Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) has announced a partnership with Tranoï to showcase Spring/ Summer collections by 35 African fashion designers at the Paris and Japan fashion weeks. CANEX is an initiative by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to promote Africa’s creative and cultural industries and Tranoï are organisers of international fashion events,
Under the partnership, 15 African designers will get an opportunity to present their creations at Tranoï Tokyo during the Japan Fashion Week that will be held at Yoyogi National Stadium on September 3 and 4, 2025.
An additional 20 African designers will be exhibiting in the next edition of Tranoï Paris from October 2 to 5, 2025 at the Palais Brongniart, during the Paris Fashion Week. Out of the 20 designers participating in Tranoï Paris, three will be selected by a jury of industry experts to take part in an exclusive fashion show at the Palais Brongniart, on Friday October 3, 2025.
This opportunity is open to designers or fashion brands of African origin from Africa or based in the diaspora, who will need to present a ready-to-wear collection with a strong creative signature. They will also need to have an ethical and/or innovative approach to the design process; as well as at least two collections to their credit and a commercial presence (website, points of sale or e-commerce).
Participation in Tranoï Paris or Tranoï Tokyo is a unique opportunity for African designers to boost their profile globally. The selected designers will benefit from exclusive support, including a dedicated sales team and exclusive contact with buyers, media and fashion industry professionals in the CANEX pavilions at the Paris and Tokyo editions. Interested designers are required to submit their applications online here tranoi.com/e/tranoi-x-canex before May 15, 2025.
Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said, “We are excited to join hands with Tranoï to create new opportunities for African fashion design talent to access the global fashion markets and unlock new international markets. Through this initiative, we are bringing to life our ambitions aimed at tapping into the opportunities presented by the creative economy in Africa as a driver of development.”
One of its signature initiatives is CANEX at IATF 2025 and will be held during the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), taking place in Algiers, Algeria from 4 – 10 September 2025. More than 2,000 exhibitors, including businesses from the African continent and globally, will be showcasing their goods and services to the visitors and buyers attending IATF while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. This is projected to translate into over US$44 billion in trade and investment deals. The CANEX programme will be hosting a dedicated exhibition and summit covering fashion, music, film, arts and craft, sports, literature, gastronomy and culinary arts.