In June, Galeries Lafayette will host AFRICA NOW, a unique pop-up celebrating the richness and diversity of African creativity. This not-to-be-missed event will take place from June 18 to July 8, 2025, in a dedicated 90m2 space on the third floor of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. The pop-up will feature four emerging African designers supported by the “CANEX Presents Africa” program: BOYEDOE, semi-finalist for the LVMH prize, LATE FOR WORK, WE ARE NBO and WUMAN. These talents embody the continent’s creative renaissance and will be presenting their spring-summer 2025 collections. Launched by Afreximbank in collaboration with Tranoï, the Paris Fashion Week trade show, “CANEX Presents Africa” offers a unique springboard for African designers, promoting their international visibility and access to financing, production, trade and investment opportunities in the creative industries, particularly fashion.
Semi-finalist for the prestigious LVMH prize is Boyedoe, an afro-luxury fashion brand, founded by David Kusi Boye-Doe. Inspired by African cultural heritage, it combines contemporary elegance, sustainability and artistic storytelling. Each piece reflects spirituality, tradition and innovation, affirming a vision of ethical and timeless fashion. The brand embodies a new generation of African designers who combine strong cultural identity, responsible commitment and avant-garde aesthetics.
David Kusi Boye-Doe
LATE FOR WORK is a fashion label founded by Youssef Drissi, a daring designer whose creative universe explores the tensions and contradictions of our times. After five years collaborating with major fashion houses, Youssef decided to launch his own label, driven by a singular, uncompromising vision. His aesthetic is characterized by a brutalist, confrontational style, where unstructured cuts, unexpected superimpositions and raw materials reflect a subtle but assertive critique of social and aesthetic norms. LATE FOR WORK has established itself as a committed brand, where each piece is designed with recycled materials, in a radical upcycling logic that offers a valid alternative to fast fashion, while asserting a strong, free and decidedly contemporary identity. Youssef was named best young designer in Africa at the International Fashion Festival.
Youssef Drissi
We Are NBO is a Nairobi-based artisan jewelry brand that combines contemporary design, social commitment and environmental responsibility. Founded by designer Michael Nguthu, the brand collaborates with artisans from marginalized backgrounds to produce unique pieces from recycled and upcycled materials, such as brass, wood or bone, often enhanced with 24-carat gold finishes. The brand is distinguished by its organic, sculptural forms, inspired by nature, memory and Kenyan traditions. Each piece of jewelry is the fruit of a dialogue between craftsman and designer, combining local know-how and global aesthetics. Beyond creation, We Are NBO positions itself as a committed community, promoting fair trade, transparency and sustainability and is committed to social transformation through jewelry, proving that luxury and positive impact can go hand in hand.
Michael Nguthu
WUMAN is a contemporary African art and fashion brand founded in 2013 by Ekwerike Chukwuma, which blends art, culture and African fashion to create garments that tell stories and inspire positive change. The brand draws heavily on the female form, human anatomy, painting and sculpture to create fluid, expressive and impactful silhouettes, blending traditional African textiles with contemporary cuts, in an aesthetic that is both timeless and avant-garde. WUMAN favors local, artisanal manufacturing, collaborating with workshops in Nigeria, and values traditional know-how while integrating sustainable practices, notably through the use of natural materials and small-scale production designed to last, far from the logic of overproduction.
Ekwerike Chukwuma
AFRICA NOW is an unparalleled opportunity for audiences to discover singular creations rooted in strong local identities and contemporary aesthetics. Alix Morabito, Buying Director for Womenswear & Kids Special Projects & Partnership Director is
“delighted to welcome this new generation of contemporary fashion designers from the African continent.”
For her, through this pop-up:
“Galeries Lafayette continues to assert its desire to reveal to the public the energy of creation”.
