Jacqueline Shaw On The Challenges Of Sourcing And Manufacturing In Africa

Prior to our conversation with the African fashion business coach Jacqueline Shaw about her journey building her business around African Fashion, we took some time to discuss some implications of sourcing and manufacturing in Africa. We discussed manufacturing regions, people’s perceptions around Made in Africa and the points to consider when you run a fashion business in Africa.

What are the main regions to consider if someone wants to have his or her fashion label manufactured in Africa? 

You can literally source and manufacture throughout the continent depending on the skill set you are looking for. The capabilities vary from one region to another. You will mainly have to consider the skill set and the processing and manufacturing units’ availability in the country you want to work with.

That being said, If you’re a big retailer you are most likely to go to Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa. These are the countries where they have big units which produce great volumes. Ethiopia is also a top region at the moment with the big factories. Then you have Ghana or Nigeria in some cases. But there are things happening in many other countries. 

That’s the reason why I work with multiple countries around the continent. I choose the countries to work with depending on my client. For big retailers I will suggest specific countries and for SMEs businesses and startups, I will recommend smaller units or artisans.

One of Jacqueline Shaw’s visit in a factory in Kenya as part of her sourcing trips

What are the main expectations of the big retailers who want to work with you?

Some people come and expect things to work like China or other Asian countries. They’ll have to understand that things don’t work the same way: the timelines, the availability of materials, the availability of skills, the prices… It can be quite challenging when they realise later on that they were far from that reality.

Have you been able to notice the impact of your platform? How has the perception of the people in the industry changed about producing in Africa?

When I first started, there were two main misconceptions. The first one was that people didn’t believe that it could be done. They didn’t consider Africa as a location that could produce fashion because they would only recognise Asia as the main region for fashion production, which is still true. But because they weren’t used to Africa, the “Africa can’t do it” mindset was widespread. The second thing is about the quality, which in some way can be a challenge. But it’s not always the case. Some people would be reluctant because they thought they would get ripped off. Some people thought that it would be cheap, like really, really cheap. Of course there are regions where there is a cheap labour force like Lesotho or Ethiopia but it’s not always the case, even in those countries. People would always think that all African countries are cheap. Fortunately, these beliefs are changing now.

One of Jacqueline Shaw’s visit in a factory in Nigeria as part of her sourcing trips

Have you seen a lot of improvement in terms of quality? What initiatives are implemented to guarantee a better production quality?

Mainly, training. I have found that many of the slightly bigger factories - not huge factories, but slightly bigger than workshop factories - bring people in from Sri Lanka, Taiwan or other countries producing fashion to come in and train their teams so they can have knowledge of international standards. Sometimes it’s just about that. Quality varies depending on countries because they have different training on consistency. Having those experts come in always helps increase quality and capacity.

On a financial level, there is not much investment in the fashion and textile industry in Africa. Why are institutions reluctant to invest in that industry?

I’m not an economist or a financial expert but from what I have learnt and what is a general thing: fashion is a very risky business.We are witnessing this right now with the pandemic. The industry is really struggling. Because you never know if people are going to like something or not. You never know if they are going to buy or they are not going to. A lot of fashion businesses run out of money, they have challenges and so forth. There is not much guarantee. Banks don’t always want to invest in fashion, regardless of Africa. Even in the UK people are struggling. The problem with fashion is that if banks give the money they don’t know when they are going to get it back. It’s not like Fintech, which would probably be more secure or oil and gas for example.

So, it’s very risky unless you are already established. Many people invest their own money.

At least there are organisations supporting this industry. What are the main ones from your perspective?

There are great organisations like Ethical Fashion initiatives, African Fashion Foundation or the African Development Bank. Of course, there are loads of ethical fashion organisations on the continent but those 3 are main - government, UN or bank type - stakeholders.

Cotton farmer in Tanzania

What would you say are the alternatives out there for brand owners ?

Everybody is crowdfunding. You could get local communities to support what you’re doing. Tapping into your network is a good way forward so you don’t always have to rely on institutions like  used to. We can rely on our networks or on influencers too,  who can support and bring in finance.

To finish, what would you say to entrepreneurs starting out fashion brands all made in Africa?

Start small! Don’t try to excel too big if it’s beyond what you are able to do. And think through your whole supply chain to connect all parts of the journey. You need to think about quality and waste as well. I will never say it enough. At the end of the day, it’s not just about clothes. It’s about the whole process. Trying to get knowledge about that, trying to connect with the right people, with experienced people. There are loads of free programs, free training to help fashion brand owners develop their skills on fashion business and fashion design. They need that to be more successful than the end product.

If you want to start a fashion business in an African country or need advice on a business you already have, find Jacqueline Shaw on her different platforms.
We made it easy for you.

African Fashion Consultancy: here
Book a call with her: here
The African Fashion Guide blog: here
The African Fashion Guide Youtube channel: here
Online trainings on the Fashion Africa Business Academy: here