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Strengthening Legal Frameworks For Africa’s Fashion Growth
Published | November 2025
​This Insight Brief has been developed by the Fashion Law Academy Africa (FLAA) to capture key discussions and learnings from our Fashion Law Panel at Lagos Fashion Week 2025.
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This publication forms part of FLAA's ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge and thought leadership in the emerging field of fashion law through research, education, and knowledge exchange. The Fashion Law Insight Brief series translates insights from pivotal industry dialogues into accessible, evidence-based resources for students, practitioners, academics, and creative entrepreneurs working across Africa's fashion ecosystem.
While the panel was hosted in collaboration with Lagos Fashion Week, this brief represents the independent analysis and reflections of the Fashion Law Academy Africa. It underscores the Academy's belief that progress within Africa's fashion industry relies on shared learning and institutional partnership to bridge the gap between law, business, and creativity.​
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Through initiatives like this, the Academy transforms collaborative experiences into structured knowledge, fostering dialogue, research, and education that contribute to Africa’s broader fashion development agenda.
The African Fashion Law Report
Published | June 2025
A Landmark Resource for Fashion Law Across the Continent
We are proud to announce the release of the inaugural African Fashion Law Report, a first-of-its-kind compendium that documents legal cases, industry disputes, and key jurisprudence shaping Africa’s creative and fashion economies.
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From labour disputes in Kenya’s beauty industry to trademark battles in South Africa, and from unreported legacy cases in Nigeria to pan-African IP conflicts involving global giants like Adidas, Puma, and Apple, this report reflects the growing complexity, and maturity, of the legal ecosystem surrounding African fashion.
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What's inside:
🔹 Landmark cases from East, West, and Southern Africa
🔹 Unreported and under-cited fashion-related disputes
🔹 High-profile brand controversies and influencer-led legal moments
🔹 A detailed case index for practitioners and researchers
🔹 A glossary to demystify legal terms for non-lawyers
🔹 Commentary on cultural IP, labour rights, and cross-border enforcement
Fashion Law in Global Perspective: Comparative Legal Frameworks of African and Western Fashion Capitals
Published | March 2025
As Africa’s fashion industry evolves, cities like Lagos, Johannesburg, and Dakar are emerging as dominant creative powerhouses positioning the continent for deeper integration into the global fashion economy. However, their sustained growth and competitiveness depend on the strength of their legal and regulatory frameworks, particularly in business compliance, intellectual property (IP) protection, and trade policies.​ Beyond Africa, global fashion capitals such as Paris, New York, and Milan have played influential roles in shaping the legal frameworks of the fashion industry and although these cities are continually adapting to new challenges, they still offer valuable frameworks for comparison.
This report provides a critical analysis of how Lagos, Johannesburg, and Dakar regulate fashion businesses, protect creative assets, and facilitate trade—contrasting their approaches with those of established global fashion centers. By identifying legal gaps and opportunities for reform, it offers fashion entrepreneurs, policymakers, and legal professionals a strategic framework for strengthening Africa’s fashion law landscape and driving sustainable industry growth.