The aim is to "promote African cotton and the apparel value chain from farm to fashion," explained Fred Kong'ong'o, program manager at the Africa Cotton & Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF), the regional trade body that devised the strategy.

He said the goal of the 'Brand Africa - Origin Africa' campaign was to help Africa make its mark in the fashion world by showing buyers the scope of its design, fabrics and factories.

"Previously we've been using fabrics from Asia and designs from Europe or the US, and then we just cut and make.

"But we are trying to prove that we can originate design from here, originate fabric from here, and do the fashion work too.

"We hope that in the next one or two years Africa will make its mark in the fashion world."

The scheme will start by raising the profile of locally-designed garments, with a fashion show involving designers from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and cotton and silk fabrics made in East Africa.

This will be followed by a larger event in Mauritius in November that will involve 20 designers from 18 countries using African fabric.

Both events will be attended by buyers from the US and EU, and representatives from regional retailers.

Kong'ong'o believes the region's production is ideally suited to the needs of fast fashion retailers "because it can turn around small quantities very fast."

He sees scope for niche markets requiring fabrics made from organic cotton grown in areas like northern Uganda and Tanzania.

As well as providing feedback, it is hoped buyers will select designs that will be developed up to the market level using the region's fabric, trim and sourcing network.

"Right now we are focusing on the next one or two years, working with designers to create demand for these designs and African fabrics," Kong'ong'o explains.

The next step will be to convert this interest into a business case for investment in the African textile sector to produce fabric as well as backward links to the farm level.

A lack of locally-produced raw materials and poor infrastructure has long been one of the main challenges faced by Africa's textile industry. Africa produces 12% of the world's cotton, but 90% of its production is sold to other countries for processing.

This is also why most duty-free exports to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) use third-country - mainly Asian - fabrics, a rule that is set to expire in September 2012.

Kong'ong'o says that while ACTIF is lobbying to make AGOA a long-term agreement, the 'Brand Africa - Origin Africa' program would create a long-term value chain.
"Our aim is to use the competitive advantages in the region to position the industry, because in our view the next stop for the industry is going to be Africa.”