By Amara Amaryah
Africans are pioneering the way to make fashion and beauty must-haves as sustainable as they are wearable. From across the continent, fashion and beauty brands are putting in the effort to lead the way in making greener designs that promote simple, social and environmental changes. This Earth Day (April 22, 2023) the world pauses to reassess how we can consciously invest in our planet, and these African designers are doing the work to make the fashion world a more accountable and compassionate space.
The fashion industry alone is responsible for over eight percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable, eco-first fashion is one way to reverse these effects and generate healthier, slower and more sustainable principles in a fast-paced industry that wields environmental destruction. Whether prioritising recycled/upcycled fashion and packaging, ethical practices that have a long-lasting social impact.
This Earth Day discover new brands to replenish your wardrobe and beauty cabinets with the environment in mind. These 8 African brands incorporate culturally relevant and impactful fashion and beauty into what the future of sustainable behaviours can, and should, look like.
AAKS Micro-Sized Bika Yellow Bag
AAKS has a commitment to the Earth as well as African design that is hard to ignore. Akosua Afriyie-Kumi founded AAKS to present the world with her favourite weaving technique by Ghanaian women. In delicately preserving this artisanal tradition, AAKS promotes ethical, sustainable fashion that shuns mass production, instead ushering in stories with each handcrafted piece. The Bika Yellow represents everything about AAKS that we adore as an African-owned handbag company. The compact, bold, statement-making adjustable bag is all that’s needed to add some quiet drama to the look.
Anyango Mpinga Aloe Earring
Anyango Mpinga is contemporary sustainable fashion in its true unapologetic elegance. Founder Anyango Mpinga hails from Kenya and creates the eponymous brand with a burning desire to activate change in the fashion industry. Mpinga was a 2022 Honorée of The Conscious Fashion Campaign and is the founder of Free As A Human Foundation.
Quazi Design Ayanda Earrings
Quazi Design wants to change your perception of recycled materials. The Swaziland brand turns waste materials and newspapers into gorgeous original designs. Quazi Design is handmade in Eswanti by local women artisans and produces adornments for the home and the body. The Ayanda earrings are from the heritage collection and make sustainable jewellery look timeless. As much as possible, the brand sets out to use locally and sustainably sourced materials.
soleRebels Women’s Freedom HS Wave
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu founded soleRebels and completely redefined what ethical production in the shoe-making industry can look like. As an Ethiopian brand, soleRebels stands out for using sustainable materials that have stood the test of time in the country. The footwear brand is proudly African and incorporates community artisanal efforts which have a positive impact in the lives of many.
Malee Moisturising Oil
Natural, healing and 100% plant-based, Malée is a luxury bath and body care brand that is rooted in heritage. Archival by nature, the African brand cherishes ancient wisdom and beauty secrets and pairs them with unwavering sustainable efforts. Giving back to local communities and providing luxury without harming the environment, Malée gets it right with every product.
54 Thrones Big African Beauty Butter
54 Thrones plunges into clean yet decadent skincare with African roots. Christina Funke Tegbe founded 54 Thrones with her Nigerian heritage and an environmental focus in mind. The brand believes that clean beauty began in Africa and intends to continue that legacy. Honouring the people and botanicals behind the process, there is no way to mistake this as anything but a green-hearted love letter to African beauty.
Inthusiasm Liquid Foundation
Your makeup routine can be African-inspired and sustainable too with South Africa’s Inthusiasm makeup brand. Without a doubt, Inthusiasm’s mineral makeup has something for all skin types. Free from toxic chemicals and 100% locally produced, the brand shifts the narrative of how makeup can respect skin and the planet all at once. Inthusiasm is on a mission to educate makeup lovers into consciously choosing makeup that is kind to skin and is mineral rich, minimising unnecessary damage.
Tongoro Takk Dress
Designed and produced in Senegal’s chic capital city, Tongoro is an African label that makes a point of being sustainable and community-centric. Founder Sarah Diouf sources materials on the continent and works with local tailors with a long-term intention of creating “a new dynamic of Africa-based manufacturing.” The Takk dress is an example of African boldness and shape with minimalism that keeps the brand in the minds of many including Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, Burna Boy and more.
