I've never been to a fashion show.
I've spent the entire summer of 2026 inside African creative pop-ups across London and Paris. I've touched the clothes, met the founders, bought pieces from rails and steadily built my Black-owned wardrobe. But I've never watched a collection walk a runway. This Saturday, that changes.
MBG is attending Africa Fashion Week London as a media partner, and I'm going in with a list. Not a list of the biggest names. Not necessarily the most established.
The five designers I'm most curious about.
The ones whose countries don't always get the spotlight. The ones whose work made me stop scrolling. The ones I'm going to be watching closely when the lights go down and the first collection walks out.
And then there's what happens afterwards. Shop the Runway.
For the first time in AFWL's sixteen-year history, you can see a collection on Saturday and shop directly from the designers on Sunday.
After a summer spent watching people fall in love with brands at pop-ups, that's the part I'm most excited about.
Because discovering something beautiful is one thing.
Being able to find it again is another.
Save them all to your free MBG wishlist
H.Mor — Lesotho
The one I'm watching because I want to see what Lesotho looks like on a London runway.
Lesotho has never been represented at a major fashion week before. This year, four Lesotho brands are walking the AFWL runway as the country's first-ever delegation, and H.Mor is the one I'm watching most closely.
Their signature Kharetsa print takes inspiration from the Spiral Aloe, Lesotho's national flower. But what caught my attention is how restrained the pieces feel. There's something elegant about the way the cultural reference is there without screaming for your attention.
And that's exactly what I want to see on the runway.
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Ohana Swimwear — Kenya
If you read our swimwear blog in May, you already know MBG takes swim seriously. Neema Nkatha Kinoti in Kenya founded Ohana Swimwear, and it's part of the British Council Creative DNA 2026 cohort, which means it's been handpicked as one of Africa's most promising emerging brands. Bold African-print swimwear, size-inclusive, and built on a mission to champion swimming across the continent.
Realms — Congo-Kinshasa / Madagascar
An eco-luxury brand rooted in two countries simultaneously, Congo-Kinshasa and Madagascar. That alone makes Realms unlike anything else on the AFWL lineup. The pieces reimagine heritage from both cultures through contemporary silhouettes, and if you followed our World Cup blog on DRC, you already know Congolese fashion is very exciting and bold. I want to see where Realms takes it on the runway.
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Matheo Studio — Rwanda
Maurice Niyigena is a Rwandan fashion and costume designer who uses design to tell African stories, empower youth and women, and drive positive change. Another British Council Creative DNA pick. Rwanda is another country we rarely see represented at fashion events, and the fact that AFWL consistently creates space for these voices is exactly why it's the benchmark.
Adubauh Studios — Ghana
Aduhema, the designer behind Adubauh Studios, is presenting Kente Uncut, a collection that takes Ghana's most recognisable textile and reimagines it with personalised symbols expressing empowerment and growth. I've seen a lot of kente-inspired fashion over the years. I've seen far less work that treats kente as a living design language rather than a cultural shorthand. That distinction is why Adubauh is on my list.
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AFWL Is the Benchmark
Lesotho. Kenya. Congo-Kinshasa. Madagascar. Rwanda. Ghana. That's six African countries, and the full AFWL lineup spans fifteen countries on one runway. Over sixteen years, AFWL has showcased designers from 26 African countries and 67 countries worldwide. DJ Cuppy and Seyi Shay are headlining. The British Council Creative DNA cohort represents Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Nigeria. This isn't a fashion show cosplaying to be pan-African. It actually is.
And Shop the Runway on Sunday changes the game. No more falling in love with a piece at 8 pm and having no idea how to find it the next morning. You see it walk. You go downstairs. You buy it. That's the infrastructure this year's showcase is creating.
Because you can follow a designer online for months, you can save their posts. But nothing replaces seeing the clothes move towards you. The fabric. The styling. The reaction from the room.
If you're heading to AFWL this weekend, don't just watch the runway. Watch the names.
Pop-ups disappear. Runways end. Your wishlist doesn't.
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