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African musicians are catching the attention of luxury brands.
Last month, South African singer-songwriter Tyla performed at Louis Vuitton’s prelude to the Olympic Games, wearing an oversized LV jersey and thigh-high laced boots. A month prior, a slew of African talent — Burna Boy, WizKid, Rema, Uncle Waffles, Tems and Adekunle Gold — sat front row at the Spring/Summer 2025 Louis Vuitton men’s show in Paris. It was the first time a handful of buzzy and emerging stars from the continent have been seen at fashion week.
And it’s not just LV. Things have ramped up since Burberry cast Nigerian singer Burna Boy for its 2022 Christmas campaign: Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr has been dressed by Balmain and Off-White, the latter for its AW24 show in February. Ghanaian singer and rapper Black Sherif was also spotted on the Off-White runway. Swedish fashion house Acne Studios dressed Afrobeats musician Asake for his performance in Abuja, Nigeria, in December. London-based couturier Robert Wun dressed Nigeria singer Tems for the Met Gala in 2023, marking the brand’s first-ever custom debut at the charity event.
The reasons behind this shift are simple: African music continues to boom, and brands are realising that they could be missing out.
Whether it’s Amapiano and Afrobeats or Afropop and High Life, music from the continent is dominating international charts and trending on social media platforms like TikTok. This year, the Grammys introduced a new category, “best African music performance”, highlighting the genre’s impact on a global scale.
“15-20 years ago, it didn’t seem like we were making the type of popular impact we were making now, and the introduction of that award means that [the industry] can’t help but notice and acknowledge that pop music is changing significantly because of the implosion of African music,” says Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s head of music for Sub-Saharan Africa. “The world is now in a place where it’s more receptive to music genres from the continent.”
Despite there being a significant lack of diversity in creative director roles or in senior positions at top luxury brands, those who occupy those spaces are finding ways to bring their heritage into the luxury sphere. Take Olivier Rousteing, creative director of the French fashion house Balmain, who has spoken openly about working with African talent in a bid to connect with his roots and merge Western and African luxury together. Ib Kamara is another name in the industry who is doing that at Dazed magazine and Off-White: from cover shoots in his home country of Sierra Leone to inviting popular African musicians to attend and walk his shows in Paris.
Pharrell Williams’s appointment as men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton in early 2023 was another watershed moment. Nigerian musician Adekunle Gold closed the SS25 show with his single ‘Falling Up’ featuring Williams and Nile Rodgers; while South African DJ Uncle Waffles performed a special set at the brand’s afterparty.
Having an ear to the streets mirrors his predecessor, the late Virgil Abloh (also the founder of Off-White), says Rhianne Sinclair-Phillips, founder and creative strategy director of FRM Creative. “Pharrell comes from music. He’s a musician and a producer, so he knows and understands how sound can translate globally,” adds Sinclair-Phillips. “It’s smart of Louis Vuitton to say: this is what’s new, what’s hot, and we’re going to make sure they have a presence at our show.”
There is an opportunity for luxury brands to become early adopters and grow with these emerging artists, experts say. “If the return on investment does come in a few years and these African artists are so huge and influential that they can move the needle financially, luxury brands are going to want to look like they’ve been supporting these artists from the beginning,” says Eniafe Momodu, a British-Nigerian fashion writer and creative consultant, whose past clients include Casablanca and Grace Ladoja’s popular Nigerian streetwear festival Homecoming.
With the rise of aspirational consumers across the continent, aligning with African musicians is also an opportunity for luxury to nurture that audience.
Choosing the right partners
For young artists trying to break into the international market, being recognised by a major brand is a significant achievement. Igho Enaohwo, associate at Mavin Records, which represents artists including Starr and Nigerian musician Rema, believes that emerging artists do not have to be selective when it comes to brand partnership as it could be a catalyst for future fashion collaborations. “Not every partnership can be luxury-focused,” he says.
Management and agencies who are representing these emerging artists need to ensure that their artists remain visible to brands, says Sinclair-Phillips. There’s an opportunity for musicians to build better and long-term relationships with luxury brands, which includes showing up to brand events, wearing custom pieces or the latest collection while on tour, and showing general support for the brand, she adds. While working with Nigerian musician Asake, she built relationships with Grace Wales Bonner, who let the musician wear a fresh-off-the-runway tuxedo to the Black Collective Awards, and Martine Rose, who created a custom look for the musician to wear to the Grammys in February.
As African musicians and the forces behind them attempt to win over luxury brands, they need to uplift brands from the continent, says Lanre Shonubi, a freelance producer at BBC Radio 1Xtra. “Artists need to consider their roots and [pay homage] to where they come from… that should be taken into consideration when looking to collaborate with luxury brands. How are you bringing a piece of Africa with you onto the centre stage?” Shonubi points to streetwear brands such as Ashluxe, Daily Paper and WafflesNCream, which already dress influential figures on the continent.
While African musicians are featuring more in campaigns, walking in runway shows and wearing custom looks to major events or shows, none so far have been named as official ambassadors. Experts say that’s likely to change as their reach — particularly on social media — grows. Burna Boy has nearly 18 million followers on Instagram; South African star Tyla has 8.7 million; and Rema has 6.8 million followers. It’s only a matter of time before these artists explode into the mainstream.
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Correction: This story has been updated to correct Acne Studios as a Swedish fashion house. A previous version said Acne Studios was Swiss (2/9/24).
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