My journey in fashion has been deeply personal. Over the past five years, I have had the privilege of working closely with Thebe Magugu, helping to shape the brand’s strategic direction and experiencing firsthand both the extraordinary potential and the pressing challenges within our industry. While working to build systems and opportunities for one brand, I became acutely aware of how many designers across South Africa — and the continent — face the same barriers: lack of access to resources, fragmented support, and limited opportunities to scale sustainably.

The African Fashion Guild was born out of this realisation. I wanted to create a platform that unites designers, strengthens our collective voice, and builds structures that allow creativity to flourish alongside economic sustainability. My education at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and the University of the Witwatersrand gave me the tools, but it was my lived experience within the African fashion landscape that made the vision urgent and necessary.

The Guild exists because I believe in the power of community — that when we rise together, we can create an industry that not only celebrates African creativity but also ensures its long-term prosperity. Through AFG, my commitment is to build systems of equity, collaboration, and growth that will allow our designers to thrive, not just on the continent, but on the global stage.

— Ntombi Khambule
Founder & Chair, African Fashion Guild