African Fashion:
List of 15 Popular African Fashion Styles
African fashion styles has influenced the fashion industry greatly, with its unique patterns and vibrant color schemes to brighten up the newest fashion trends and fads.
With popular names like Laduma MaXhosa, Imane Ayissi, Lisa Folawiyo, and Katungulu Mwendwa headlining every new fashion article about diverse and unique runway looks and every famous Fashion Week show, it is pretty safe to say that African fashion is making its way to the top quickly and surely.
African fashion trends is mainly known for its diverse, colorful, and dizzying patterns and prints that serve as symbols for the beautiful and unmatched culture that is behind each innovative design.
Like every other type of fashion, African fashion renews itself every year and season but still stays true to its cultural roots. This year as well, African fashion has introduced to the world some amazing trends with patterns and designs so gorgeous that you will be left in awe. Here are the top 15 latest and the most popular African fashion trends for the year 2020 that have taken the fashion world by storm. Let us have a look at these brilliant fashion ideas that you can rock easily for a bold and up to the minute look.
African Fashion: Ankara Print
Ankara print or fabric, also known as African wax print, is a classic trend in the African fashion industry that rarely goes out of style. This evergreen print is colorful and is renewed by the top African designers every year in the most modish of ways, while somehow never losing sight of the original concept of the print. This year’s take at the beautiful Ankara print was flamboyant and radiant as usual but consisted of more modern and straightforward patterns this time, and we’re not complaining.
African Fashion: Sage Themes
This earthy shade of green has gained much popularity this year all over the world, including the African fashion industry. The African fashion industry’s take at this neutral color was modern, simple, and minimalistic as models channeled sage through jumpsuits, bomber jackets, blazers, and monochrome outfits. The ideal sage monochrome outfit is the epitome of an effortlessly modern and fashionably forward ensemble that you can whip up in minutes and stay in trend all through the fall and winter of 2020.
African Fashion: Dizzying Abstract Print
As we said earlier, the African fashion industry is known mainly for the colorful and diverse prints and patterns that come from the rich culture and history of Africans. African and tribal patterns have a way to be appealing and eye-catching while being dizzying and abstract, and we’re completely addicted. These dizzying and colorful prints became a trend this year in the most modish way and opened a new door in the art of fashion. The vibrant colors making up this trend are ideal for the spring and summer of 2020 as they match the fun-loving and bright nature of the seasons perfectly.
African Fashion: Maasai Print
Originated from the ethnic group of Maasais in Kenya and Northern Tanzania, the Maasai prints are a large variety of checkered patterns in many different shades of red and blue. This is just one of the many examples of the wide range of prints and designers that stem from the Maasai culture. This blue and red checkered Maasai print are another one of the classics in the African fashion industry that makes a comeback every new year in a modern way, fitting for the season and serving as a smart and in-vogue option for casually smart looks.
African Fashion: African Beading
African beading is another one of the culturally rich fashion trends that found their way to the top this year, and it was especially a fan favorite due to the detail and elegance that it entailed. Although this specific and intricate type of beading began with African jewelry, namely statement necklaces, and earrings, top designers found a way to incorporate this detailed texture into clothing as well, resulting in a contemporary masterpiece as seen on the runways of the SS20 fashion shows.
African Fashion: Grand Tulle
Designers did not hold back from flamboyant, dramatic looks consisted solely of tulle and flair. Some of the dresses seen at the 2020 runways were adult versions of frilly tutus, and we’re not complaining. The playful and colorful flair of these trendy tulle dresses was a breath of fresh air from the otherwise sober, minimalistic, and simple fashion trends of the modern world and all the African models rocked this trend with style and sophistication.
African Fashion: Bold Shoulders
Bold shoulders are a repeating pattern in most of African fashion, as the industry is known to adore anything flamboyant and dramatic. Not only did this time-old trend show up in traditional African print dresses and tops, but designers also took a preppy turn as the puffed up shoulders were seen on blazers paired with striped button-ups and khaki bottoms, creating the ideally old-school ensemble that we all adore with the perfect finish of modishness.
African Fashion: Bright Neons
Staying true to the vibrant and colorful theme of the season and the well-known history of African fashion, bright neons became a top trend in 2020 and showed up on almost all African fashion shows’ runways. The radiant shades of yellow, pink, green, and blue complimented the gorgeous dark complexion of the African models ideally and were the perfect way to brighten up the runway with a pop of color. The best thing about neon shades being in trend is that you can make a very bold fashion statement by simply rocking a monochrome neon look on your day out.
African Fashion: Ruffles and Patterns
Ruffles are also another trend that was famous for Africans in the 70s and 80s and have now made a long awaited comeback in the most refined and modish way possible. One of our favorite African labels, Rich Factory, gave this timeless trend a glamorous and flamboyant twist as they incorporated many other patterns and textures into the dress, setting a whole new trend for the year.
African Fashion: Tie Dye and Bling
Yes, we’re aware that this is a questionable combination, but hear us out. Ever since tie dye became the hot new trend for 2020, every designer has been finding new and unique ways to work this casual, spring and summer appropriate print everywhere you can. Fitting for the season, many designers channeled the colorful trend of tie dye through bikini sets, bodysuits, and one-pieces, and it’s safe to say that adding jewelry to swimwear is another trend we can all get on board with.
African Fashion: Ethereal Tribal Print
It’s safe to say that the African fashion industry always stays true to its roots and finds a way to represent and celebrate their rich culture through the newest fashion trends and fads. Andrea Iyamah, a Nigerian label, debuted their SS20 collection during the Lagos Fashion Week and put in motion the trend of tribal print on ethereal, flowing, and modern dresses. The result was something otherworldly: beautiful, and truly unmatched.
African Fashion: Tiers
When you look at old pictures of traditional African fashion, you’ll notice that tiers were a common trend when it came to dresses, and in modern times, nothing has changed. The tiers have only gotten more dramatic and modern on the Spring Summer 2020 runways at the most popular African fashion shows and it’s obvious that African designers have taken the well deserved opportunity of incorporating more and more patterns and colors into just one dress to create a versatile and jaw dropping look.
African Fashion: Flowy Statement Dresses
The African fashion industry has been known to make a bold and beautiful fashion statement with full-length dresses, mainly with their choice of colors and patterns. This year was no different as models strutted the Ele Apparel SS20 runway in long, flowy dresses with halter necklines and statement headpieces as their dresses showcased either trendy prints such as animal print and polka dots or tribal, ethnic prints.
African Fashion: Head Wraps
The iconic head wrap, also known as the dhuku or doek, is an important part of the rich African culture. A headwrap isn’t only a trend, but also a symbolic statement as it holds a special place in African history. This year, our favorite fashion girls rocked the head wrap in minimalistic designs or solid, trendy colors such as classic blue, tangerine, or neon.
African Fashion: Colored Suits
As time goes by in the fashion industry, the line between men’s and women’s fashion has been fading and that has opened many doors for new opportunities for creative fashion designers. Women can wear suits and men can wear dresses. On the runways of this year’s African fashion shows, you could see colorful suits for both men and women which celebrated the summer season with flair.
These African fashion trends for 2020 are nothing short of mind blowing, with their endlessly creative patterns and prints in the most vibrant colors that add diversity and versatility to the fashion industry in the most unique and unexpected ways.