Once upon a time, the word “influencer” was prone to eliciting responses of derision and mockery. People conferred delusions of grandeur upon those “vain” enough to call themselves “influencers”. But with the global influencer industry about to hit $15 billion and Merriam-Webster officially adding the term to their dictionary in 2019, it is clear that the impact of influencers in today’s society cannot be disputed. To influence is to affect, and the advent of social media apps like Instagram in the 2010s has changed how we’re able to do this.

Africa’s burgeoning internet population and growing e-commerce sector are making social media marketing necessary tools for brands looking to market in the region. With consumer spending expected to double across the continent, the African fashion and lifestyle industry is rapidly seeking ways to digitize and to convert social capital into sales, and international platforms like Tiktok are paying attention to the region’s creatives and the growing impact of Afrocentric marketing. African influencers are well positioned to help brands connect with African consumers but content creation across the continent is no easy feat as the African influencer industry is still carving its own niche and conquering certain barriers.

Post colonialism, the African clothing industry was largely ignored as the global fashion industry looked to Europeans to decide what was in and to Africa to dump whatever was out. Designers, textile manufacturers and other players in Africa’s fashion landscape struggled to be treated as worthy trendsetters and tastemakers. Nigerian PR and Communications consultant, Wemi Esho, says, “When Africa would even get mentioned, it was just a brief acknowledgement of South Africa’s fashion scene. Social media helped democratize fashion and change this [tendency].” West African fashion stakeholders like Loza Mahléombho, Ugo Monye, Lisa Folawiyo, Mobolaji Dawodu, Oroma Elewa, Maki Oh, and Oxosi through their digital presence helped shift how the world engages with contemporary African fashion at large, making room for fashion influencers from the continent that would come thereafter.  

Nigerian fashion content creator Onyii Bekeh (@onyiibekeh), never considered being an influencer as a career choice. As a medical student, she had her eyes set on the corporate world. A coworker who noticed her artistic bent encouraged her to monetize her creativity. But converting social currency from her into actual currency wasn’t simple for Onyii. Even with her growing engagement rate from the 36k people who follow her and the growing credibility of influencer marketing, she still had to deal with national brands who negotiate pay like “tomatoes at the market” and offer “exposure” in exchange for content.

There is no question about the creativity and skill that African fashion influencers possess—they match the global fashion industry’s aesthetic standard while still maintaining cultural context. African fashion influencers understand the market for which they are content creating and brands know this. Regional fashion houses like Orange Culture are invested in bolstering the continent’s creatives. In the last year, the brand has launched collaborations with young Nigerian digital creatives like Temi Otedola (@temiotedola) and Denola Grey (@denolagrey) who have hundreds of thousands of people following their fashion content and advice. Speaking to Industrie Africa, Orange Culture founder Adebayo Oke-Lawal (@theorangenerd) says, “African influencers have the power to tell stories. They are here to amplify the voices of the brands and find unique ways to tell the stories of the brands through the clothes. They make clothes more relatable to their following—sometimes seeing clothes on models can be quite intimidating.”