Kenyan high-end fashion market demand surges

In recent years, Kenya’s rapid economic development has resulted in an increasing number of middle-income people. This group of people is defined as the middle class with strong purchasing power. Their market demand for high-end designer clothing has exploded. Kenya’s market full of potential has attracted Spanish clothing brand ZARA and British shoe brand Clarks to cooperate with local businesses. In addition, international luxury brands such as Armani, Burberry, and Gucci may also enter Kenya in the next few years.
As the middle class rises, people are increasingly demanding designer brands and paying more attention to clothing. Many international fashion brands are taking this opportunity to rush into Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, in order to get a share of this growing market. soup.
According to a report called “Kenya Fortune 2014”, high-end fashion brands such as Armani, Burberry, Gucci, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Boss are most likely to open stores in Kenya within the next 10 years. South African retail supermarket chains Foschini and Edgars will open stores in Nairobi’s “Garden City” shopping mall before the end of this year.
In June last year, the Spanish fast fashion brand ZARA signed a distribution agreement with the Kenyan clothing chain Deacons. At the same time, Deacons also assumed the distribution business of the Italian high-end clothing brand Massimo Dutti. In addition, British shoe retailer Clarks has also established a cooperative relationship with local supermarket chain Nakumatt. As the top retailer in the region, Deacons began selling Hong Kong clothing brand Bossini in 2012. Kenya is home to many staff from the United Nations Environment Program and other United Nations departments, as well as foreign investors, which has also become one of the factors driving international brands to enter Kenya.
More and more Kenyans are exposed to and gradually learned about many international brands when traveling. In addition to this, social media also plays an important role in influencing people’s shopping decisions. Through the Internet, Kenyans can learn about fashionable clothing and designer style trends on the British high street. In short, people are eager to use more fashionable and sophisticated things.
KemayaAfrica is a Kenyan fashion company that sells high-end women’s clothing. Company manager Sekipai said that the average price of fashionable clothes sold in KemayaAfrica stores has reached 40,000 shillings. The main target customers of this type of clothing are fashion-conscious women who are eager to wear the kind of clothing that combines international fashion styles with local Kenyan styles. Fashion that comes together.
However, the security situation in Kenya has deteriorated for a time, which has reduced the flow of consumers going to shopping malls. Wahome Muchiri, executive president of Deacons, said: “It is a difficult period right now, but Nairobi is still a prosperous trade center. When security order is restored, market demand will rise again. We are currently negotiating cooperation with more international brands. In the Garden The cooperation between City Mall and TwoRivers Mall has been elevated to the agenda.”
Suitsupply, a well-known Dutch chain retailer, previously used only credit cards and PayPal as payment methods. Although it currently does not have any physical stores in Kenya, in order to attract and serve Kenyan customers, the company has recently added M-Pesa, AirtelMoney, and YuCash. Three payment tools to facilitate Kenyan customers to purchase goods online.