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🌍 Europe's $500M fashion investment, breakthrough deal to revive AGOA

Your African fashion news & careers update for 26 May 2025

Author

Modupe Oloruntoba
May 26, 2025 ‱ Reading this will take: 6 minutes

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Hello again,

I feel like SAFW was basically yesterday, and now, entries are open for the Scouting Menswear competition, ahead of the next season of shows (likely in October). Time is seriously flying by this year; I can’t believe it’s almost June. [I also can’t believe the cold in Johannesburg, but being shocked every winter is a South African tradition.]

In other surprises, Kenya’s foreign ministry seems to be striking a deal that would keep AGOA alive for them. We’ll wait to see if the deal holds and if other African countries will be able to do the same.

This week also served up a big win for fashion recycling: Circ has just signed a $500m deal with the EU and the French government, who will fund the construction of the first commercial scale textile recycling plant for polycotton. Overproduction is fashion’s primary sustainability problem, but the ability to recycle mixed fibres would change a lot, especially in the global north where the vast majority of fashion waste takes place.

Ending on a great note: Congratulations to Ghana’s The Revival Circularity Lab on winning the wildcard award in H&M foundation’s 2025 Global Change Awards! Along with the other 9 winners, they’ll receive support in their efforts to decarbonise fashion with funding, coaching and systems thinking support.

With thanks,
Modupe Oloruntoba

PS — I certainly didn’t, but did any of you know that sports brands were producing shoes in kangaroo leather?

Across Africa

Big relief: Over 66k Kenyans to keep jobs in upcoming deal with United States

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the AGOA deal is set to be renewed after September 2025. This means that 66,000 workers will keep their jobs.

Mechanised adire production can boost Nigeria’s economic growth—Familoni

Entepeneurship Professor Olajumoke Familoni explains that Nigeria has what it takes to boost its economic development with the  ‘adire’ mechanised production process.

Taking Care of Business turns retail waste into a $31mln micro-enterprise economy

Every year TCB recruits new participants into their programmes with up to 1,000 unemployed individuals receiving business growth support and eradicate poverty in their families at any given time

Cameroon’s cotton revival knits past resilience to future gain

After years of innovation, farmer mobilisation and industrial planning, Cameroon’s cotton sector is reversing recent declines and is now on track to produce over 350,000 tons in 2025.

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Careers

Scouting Menswear Competition — South African Fashion Week

Elsewhere

Meet the winners of Global Change Award 2025

Each year, the H&M Foundation Global Change Award backs early-stage innovations that could help transform the textile industry. The ten winners of 2025 are no exception.

Vinted is the leading clothing retailer in France

Second-hand fashion marketplace Vinted sells the most clothing in France in terms of sales volume. It even outranks omnichannel sellers.

Circ to build $500 million cotton, polyester recycling plant in France

U.S. textile recycling firm Circ has received backing from the French government and European Union to build a $500 million plant in France that will be the first to recover cotton and polyester on an industrial scale.

Gentle Monster And Warby Parker Announced As Partners For Google's New Smart Glasses

Google has confirmed that Gentle Monster and Warby Parker will be the inaugural eyewear brands to integrate its new Android XR platform into their smart glasses.

Steve Madden sues Adidas to thwart challenges to designs

Steve Madden said it has grown "tired" of Adidas' decades of complaints about footwear whose designs bear no resemblance to its three-stripe design.

Chanel Pulls Back on Price Hikes as Sales Fall 4%

The French giant is easing off punchy price increases and investing in new markets amid luxury market challenges as Chanel prepares to revamp its fashion image under new artistic director Matthieu Blazy.

That’s all for today — thoughts?

With thanks,
Modupe

Writer | Speaker | Consultant

Fashion & creative industries in Africa

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