African Fashion Brands (AFB) wants to be a beautiful showcase for African fashion and designers and for this reason, they have settled here in Montreal.
Established in Montreal since July, African Fashion Brands (AFB) is a concept store that brings together several African brands, and which aims to be a link be-tween African designers and America. You can find brands from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Niger, Mali and elsewhere on the continent.
Why Montreal?
Simply because its founder Nafissatou Nana lived and studied there and is still attached to it. She also appreciates the fact that Montreal is cosmopolitan and multicultural and that there is a broad African diaspora. She wants to introduce the designers, the know-how, the local products, and the African culture to the American market and to the world.
You will find women’s clothing in all sizes and styles as well as men’s shirts. You can find traditional, contemporary, or modern clothing. The shirts can be very simple, dyed or decorated with raffia or small bronze objects. A larger selection of men’s clothing should be available soon.
Most of the clothes are made of cotton, but you can also find woven loincloths and silk, among others. The raffia is known for its ecological material and the jeans are made of recycled fabric.
Every designer is chosen for the quality of their end-finish product. Some are already well-known, but there is also a place for young designers who have been chosen for the quality of their work. They are under contract and after viewing their samples, they decide whether or not to put the items in the store. This allows for a wide variety of styles relatively affordable.
In general, the designers collaborate with local artisans. For example, Sisters of Africa works with women in Senegal who make hand-dyed loincloths. The clothes are also made locally in Senegal.
Among the accessories offered we can find handbags, tote bags, backpacks, travel bags and jewelry made of bronze, as well as caps.
If you want to know more about them, they are on Facebook and Instagram. But there is nothing like going to their boutique located at 4055-105 Sainte-Catherine Street West (next to the Alexis Nihon/Atwater metro). The online store should follow soon, before the end of this year. We wish them good luck in this new Montreal adventure.
And if you are curious to know who are the selected creators:
- Women clothings:
Sisters of Afrika (Senegal)
So’Fatoo (Senegal)
Oshara (Benin)
Nadouchka style (Benin)
Ô’rebel (Canada / Benin)
Fadi wax (Benin)
Seve_n (Ivory Coast)
Mayra collection (Senegal)
Imastyl (Benin)
- Men:
Gilles Toure (Ivory Coast)
Samarra (Ivory Coast)
Sedeh (Ivory Coast)
- Bags:
Zamany accessory (Niger)
L.E Creations (Ivory Coast)
- Jewelry:
Aidy Pearls (Burkina Faso)
Kinayah (Ivory Coast)
- Hair accessories:
Nimbe (Mali)