“Africa has always produced luxury; what’s often been missing is… visibility at the highest level” says Eva Omaghomi, founder of Brand63Africa – a new social enterprise that aims to connect designers of African heritage to the global market. Five of the continent and its diaspora’s most eminent designers – hailing from Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago – form the inaugural cohort, arriving for their Harrods debut this September with a pop-up on the Fifth Floor.
One of Africa’s leading houses, Christie Brown was founded in 2008 by Aisha Ayensu with a vision to celebrate Ghanaian craftsmanship and heritage through a modern, global lens. Traditional techniques and motifs, from wax prints to Kente cloth, are translated into modern silhouettes – think ultra-feminine dresses, laser-cut corseting and tailored separates – proudly made in Africa by a team of over 90 artisans.
This Lagos-based brand combines thoroughly fresh, contemporary design with rich Yoruba heritage, collaborating with local artisans and textile specialists in Nigeria to tell the brand’s story through print, texture and shape. The brand sits on a spectrum of minimalism, with asymmetric shapes and organic textures meeting splashes of colour, Nigerian fabrics and embellishment – always effortlessly chic.
An alumnus of Sonia Rykiel and Christian Lacroix, Sukeina founder Omar Salam creates strong, high-drama silhouettes with crisp lines and intricate origami folds – an aesthetic that transcends fixed identity or location. Sukeina, named after the designer’s mother, means “bright light” – a tribute to the mission it has pursued with its collections since 2012, exploring identity, emotion and the human condition through fashion.
Founded by Namnyak Odupoy in 2021, Studio Namnyak sits at the intersection of past and future, exploring 3D digital design technologies while utilising traditional handloom techniques in its Nairobi atelier. The brand throws a spotlight on African innovation, motivated always by slow-fashion principles and ethical production. Silhouettes are clean and architectural, with richness derived from texture and drapery over decoration.
Hailing from Trinidad & Tobago, The Cloth is one of the Caribbean’s most influential houses, headed up by Trinidadian designer Robert Young and British anthropologist Sophie Bufton. The brand’s origins go back to 1986, weaving Caribbean history and cultural memory into distinctive, non-conformist contemporary design. Known for its cocooning silhouettes and patchwork motifs, The Cloth also specialises in West Indian Sea Island Cotton – a rare and luxurious cotton grown exclusively in the Caribbean.
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Discover the four up-and-coming Middle-Eastern brands awarded with last year’s Fashion Trust Arabia Prize – all now available to shop at Harrods.
