Two department stores, two fashion capitals, two pop-up stores: this week, high-end African design chose the temporary format to meet its customers. It is exactly the "test and learn" approach we champion. Meanwhile, luxury hospitality keeps attracting capital in Morocco, and Lagos is gearing up for two weeks of design and fashion.
At Harrods, five African labels until 27 October
On the fifth floor of the Knightsbridge department store, the Brand63Africa collective is showing five labels: Christie Brown (Ghana), Abiola Olusola (Nigeria), Sukeina (Senegal), Studio Namnyak (Kenya) and The Cloth (Trinidad and Tobago). Founded in 2025 by Eva Omaghomi, the social enterprise aims to open the global luxury market to African and diaspora designers. This pop-up is its first retail activation.
For a young brand, a few weeks on sale at Harrods is a form of validation: it shows how a demanding international clientele responds, without committing to a permanent store.
The event on Harrods.com · Benin Web TV's report
In the Marais, "L'Afrique en Scène" brings together seven countries
From 15 to 20 October, at 18 rue de Turenne in Paris, the Nahyel concept store, founded in Dakar and also present in Abidjan, staged the first edition of L'Afrique en Scène. Its founder, Roselyne Laubhouet, gathered more than twenty designers from Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Togo and Cameroon. The selection spanned couture and ready-to-wear, leather goods, beauty and lifestyle.
The opening round table, "From Creativity to Soft Power", was held with the Youssou Ndour Foundation. It raised the question the whole sector is asking: how do you turn cultural recognition into revenue?
FashionUnited: the announcement and designer list (in French) · Forbes Afrique: the economic stakes (in French)
Morocco: $250 million for upscale hotels
Egyptian group Pickalbatros, led by Kamel Abou Aly, signed a $250 million financing package in Marrakech on 15 October with IFC (World Bank Group) and Attijariwafa bank. It will first fund the group's two recent acquisitions in Casablanca, the Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche and the Mövenpick Casablanca, then the expansion of its portfolio in Marrakech and Agadir. According to its adviser, it is the largest hotel financing IFC has backed in Morocco. The 2030 World Cup weighs heavily on these investments.
These addresses matter for luxury brands: the arcades and lobbies of grand hotels are among the best locations on the continent for a pop-up store or a corner.
IFC press release · Morocco World News
Lagos, capital of design, then fashion
Design Week Lagos runs from 18 to 25 October around the National Theatre, under the theme "Making A New Africa: From Material to Market". The challenge: moving from exceptional craftsmanship to production that can serve international markets. The programme was presented in Milan in the spring, then in Paris and London.
Lagos Fashion Week takes over from 28 October to 1 November, with more than fifty labels announced, including Christie Brown, Imprint South Africa and Lisa Folawiyo, who will close the week.
Africa's Column: the Design Week Lagos programme · The Rio Times: the Lagos Fashion Week schedule
Our take
Harrods and the Marais show the same thing: the pop-up has become African luxury's way into demanding markets, and the reverse is just as true for international brands targeting Abidjan, Dakar or Casablanca. Testing before setting up is what we do. Let's talk about your project.