TRUE Africa

MaXhosa by Laduma and Òkun just some of the brands at the Africa Centre Pop-Up Store

This holiday season, London’s Africa Centre will celebrate its newish location in Southwark, with the ‘Africa Pop-Up Store’.

For three days from December 16 to 18, emerging and established talents from Africa and the UK-African diaspora will be showcased – featuring incredible artisanship from Ghana and Kenya, to Tanzania, South Africa and the UK .

Fashion, jewellery, homewear, accessories, prints and African food will be on sale to the public and the pop-up event will be the first in a series of events planned at Arch 29, Union Street, SE1 OLR.

The Africa Centre has been committed to supporting entrepreneurs, culture, enterprise and education from Africa and its Diaspora for fifty years.

The ‘Africa Pop-Up Store’ will bring together a range of brands including:

MaXhosa by Laduma

Knitwear brand created by South Africa designer Laduma Ngxokolo, who has won a number of awards at local and international design exhibitions. Laduma’s vision is to create sustainable jobs and attract investment to the Eastern Cape and South Africa.

Òkun

Revitalising beachwear around the globe with a blaze of contemporary African print and vibrant colour! Òkun exposes a sense of heritage from which it draws the freedom to create afresh whilst avoiding stale tropes. 2014 NatWest/UKFT Brand Award Winner.

Fondation Jean-Felicien Gacha

Established in Cameroon in 2002, Gacha Foundation relies on the generous spirit of founder Jean-Félicien Gacha. Part of its work is to preserve the ‘savoir-faire’ of the women who create beautiful objects with beads.

AAKS

Handcrafted in Ghana, AAKS creates bags in styles that maintain the spirit and durability of their ancestral counterparts characterised by bright exuberant colours.

Jekkah

Founded in 2013, a streetwear brand that brings ‘a bit of African colour to your life’, Jekkah is the debut collection of prints by French-Cameroonian illustrator, Annalise Fotso. Jekkah designs and manufactures Africa-inspired streetwear made from 100per cent cotton African wax print materials made in The Gambia.

Find more here