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.

1-54: a fourteenth London edition, with a spotlight on modernists

From 15 to 18 October, the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair took over Somerset House for its fourteenth consecutive London edition. New this year: a focus on modernist artists from Africa and its diaspora, with the exhibition "West Wind", curated by Nancy Dantas. It includes works by Ibrahim El-Salahi and Uzo Egonu, among others.

A large installation also filled the main courtyard, the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court. For collectors and luxury houses alike, the fair remains the place to gauge the standing of the African art scene.

The Art Newspaper: modernists brought into the mix · Wallpaper: the fair guide · Somerset House

De Beers puts Botswana artisans centre stage at Frieze Masters

From 14 to 18 October, De Beers returned to Frieze Masters with an immersive installation created with Botswana artisans. The message is clear: a diamond's story is no longer told only through its clarity, but through its origin and the hands that work it.

For jewellery brands, this is a long-term trend: traceability and local roots are becoming selling points in their own right, in Europe as well as in African markets.

Retail Jeweller: De Beers at Frieze Masters

De Beers' future is being negotiated with Botswana

According to Bloomberg, on 13 October Botswana was close to an agreement on the size of its stake in De Beers with the Global Diamond Consortium, the group seen since July as the frontrunner to buy the diamond company from Anglo American. As the group's leading diamond producer, the country wants a greater say in the value created from its stones.

Bloomberg: Botswana nears agreement

Our take

Art, jewellery, raw materials: the value of African luxury is increasingly created on the continent itself, from the workshop to the shareholder register. Brands that want to sell there gain from being present, even temporarily. Let's talk about your project.

MaXhosa Africa, the first South African brand on the official Paris schedule

On 28 September, MaXhosa Africa opened the spring/summer 2027 womenswear season in Paris. Selected by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, it is the first South African brand to stage a full runway show on the official calendar.

Creative director Laduma Ngxokolo presented a pan-African collection on a runway of woven mats, with geometric knitwear inspired by Xhosa beadwork. Rapper Sjava provided the soundtrack, and some models wore glasses made from recycled materials by Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru.

One detail matters as much as the show: MaXhosa manufactures in its own two knitting factories, in Johannesburg and East London, with wool from the Eastern Cape. An African luxury brand that controls its production is exactly what department stores and international buyers are looking for.

Daily Maverick: the show · Bizcommunity

Nigeria Fashion Week leaves Lagos for Abuja

From 2 to 4 October, Nigeria Fashion Week was held in Abuja for the first time, under the theme "Beyond the Runway". The organisers made a deliberate choice of the political capital: bringing designers closer to policymakers and investors.

Above all, the event announced a partnership with New York-based Bizness Group to give selected Nigerian designers, accessory makers and textile manufacturers access to Walmart's retail network. No contract has been made public yet: it is an announced pathway, to be watched.

FashionUnited: the atmosphere in Abuja · Innovation Village: the industrial side

Who owns Africa's most expensive hotels?

On 11 October, Nairametrics published an investigation into the owners and investors behind the continent's most expensive hotels: wealthy individuals, family groups, sovereign funds and international operators, often in partnership. Among the profiles is Keith Vincent, CEO of Wilderness, the company behind DumaTau Camp in Botswana.

This is a long-term movement: according to W Hospitality Group, quoted by Nairametrics, Africa's hotel chain pipeline stood at 675 hotels and 123,846 rooms at the start of 2026, up 18.6% year on year.

Nairametrics: the power brokers of luxury hospitality · Nairametrics: the cities with the largest luxury pipeline

Our take

A brand that makes its own products, a fashion week that talks about distribution, hotels that attract funds: African luxury is building its infrastructure. For international brands, every new prestige hotel is also a future point of sale. Let's talk about your project.