Ethiopia is more than a destination, it’s a hive of fashion excellence. With many seasoned and emerging brands jostling to be seen how does one stand out? One such brand is Afro+Ssinian and Willber Willberforce caught up with them to find out what all the noise is about.

1/ Tell us about the birth of the brand:

This is how it started. During Covid, I started working with my friend because I had time on my hand as school was closed and I was only expected to teach my students through zoom for a few hours per day. I started helping my friend sell her bags. After a few months, I started my own line. I created an Instagram account and started pushing out content hoping to catch a fashion concessions audience.. I came up with the name Afro-ssinian  (Africa-Abyssinia) which represents our products as we use afro-centric materials to make our bags.

2/ You mentioned materials, tell us about the materials used to produce your line.

The specific fabric we use is called Kitenge or Ankara which most African countries use to make their traditional clothes and of course, we use Ethiopian leather. Our majority of leather is cow’s leather and sometimes goat’s leather.

3/ Where would you say most of your customers come from?

Like many brands in Ethiopia, many of our customers have been from foreign territories, partly down to being online worldwide, especially on Instagram and Facebook. But we are so pleased that now we’re getting more local customers and we think it’s helping our community appreciate local products.

4/ Many brands have a signature piece or best seller. Have you a best seller?

Our best seller is our laptop bag. We’ve sold many pieces over the past three years. We want to expand and produce more product lines such as wallets, laundry bags, and belts.

5/ You don’t currently have a website but seem to be moving volumes. How can people get hold of products?

We take orders through Instagram and telegram. We have also a few products available on eBay. It’s also possible to make payments through PayPal.

We’d like to thank Afrossinian for sitting down and talking fashion.