Long before Les Léopards walked into a World Cup venue wearing leopard-print panelled suits and matching luggage, Afreximbank had already placed a bet on African fashion's place in global sport. Through its Creative Africa Nexus initiative, known as CANEX, the bank launched the African Sportswear Design Competition, which was won by RHYZR, an emerging sportswear brand headed by Nigerian designer Chuks Collins. That win opened doors fast: RHYZR went on to dress the finalist teams of the 2026 CAF African Schools Football Championship and dropped a capsule collection with the Basketball Africa League in April and May of this year.
RHYZR is not a one-off story. Ghanaian upcycling brand BOYEDOE is another name that has grown under the CANEX umbrella, and both are part of a broader ecosystem that Afreximbank has committed $2 billion to building. The fund reaches across Africa's creative and cultural industries, covering fashion, film, music, literature, gastronomy, and arts, crafts and design.
The initiative held its first summit at the Intra-African Trade Fair in Durban on November 19, 2021. The next chapter, CANEX WKND, comes to Lagos from November 5 to 8, 2026. Tagged "Where African design meets global markets," the fashion vertical is built as a trade and development platform connecting African and Africa-inspired designers to buyers, retailers, and industry stakeholders through exhibitions, showcases, and export-focused programming.
The economics behind that ambition are hard to argue with. Khanyi Mashimbye, manager of creative and cultural industries at Afreximbank, told African Business that the global fashion industry posted revenues exceeding $881 billion in 2025, with projections pointing to $1.8 trillion by 2029. "There's continuous consumer demand," she said, and African designers are increasingly positioned to meet it.
Lagos in November could be the moment that positioning becomes a market.
Originally published by African Business.