Across Europe and Asia, the influence of Nigerian homegrown Afrobeats artists on the world’s pop culture has become an economic mechanism that top fashion brands are tapping into to drive their product relevance and increase profitability. Wizkid’s runway walk alongside Naomi Campbell for Dolce & Gabbana in 2018 was monumental to the Afrobeats fashion exploit.

TEM’s Tommy Jeans And Davido’s PUMA brand ambassadorship gives credence that Afrobeats is a top-earning product. It’s fair to imagine that Afrobeats – the sound, the dance, the art, and the philosophy (elements of the culture such as fashion, films, and documentaries) have become a discussion that excites executives in the Manhattan and the Silicon Valley districts.

December 17, 2021, there was a seismic shift from the global fashion industry towards Afrobeats. It was the day PUMA put out a press release endorsing Davido as a brand ambassador, and Tommy Jeans did the same with TEMS. Seeing the Tems Tommy Jeans campaign released online in February 2022 was heart-warming. Crazy #things are happening.

To be alive to see a day like this where two competing fashion brands are vigorously courting Afro-pop artists to gain relevancy is a win for Afrobeats. But now is not a time to rest on our laurels. It is a time to seed more artists, music producers, video directors, dancers, and A&R into the world. Let’s make further incursions and dominate territories. More brands will rush to affiliate with our dominance.  

Story culled from Mystreetz Magazine ( 1da Banton’s edition )

Words by Sesan Adeniji: Instagram & Twitter – @sesanadeniji