm shift, an awakening to the potential lying dormant within the fashion industry and the broader creative landscape of East Africa.
Within the textiles and fashion sector lies untapped potential, not just for Kenya but for the entire African continent. In fact, African patterns, fabrics, and clothes worldwide are becoming increasingly popular with more people appreciating their cultural significance. According to Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the combined apparel and footwear market in Sub-Saharan Africa is currently estimated at around USD 31 billion. Furthermore, the African textile industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 5% between 2019 and 2024. Referred to as a trillion-dollar industry, fashion possesses immense social and economic possibilities. Hence, tapping into the African textile and fashion value chain’s potential makes good business sense. For us, initiating this journey is crucial, as it promises to create a significant economic ripple effect across multiple sectors, including the creative economy, agriculture and technology.
UndaMeta, as an emerging print-on-demand fabric and textile design marketplace, endeavors to champion a transformative revolution for wholly designed African traditional and contemporary printed textiles and surface pattern design. Supportive policies and streamlining interventions are crucial in acknowledging and embracing the authenticity of African creativity and its integral connection to the textile and fashion industry. These measures should cater to those who draw inspiration from African narratives and cultures.
This shift necessitates supportive policies and interventions that recognize and celebrate the authenticity of African creativity, its relationship to the textile and fashion industry and catering to those inspired by African narratives and cultures. It is only through sound policies and investments in the continent’s textile and fashion industry that we shall witness tangible growth and change.
Acknowledging and appreciating authentic African creativity, textiles and fashion (coined as ACTF) can have far-reaching effects on various sectors. For example, the fashion value chain begins with agriculture, here the sector can empower farmers who grow cotton, hemp, silk, and other vital raw materials. Second, the advancements in technology and the use of blockchain can revolutionize how stakeholders within this industry interconnect, from curating African-inspired pattern designs, fostering real-time payments, tracking raw materials and origins of fibres and fabrics, managing recycling and disposal logistics, prioritizing sustainable fashion, and consequently enhancing economic benefits for all stakeholders involved.
This can be said to be a systems ecosystem – a way to look at the African textiles and fashion industry not in siloed parts but rather as a series of interconnected and interdependent stakeholders, products and services. Seeing the whole, not just the pieces, is fundamental in this transformative journey.
Our hope is to witness a population of people who have a genuine appreciation for local contemporary hand-crafted fabrics like batik, kente, pagne baoulé, faso dan fani and at the same time also celebrate the rich history of locally sourced, hand-woven/ hand-spun organic yarn production as essential. Furthermore, it is essential to acknowledge that contemporary textile production is transforming, adopting modern methods driven by technological tools like AI, 2D/3D creative software, and intelligent e-commerce systems. Textile artisans from different African regions, such as South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo are contributing unique styling techniques and textile prints that deserve global recognition. But do we know these artistes? Do we know the names of the African illustrators, designers, fabric producers, or we only know the brands from the Global North that imitate our cultural artefacts and sell them back to us? Are these African artisans and creators celebrated in the same manner as our Global North brothers and sisters celebrate their own textile and fashion industry? The sad answer is no. At least for Kenya, which is my home country, I know this is not the case. It is a shame that Africans consume and recognize global fashion chains like H&M, Zara, Nike and Gucci, but ask a lay Kenyan to name a handful of African fashion brands and chances are you will hear them fumble. A friend put it poignantly, “African fashion is ours, but not ours”. We wear that which we think is ours but in all honesty, is not made or created by our own people.
Therefore, in order to change this narrative, UndaMeta has taken on the mission of unleashing the genuine potential of ACTF. Our strong belief in and investment in African craftsmanship, including pattern design and various skills, are of utmost importance. We urge our audiences to recognize their power, to redefine this narrative and choose to support and celebrate authentic African creativity, textiles and fashion.
Just imagine the time and effort dedicated by artisans and mills in obtaining the inputs, weighing, sorting, cleaning, bleaching, dyeing, drying, spinning, and weaving fibers into quality fabrics. Picture the hours spent by textile designers seeking inspiration, illustrating, designing, and meticulously executing repeat motifs. Additionally, consider the thoughtful choices made by fashion designers regarding fabric types, print styles, body types/shapes, sampling, pattern-cutting techniques, and stitching before the final garment is made. All these elements represent craftsmanship, expertise, and significant investments that contribute to the true value of African fashion—qualities that should not be erroneously compared to the highly mechanized, cheaply mass-produced outputs from the Global North.
Appreciating the intrinsic value of textiles, fashion design, our cultural influences, traditions, artefacts and the intricate processes involved is essential. By doing so, African textiles and fashion can rise to prominence on the global stage, finding their rightful place as an indispensable and celebrated part of the global fashion landscape.
To iterate, UndaMeta’s vision transcends beyond just being a marketplace. It is a bold endeavor started by two Kenyan female co-founders who wish to propel Africa’s textiles and fashion to new heights, embracing its authenticity and recognizing its potential economic impact. By fostering appreciation and investment in ACTF a transformative revolution can be achieved, leading to a global recognition of the significance of African fashion and culture. The journey begins with each one of us who chooses to believe in and invest in this remarkable industry.
References
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (n.d.). Circular economy in Africa: Fashion and textiles. Retrieved on August, 2, 2023, from https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-in-africa-fashion-and-textiles