African fashion firms embrace digitalization for marketing

Olivia Kennaway, co-designer of Lalesso fashion brand which is known for its chic resort summer clothing, told fibre2fashion, “Digital platforms are certainly bridging the gap between the local and international fashion.”

“Africa is at the forefront of digital communication globally which allows us to be the key players in this innovative era,” she informs.

According to her, African designers in the past tended to stay on the continent speaking to just the market they knew. “But we are now seeing more African designers spotlighting on the international stage,” she adds.

Stressing on the importance of digitalization in brand building, Kenyan fashion designer Liz Ogumbo says, “I believe the role of digitalization is quite clear as it has provided additional support for brand building and advertising.”

“Every fashion designer needs to be online in innovative ways to be able to cash in on the brand. We are living in an online world where every consumer wants to experience or feel the product as if they are experiencing the brand for the first time,” she explains.

In a similar vein, Eritrean fashion designer Admas Mahdere, known for her designs with Eritrean and Ethiopian culture with a modern twist, says, “Digitalization helps to shape the brand image and to access consumers all over the world.”

Explaining further, Ogumbo says, “I believe digital innovations have provided a forum for instant feedback and market knowledge. The special features and any other advantages the fashion brand has to offer have to be experienced through an app or the website or even through social media.”

“It also provides a platform to maintain a presence within the non-traditional media spaces at low costs hence enabling growth of brands. For instance, a girl sitting in Macedonia who would like to consume my product may not be able to find it in one of the stores out there and therefore she may opt to buy it online,” she concludes.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India