Coronavirus disrupts Africa’s fashion sector
The Covid-19 disruption of global value chains has negatively affected Africa’s fashion industry and is threatening jobs.
According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), there is a need to re-build the African fashion industry in the post-Covid-19 era through harnessing digital solutions among other strategies.
The bank said in its latest update that closure of factories, borders and travel restrictions has interrupted supply chains resulting in many workers losing jobs.
“The disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic on global value chains and its impact on African businesses is already evident. As factories close their doors, border closures and travel restrictions interrupt supply chains, the workers, the most vulnerable and lowest paid people in the fashion supply chain, have been left to feel the worst effects,” it said.
Building more resilient value chains through innovative business models that will keep garments in use longer, use renewable materials and recycle old clothes into new products, was the focus of discussions during the second webinar event held last Thursday by the AfDB’s “Fashionomics Africa” initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme.
The panel was composed of industry experts from Parsons School of Design in New York, the UK-based charity — Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the creative minds behind sustainable African fashion brands, Orange Culture, Mariama Fashion Production and Qaaldesigns.
“My dream is to develop a healthy fashion industry in Africa. We need to be able to rely and build ourselves from our own system. At the end of the day, we have so much that needs to be done and we can’t do it alone,” Orange Culture Adebayo Oke-Lawal, said.
“Covid-19 forced our world to rethink our system. We can absolutely do this in an excellent way. It’s a question of interconnection and understanding.
“My waste could be someone else’s resources. What is needed is collaboration and breaking down the typical silos fashionpreneurs face in the industry,” said Brendan McCarthy of the Parsons School of Design.
The goal of the Bank’s Fashionomics Africa platform is to enable African entrepreneurs operating in the textile, apparel and accessories industry to create and grow their businesses, with a focus on women and youth. Through the Fashionomics Africa Digital Marketplace and Mobile App, the Bank is also analysing the impact of the textile sector on climate change and environment to deploy climate-friendly solutions in Africa.
“African fashion entrepreneurs see in the pandemic and the acceleration of digital tools, an opportunity to re-conceptualise and better educate designers, but also consumers,” said Bintou Sadio Diallo, who spoke on behalf of the African Development Bank.
The Fashionomics Africa initiative intends to contribute to the African textile, apparel and accessories industry by increasing the number of entrepreneurs accessing markets through e-commerce capabilities, boosting their access to finance, technical and business skills and forging strategic partnerships with key contributors.–herald.cl.zw
