When South African fashion designer Jessica Jane Molebatsi showcased her work at the recent Shanghai Fashion Week (SHFW), she was excited at the prospect of introducing her collection to such an important market.
“Coming to China has opened up our eyes and our perspective to the potential markets in China,” Molebatsi said. “Fashion enthusiasts want something they haven’t seen in China and that’s where South African clothing and South African fashion becomes intriguing and something that is desirable.”
Popular among celebrities, Molebatsi was among 22 African designers who took part in SHFW from March 26-31 in a bid to break into the lucrative Chinese market.
Organised by Africa Reimagined, a unit of Development Reimagined, a dedicated “Africa Reimagined showroom” presented the best of the continent’s burgeoning fashion industry, with an aim of supporting brands to enter and expand within the Chinese market as well as to boost African textile exports to China.
Currently, China exports more textile products to Africa than it imports, with hundreds of thousands of African traders travelling to Chinese cities – particularly the southern city of Guangzhou – to source a variety of goods including textiles.
In 2023, Africa’s textile imports from China reached US$18.9 billion, with Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa among the top buyers, according to data from Observatory of Economic Complexity.
