TOP TEN FASHION DESIGNERS AFRICA

1. DURO OLOWU (NIGERIA) - The Nigerian-born, lawyer turned fashion designer known by many as the Father of everything ‘Prints’, Duro Olowu is well known for his use of mixed vintage prints, bright colors and well polished cuts. His sharp cuts and prints, give his designs that unique glam that has attracted style icon. . Winner of numerous awards, including the 2005 ‘Designer of the Year’ British Fashion Awards.

Clients include Uma Thurman, Linda Evangelista and  Michelle Obama. Website http://www.duroolowu.com

2. KORTO MOMOLU (LIBERIA) Runner up of the  prestigious Project Runway show. Her vibrant and colorful Spring 2009 collection during New York Fashion Week; made her a  top 5 designers to watch. After Project Runway show,  Korto has been featured in lots of magazine like Essence magazine, LA Times, Ladybrille.com, InStyle.com among others.

Tyson Beckford and Lola Ogunnaike (formerly with CNN) are fans of Korto Momolu. Website : http://www.kortomomolu.com/

3. Lisa Folawiyo (Nigeria) whose brand is known as Jewel by Lisa, designs wide ranges of clothes and jeweled accessories. Her creative ability to revolutionizeAnkara fabric into colorful prints and textures embellished with Swarovski crystals, results in vibrant and fun designs. 

CLIENTS include - Genevieve Nnaji, Solange Knowles, Lala Vasquez, Catt Sadler of E! News; she has appeared on the  BBC, Essence Magazine, Marie Claire amongst others. Winner of the African Fashion International Designer Award in 2011 and she was on of the few selected to showcase at the 2011 ARISE Made in Africa Collective at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York.

Website : http://www.jewelbylisa.com/

4. DAVID TLALE (SOUTH AFRICA) 
The South African designer David Tlale winner of Best new designer of the year 2003  is an international design force with pieces that are unpredictable and exceed expectations. He also won
Mzansi star fashion designer Mzansi Award.  After winning the Elle talent competition and awarded the Best new designer of the year 2003, he exhibited his unique designs on international platforms such as, Paris Fashion Week, De Beers Shining light collection, Arise Fashion week and many more.
Clients include British Supermodel Jourdan Dunn u
website : http://www.davidtlale.com/



DEOLA SAGOE (NIGERIA)
Winner of “Africa Designs” and the MNET/ Anglo Gold African designs 2000 awards for which she was nominated by Andre Leon Tally, US vogue editor. that give women a unique vision. She is indeed a fashion visionary who has gained international fame for her haute couture pieces. She was appointed as UN Designer for UN World Food Programme: CatWalk the world- Fashion for food which goal is to raise money towards halving the number of hungry people in the world, particularly children, by 2015. Deola has participated in major fashion shows alongside Donna Karen, Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Her designs have been donned by celebrities like Naomi Campbell and Anika Nina Rose;
Her fans include Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.

website: http://www.deolasagoe.net/

KOFI ANSAH (GHANA)

He his Fashion  leader in Ghana fashion scene and a innovator in Africa.  He his the son of a classical musician and a photographer from Ghana. He his credited with changing the face of Ghana's fashion and . He designed all the costumes for the opening and closing ceremony of the African cup of nation in 2008. His vibrant, creative and edgy collections have helped pushed African Fashion to glorious heights. He has been a major player in the Ghanian fashion industry being founder and past president of the Federation of African Designers, fabric design for theGhana@50 Golden Jubilee Celebrations. He is one of the designers chosen to sell his artful collections on one of the esteemed e-commerce sites- Yoox.com. He created the Federation of African Designers, of which he has also been president

http://kofi-artdress.com/

LANRE DA SILVA AJAYI (LDA) (NIGERIA)

In just seven years of launching, her brand has gained strong international presence. Lanre Da Silva Ajayi produces high class sophisticated clothing for the elegant woman. She combines traditional fabrics, optical prints with a touch of different patterns to her designs. Her label has been the favorite of many celebrities, fashion lovers and top media houses. With a consistent ritual of showcasing six collections every year, LDA has showcased both locally and internationally for shows including ARISE, New York Couture Fashion Week and Mercedez Benz Fashion Week. She has been featured in various magazines such as Vogue Black, WWD, Essence.com, Reuters UK, Fashion Bomb and Centric/BET.
http://lanredasilvaajayi.com/




MATAANO (SOMALIA)

After escaping the civil war inSomalia, the twin sisters relocated toWashingtonDC. Ayaan and Idyl embarked upon their career in the fashion industry by creating a multicultural fashion label-Mataano (which means twins inSomalia) which has gained global recognition form distinguished fashion achievers. Their premier collection debuted in Spring 2009 gained significant buzz throughout the industry. The queen of day-time television, Oprah Winfrey, invited the twins via skype on her show titled “Young Millionaire Moguls”.  This attention definitely brought a huge national buzz to their brand and attracted avid attention from the press including, Vogue Italia, Arise Magazine, Essence Magazine, CNN International and numerous magazines and blogs.
http://www.mataano.com/

TIFFANY AMBER (NIGERIA)

With a vision to revolutionize the Nigerian Fashion Industry, Folake Folarin-Coker launched her brand- Tiffany Amber in 1998. Despite her law background, her passion for fashion gained a higher control. Her dedication and hardwork made her the first African-based designer to be invited to showcase her work two consecutive seasons at the New York Fashion week. Tiffany Amber is no doubt, one of the biggest well known fashion labels inAfrica. Her designs are truly a quintessence of a glamorous, affluent African woman. She continues to stay true to her vision by developing a strong fashion philosophy. Fourteen years after launching her brand, it has become a highly esteemed award winning international label. Folake won designer of the year at the 2009 African Fashion International inJohannesburg, Fashion Brand of the year at the ARISE Magazine Fashion Week 2011 for her AW2011 Fearless Luxury Collection. Recently, she was chosen as one of the designers to sell their collections on the famous e-commerce platform- Yoox.com.
http://www.tiffanyamberng.com/index.php

OZWALD BOATENG (GHANA)
He his on the list of 100 great black brition
Popularly known as the first black tailor (at age 27) to open a store on Savile Row and former creative director of Givenchy, Ozwald continues to be a force to be reckoned with.  His use of vibrant colors and refined fabrics with a twist of contemporary silhouettes offers a unique menswear luxury brand. He has donned celebrities such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Mick Jagger in his well tailored designs.  In 2000, he was awarded ‘Top Menswear designer’ at the British Fashion Awards; awarded an OBE in 2006 by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the fashion industry, Lifetime Award at the ARISE Fashion Week Lagos 2012 and many more.http://www.ozwaldboateng.co.uk/

Zeddie Lukoe and Sidney Owino of Kenya
This Kenyan design duo, Zeddie Lukoe and Sidney Owino are reinterpreting men’s suiting. Debuting their most recent collection at Africa Fashion Week New York this summer, they sent Masai-plaid inspired suits fit for a dandy down the runway, alongside Ankara printed harem pants with matching blazers.  Zeddie Lukoe and Sidney Owino, the masterminds behind Blackbird Jeans are always looking for new business ventures, tackling global fashion, and looking for ways to expand their blossoming design house

other designers that are not on the list but are a blessing to Africa are  AISHA OBUOBI (GHANA) , MIMI PLANGE (GHANA), DARRYL JAGGA (SOUTH AFRICA)