The inaugural Alternative Fashion Fabric Fair (Alt.FFF) officially launched on Saturday, 19 September 2026, bringing together industry leaders, creative practitioners, manufacturers, material innovators, designers, artisans and fashion businesses for a day focused on an often overlooked part of the fashion ecosystem: what happens before the garment.
Held at The Palms Convention Centre, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, the Launch Edition introduced Alt.FFF as a platform for discovering Africa’s fibres, fabrics, raw materials, manufacturing capabilities and the people and businesses working across the materials-to-fashion value chain.
Under the theme “Where Materials Speak Before Fashion,” the fair offered visitors an opportunity to engage with materials and makers while exploring conversations around intra-African trade, sustainability, creativity, manufacturing, cross-border opportunities and the future of Africa’s fashion economy.
Hosted by media personality, Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong, the Launch Edition opened with a keynote address by Osafohene Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, Strategist, Export & Trade Leader,setting the tone for a day focused on the wider economic, creative and cultural significance of Africa’s fashion and materials ecosystem.
The programme also featured key Partner address by Rex Owusu Marfo (Rex Omar) on behalf of Black Star Experience, as well as remarks from Mr Uwem Utip of DIMO Investment & Manufacturing, Nigeria, highlighting the importance of industry connections and opportunities across the continent.
Rather than centering the experience around finished garments, Alt.FFF invited visitors to look further upstream to the fibres, fabrics, natural materials, traditional techniques, manufacturing processes and creative businesses that contribute to the final product.
Across the exhibition space, visitors encountered Materials, a Sustainability Zone, Furniture Zone, Green Artist Area, Experience Hall, Moving Loom(Dark Room), The Workshop Area, The Businesses & Services, and alongside exhibitor stands showcasing materials, products, processes and ideas. There was also a special Presentation of some Garments by Legendary designer Kofi Ansah.
The result was an experience that connected the tangible materials of fashion with the people, stories and businesses behind them.
A key part of the Launch Edition was the conversation around the opportunities that exist within Africa’s own materials and fashion ecosystem.
The first panel discussion, “Building Africa’s Material Economy: Intra-African Trade, Africa-Local Market & Cross-Border Opportunities,” featured Mr. Jacob Seddoh (CEO) Raniel Frights, Oswald Okaitei (Representative from CAAG); Charlotte Tambala Kaliati, Project Administrator, Creatives Connect Africa (CCA)- AfCFTA Forum on the Creative and Cultural Industries. It explored the potential for stronger connections between producers, manufacturers, creative businesses and markets across the continent.
The conversation reflected one of Alt.FFF’s central objectives: creating greater visibility for the resources and capabilities that already exist within Africa, while encouraging stronger relationships across the value chain.
The second panel, “The Future Session – The Next Market: Alt.FFF 2027,” looked ahead, using the Launch Edition as a starting point for considering where the platform and the wider industry can go next.
Moderated by Ivy Prosper, the session brought together perspectives from different parts of the creative and cultural ecosystem, including Makeba Boateng, Founder & Director of Fashion Forum Africa and Lead Curator of Alt.FFF; Eyetsa Lorraine Ocloo, Head of Auxiliary Arts at the Ghana Culture Forum; Audrey Forson, CEO of TEKURA Designs and President of the Interior Design and Decor Association Ghana (IDDG); Nana Opoku of Nubuke Foundation; and Renée C. Neblett, CEO & Creative Director of Kokrobitey Institute.
The diverse representation reflected the broader thinking behind Alt.FFF, that the future of Africa’s fashion and materials economy will require collaboration across fashion, manufacturing, design, culture, sustainability, art and creative enterprise.
Beyond the programme and exhibition, the Launch Edition created an environment for exhibitors, industry professionals, creatives, businesses and visitors to meet, exchange ideas and explore potential opportunities.
For Makeba Nana Boateng, Founder & Director of Fashion Forum Africa and Lead Curator of Alt.FFF, the Launch Edition represents the beginning of a platform designed to shift how the fashion ecosystem thinks about materials and the businesses behind them.
“Alt.FFF was created to bring attention to the part of the fashion value chain that we don’t always see. Before we see a finished garment, there are materials, makers, manufacturers, techniques, businesses and decisions that make it possible. We wanted to create a space where those stories and opportunities could be seen, experienced and connected.”
The Launch Edition was supported by a range of industry and cultural organisations, including Black Star Experience, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), National Commission on Culture, Institute of Textiles and Fashion Professionals Ghana, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana Culture Forum, Creative Arts Agency and DIMO Investment & Manufacturing Limited, among others.
As its inaugural edition, the 2026 Launch Edition marks the beginning of Alt.FFF’s journey to build a platform around Africa’s materials, manufacturing, creative enterprise and fashion value chain.
The conversations and connections generated during the event will inform the development of the platform as it looks towards Alt.FFF 2027, with a continued focus on discovery, collaboration, sustainability, trade and opportunities across Africa’s fashion and creative industries.
