Introducing: Africa to the World

Hello and welcome to The Hopenclass. My name is Moses Turahirwa, the Founder and Creative Director of Moshions, a luxury fashion line from Rwanda. Together in this online course, Africa to the World: Analysing the Global Appeal of African Luxury Fashion, we will explore the history and future of African fashion and luxury, and its contributions and impact on the global luxury fashion industry.

By the end of the course, we would have answered the questions: What are the unique contributions of the African Fashion Industry in concept and design, production and manufacturing techniques, visual and verbal storytelling, as well as sustainability. Historically, especially in the last two decades, how has the relationship between African fashion and the rest of the world been? How has it evolved? How has the cultural exchange between Africa and the rest of the world been balanced between appropriation and appreciation? What lessons does this hold for the future of global luxury? And how has the pandemic changed the priorities of people and the values of consumers, especially attitudes toward sustainability and wholesomeness in consumption?

All of these questions and many more will underpin our learning across this course, as we look to successful African entrepreneurs and case studies for inspiration.