Asantii aims to become the leading African global fashion brand

PARIS — Could Asantii become the first African fashion brand to rival Sandro, A.P.C. and Ba&sh?

Rwandan-born entrepreneur Maryse Mbonyumutwa thinks the world is ready for what she touts as Africa's leading global brand, as she prepares to launch the contemporary, African-designed and produced label that will , she hopes, will serve as an incubator for the local fashion industry.

General Manager of Pink Mango, a multinational group with 23 years of experience in apparel manufacturing and the production of promotional items, Mbonyumutwa has worked extensively with factories in Asia, but was frustrated that the apparel industry does not create more jobs on the African continent.

Similarly, she was puzzled that such a vast territory had yet to produce a brand aimed at a global audience. "I've worked for so many brands from so many different countries - France, UK, Germany, Americans, even the Japanese have Uniqlo - but I've never had a tech pack in my hand for a African global brand," she told WWD. .

"It's a continent of 1.2 billion people who don't run around naked in Africa, so who dresses them? I thought there was a little imbalance," she said.< /p>

The leader, who fled the Rwandan genocide at the age of 20 and now holds dual Belgian nationality, brings her international expertise to the company and joined forces in 2019 with her historical Chinese partner to create a factory in Rwanda which has created 4,300 jobs so far.

The factory produces outerwear for companies such as G-III Apparel Group; Spanish retailer Tendam; the French group Damartex; and supermarket chains such as Tesco, Lidl and Aldi. It will serve as a springboard for the launch of Asantii, a womenswear brand that celebrates African heritage and craftsmanship.

“We are definitely not a fast fashion brand,” Mbonyumutwa said. “We are a sustainable and ethical brand, and our positioning is more in what they call affordable luxury. But in terms of price, we are cheaper because we want the brand to be affordable on the continent as well. »

Maryse Mbonyumutwa Courtesy of Asantii

The first collection celebrates Rwanda's natural landscape with a palette of apricot, indigo and forest green. Graphic prints and embroidery refer to an Adinkra symbol from Ghana representing the 'all-seeing eye', as well as the Ashanti fertility doll. Materials include the traditional Faso Dan Fani cotton fabric from Burkina Faso.

The brand's website opened for pre-orders on Thursday and will officially launch on August 3, alongside a pop-up store in Ham Yard Village, London's Soho district. A second temporary space will open on August 15 in Kigali at interior design store Ysaro, followed by a boutique in Johannesburg in September.

The Asantii collection, named after the Swahili word for "thank you", is the product of a group of 15 designers from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Rwanda. , Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

This geographic diversity reflects the vast amount of talent waiting to be tapped on the continent. Luxury brands have realized this potential, w...