'African textile & fashion industry needs development'

06 May '14

2 min read

The textile and fashion industry of Africa has great potential and there needs to be a strategy to exploit this potential and develop the textile and fashion sector, in order to revive the African economy, said Niger fashion designer and stylist Alphadi during the recently held traditional cloth fair, ‘Loincloth Fest’ in the Togolese capital city of Lome.

Mr. Alphadi, also known as Sidhamed Seidnaly, was speaking during a roundtable business conference on ‘Development of the textile and fashion industry: Challenges and Prospects’, held during the Loincloth Fest, which was a part of the ‘Day of Textile’ festival organized by Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo (CCIT).

The Niger designer explained during the conference that it is necessary to build a whole development policy of textile sector and expand the fashion industry in the continent to boost pale African economy.

According to Mr. Alphadi, developing the textile and fashion industry of African nations can help designers in these countries to make them known in the international market, and create an image for them in the global fashion industry.

It is necessary to develop the different sectors in the textile industry such as silk, raffia fibres and other innovative materials, which can help boost the African textile sector, he added.

The event, organized by the CCIT, was aimed at perpetuating the culture of using loincloth in Togo, and boosting as well as promoting the loincloth business in Lome, which is the hub of loincloth industry in West Africa.

Loincloth is a one-piece garment, made of barks or leather, kept in place with the use of a belt, traditionally used as innerwear or swimsuits by inhabitants.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India