FashionEVO Expands to Zambia with Pan-African Summit Focused on the Future of African Fashion
FashionEVO, a pan-African platform focused on advancing the African fashion industry through collaboration, market access, trade, education, innovation, and cross-sector partnerships, will host the FashionEVO Summit & Show Zambia 2026 on July 2 – 3, 2026, in Lusaka, Zambia, as part of the Africa Creative Market (ACM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sport & Arts Zambia, the Creative Industry Business Summit (CIBS), and the Kwimbo National Arts Festival.
Positioned at the intersection of creativity, commerce, policy, and innovation, FashionEVO convenes designers, manufacturers, buyers, investors, policymakers, institutions, technology innovators, and global stakeholders within a unified ecosystem designed to strengthen the competitiveness and long-term growth of Africa’s fashion industry.
The Zambia edition marks a significant milestone in FashionEVO’s continental expansion and reflects the growing importance of Lusaka as an emerging hub for Africa’s creative, cultural, and business communities. Under the theme, “Creative Convergence: Where Creativity, Technology and Collaboration Harness Global Greatness,” the 2026 edition will explore how African fashion can deepen intra-African trade, accelerate innovation, strengthen manufacturing and value chains, and position itself more competitively within the global market.
The programme will feature three major components: the FashionEVO Summit, taking place on July 2, 2026, at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre; the FashionEVO Fashion Show & Awards, scheduled for July 3, 2026, at Polo B, Lusaka Showgrounds as part of the Kwimbo National Arts Festival; and the FashionEVO Pop-Up Boutique Experience, a curated retail and brand engagement experience designed to connect participating designers and fashion brands directly with consumers, buyers, industry stakeholders, and cultural audiences throughout the event.
The Summit will convene industry leaders, policymakers, institutions, investors, trade executives, buyers, designers, and cultural innovators for a curated programme of keynote conversations, panel sessions, industry dialogues, and strategic networking engagements focused on the future of African fashion. Discussions will explore the structuring of Africa’s fashion economy for global competitiveness, cultural identity and representation, export readiness, fashion distribution and retail expansion, cross-border collaboration, manufacturing, scaling African brands beyond local markets, and the growing intersection of creativity, technology, trade, and investment within the continent’s evolving fashion ecosystem.
The FashionEVO Fashion Show & Awards will present a curated showcase of designers from across Africa while recognising individuals and institutions contributing to the growth, innovation, and global advancement of the industry. Beyond the runway, the platform is designed to facilitate visibility, strategic partnerships, commercial engagement, and long-term ecosystem collaboration among participating stakeholders.
The FashionEVO Pop-Up Boutique Experience will provide participating brands and designers with a commercial and experiential platform to showcase and sell products, engage new audiences, strengthen brand visibility, and foster direct interaction with consumers and stakeholders within the broader Africa Creative Market ecosystem.
Speaking on the significance of the Zambia edition, Dr. Yetty Ogunnubi, Founder & CEO of FashionEVO said:
“FashionEVO was created from the belief that African fashion must move beyond visibility into structure, ownership, market access, and global competitiveness. Zambia presents an important opportunity to bring together different parts of the ecosystem in one space and build conversations and partnerships that can drive long-term industry growth across the continent.” She added: “We are intentional about creating a platform where creativity intersects with policy, business, technology, education, and trade. The future of African fashion depends not only on talent, but on how effectively we build systems that support scale, sustainability, and global relevance.”
FashionEVO 2026 is expected to attract designers, institutions, fashion associations, brands, retailers, buyers, media platforms, investors, development organisations, and cultural stakeholders from across Africa and beyond. Participation opportunities are currently open for designers, strategic partners, institutions, media organisations, and industry stakeholders interested in contributing to the future of the African fashion industry.
Designers, institutions, brands, media platforms, strategic partners, and industry stakeholders interested in participating in FashionEVO Summit & Show Zambia 2026 can learn more at www.fashionevo.style/fe-summit-show or contact the team via contact@fashionevo.style.
