Origin Africa

“Can we source from Africa? I didn’t know that we could buy fabric and products from Africa. Like most people, I just automatically thought to source from China.”

A young man from Brooklyn, NY based brand, Jerome Oliver Jones, shared this sentiment with me yesterday while I was at the “Origin Africa” booth (#236) exhibiting at the 2012 “TEXWORLD” show, an apparel and textiles trade show, taking place at New York City’s Javitts Center through this Wednesday, January 18, 2012.

He is right, at least he is in my experience, that most do think to automatically source from China simply because they are the “go to” country for so many products manufactured and imported into the U.S.

Origin Africa is here to spread the word about the ability of sourcing products from Africa in order to promote trade between Africa and the world. As simply stated by Daniel Wolf, of USAID’s "South African Trade Hub," whom I met at the Origin Africa booth, “Africa makes good products.”

From the sampling of apparel products available at the booth, my estimation is that Africans make great textile and apparel products. Labels including “Doreen Mashika,” “Indego Africa,” “ki2fashion,” and “Bonk,” had products available to view, together with a message about ending conflict on the continent and the problem of the abduction of children who are forced to fight as soldiers, through a movement known as “Invisible Children.”

At the helm of Origin Africa is Chad Schofield who has been in the sourcing business for decades and represents African manufacturers, works to get them “export ready,” and assists them so that their manufacturing capabilities are adaptable and dependable.

Origin Africa has a two-pronged formula that acts as both a sourcing and branding program. The former involves showing the benefits to US companies of sourcing from Africa, while the latter focuses on introducing African brands to the U.S.

One benefit I observed through discussions with Chad was the ability to have a small production run of say 200-300 shirts, as opposed to a requirement to have behemoth (i.e., enormous) volumes before a manufacturer would even listen to you.

Small batch runs allow for customized colors and collections, bringing greater creativity and recognition to the designer, as well as greater diversity to the consumer.

A second benefit is the ability to source organic cotton products which is not only good for the environment, but as I described to fashion designer “Aschobi” recently, it is “cool to be conscience,” and fashion has been trending in the "eco-fashion" direction which has been gaining momentum in recent years.

If you are interested in souring from Africa, Mr. Schofield may be reached via email at chad.schofield@threeglobal.com.

Questions/comments? Post below or email me at clark.deanna@gmail.com